By Linda Scovill
July 2005

Shopping Broad Street in Southern Pines
A delightful day trip to the shops along Broad Street in Southern Pines, NC will only whet your appetite for a repeat visit.

One of the memorable things about travel is discovering new places that you want to go back to time and time again. Southern Pines, southwest of the Triangle by 70 or so miles, is just one of those places.

I drove to Southern Pines with my then husband to meet one of his friends and his wife, Nancy, for a weekend away. The guys to golf - they were on a club outing; we ladies to do a walking tour of Southern Pines. However, we were so captivated by the shops along Broad Street, on both sides of the railroad tracks, that some of the other well-known places to visit, like Weymouth , were bypassed on this trip.

We stayed at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club (910/692-7111 or 800/747-7272) on the outskirts of Southern Pines. Our mini-chalet at the rustic Pine Needle Lodge offered comfort and warmth and all the mod-cons that one comes to expect of a first-class resort. Our terrace overlooked part of the world-famous and recently restored Donald Ross golf course, and home to Peggy Kirk Bell's Ladies Only Golfari. Too bad I wasn't here to play golf. I did take an early morning walk, though, and found myself back of the golf course at what is called a Four-Hole Practice Loop (three par 3s; one par 4). This is a great idea for a novice golfer like myself: A place to practice shots that gives you the reality of the real thing.

After the men left for their day of golf, Nancy and I set out for our day on the town. I had been to Southern Pines once before, in fact, a long time before: Almost 10 years ago, when I was visiting Sam Reagan, then Poet Laureate of North Carolina, in his newspaper office at The Pilot. Nothing much seemed to have changed, except Sam is no longer with us. I often wonder what happened to his old typewriter? The main street looked the same, dissected in two by the railroad, with perhaps a few more trendy stores and restaurants.

Southern Pines (originally called Vineland ) was promoted in the late 1800s as an "ideal destination for invalids seeking clean air, a mild climate and pine-scented breezes." This announcement by the NC State Commissioner of Immigration, John T. Patrick, encouraged railway passenger service to the region from many cities along the East Coast. The original layout of the town exists today. The streets are named after many of the northern states and downtown Southern Pines is as vibrant today as it was almost a century ago.

Nancy and I began our day at the Broad Street Bakery & Café. After a double-shot latté and a homemade blueberry-stuffed muffin we began to plot our walkabout. We decided to walk randomly, as the mood struck us. So we set out to visit as many shops and sights as we could, knowing that we had to finish our day in time to meet the husbands back at the lodge. And what a great day we had. Here are just some of the highlights of our wanderings!

Broad Street Bakery & Café: It was obvious that this was a favorite spot for locals to visit for homemade goodies as well as popular coffee drinks and specialty teas. The outdoor eating patio was a perfect spot to observe the foot traffic that Saturday morning. ( 130 SW Broad Street ; 910/692-3902)

Framer's Cottage: Nancy had a hard time leaving this store: So many interesting knickknacks as well as wonderful accessories and jewelry to daydream over. It was the jewelry that kept her there. She simply had to try on several different pieces and the saleslady who helped her had the patience of Job. Take your time in this store and keep your credit card handy. Now relocated to a much bigger store, I'm sure the choices are even more dazzling than when we visited. ( 162 NW Broad Street ; 910/246-2002)

Mary Contrary: I fell in love with this store. Such electric wares for sale it reminded me of an old-fashioned haberdashery. Even the outside of the store, right to the edge of the sidewalk, shouted "Enter!" And enter we did and lingered. I took several photos inside the store of hand-knitted items that I wanted to remember for future design ideas. ( 240 NW Broad Street ; 910/692-5338)

The Country Bookstore: Local bookstores are always enchanting. They stock books on local interests that you simply don't find in the big-box bookstores. And the staff is always ready to answer questions about local history and folklore, as well as give you directions or suggestions for a good time in their locale. We lingered here, too, and I bought a small history book on East and West Southern Pines. ( 140 NW Broad Street ; (910) 692-3211)

Sweet Basil Café: By noon, Nancy and I were thinking food and drink and noticed quite number of people milling about this Café. Must be good we thought. So we went in and waited patiently for close to an hour to get a table for two. Who would have thought this could happen in Southern Pines? Their bestseller is a grilled eggplant sandwich with sweet roasted peppers and arugula on foccacia. Another favorite is the tuna and fusilli pasta salad with capers and served with la vache bread. Be patient and wait: The food was wonderful. ( 134 NW Broad Street ; 910/693-1487)

Gulley's Garden Center : Wow, you need a whole day just to peruse this garden center. At every turn inside and outside, this country-styled store and garden center sells garden artifacts, plants, decorations and stuff that you didn't know you wanted for the garden until you saw it there. Nancy and I showed great restraint mainly because we didn't have the car close at hand. But next time, I will park the car directly outside the garden center and shop wildly. ( 445 SE Broad Street ; 910/692-3223)

Theatre Antiques: Step back in time, in fact, step back into a darken space that seems to go on forever, one room of furniture after another. We wandered about looking at the various pieces of furniture: Some that could be classified as antique while other pieces were simply old. Interesting, nevertheless. If furniture could talk what stories they would tell! ( 143 NE Broad Street ; 910/692-2482)

Chef Warren's: We wanted to have dinner here but we could not get a reservation! By reputation, we'd heard that the restaurant's open kitchen invites guests to watch as Chef Warren Lewis creates signature meals. His signature dish at the time was antelope steak with a pomegranate glaze. Well, maybe next time. ( 215 NE Broad Street ; 910/692-5240)

Emmanuel Thrift Shop: It's not every day that I venture inside a thrift store but a basket of knitting yarn was randomly displayed in the window and it drew me in. Sure enough, on a table in the back of the shop were bags of wool from a yarn shop that went out of business. I hummed and hawed over these yarns and pattern books and other knitting accessories for over an hour. Other women (and one man) were also perusing the windfall of yarn and we all began to swap ideas and stories about our latest project. I bought as much yarn as I could afford for future projects. ( 177 NE Broad Street ; 910/692-7816)

BellaFilati: This yarn store is so special I would come back to Southern Pines again just to visit it. And buy more yarn, of course. Proprietor Allison McLean was charmingly chatty about her business and the yarns she carries. Everything was displayed to catch your eye and the knitted samples she had displayed were there to touch and to ask questions about. The best, most colorful - and most complicated - sweater displayed in the store was one knitted by a gentleman. Yes, I bought more yarn! (275B NE Broad Street ; 910/692-3528)

Just these few stores and eateries took Nancy and I close to six hours. We were tired and ready to head back to Pine Needles with our purchases and for our dinner date with our husbands. There's a lot to see and enjoy along Broad Street in Southern Pines but remember one thing: Shops close early, generally around 5-5:30pm and do not open on Sundays.

If you want more information and directions to Southern Pines from the Triangle, contact the Convention & Visitors Bureau to request information - 1-800-346-5362; via e-mail at cvb4golf@mindspring.com; or check out their web site at www.homeofgolf.com. Or stop by their office at 10677 U.S. Highway 15-501 in Southern Pines.