Specialty Shopping in Downtown Blowing Rock NCNovember, 2007
Recommended Reading:"At Home in Mitford " by Jan Karon. RiverOak Publishing (June 30, 2005)Click on the book cover at right to learn more at Amazon.com From MitfordDays.com (see link below) : "Is Blowing Rock Mitford? We here in Blowing Rock consider it to be Mitford because Jan Karon lived here when she was inspired to write At Home in Mitford and other books in the series. If you love Jan's books as much as we do, you won't want to miss being a part of Mitford Days in Blowing Rock, a week long celebration of the Mitford books. Events include afternoon tea with Jan Karon and characters from the books, guided Mitford trolley tours and much more." |
Blowing Rock is a town of specialty shops. Some have been there for many years and some are new startups by people who "stumbled upon" the town. From the Follow Your Dream website (see link below): " Everything happens for a reason holds especially true for Ben and Robin (Follow Your Dream Store Owners). Many years ago, they "discovered" the quaint village of Blowing Rock truly by accident. . . They set out after dark and ended up in a "warm and welcoming little inn". The next day, they awoke to sunny skies and discovered the charming little town of Blowing Rock. It became a special place to them, one they would return to for many years to escape from the "real world", where the fresh air seemed to enter your body and refresh your spirit. They decided to "Follow their Dream" and made this special place their home." 
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Recommended Reading:"The Seasonal Palette " by Elizabeth K. Norfleet, Bob Timberlake. Taste-Full Publications, Inc. (September 2004)Click on the book cover at right to learn more at Amazon.com From Amazon.com : "Food and Art - the culinary arts of Taste Full magazine and the paintings of Bob Timberlake unite in a refined, yet down-home cookbook that puts a gourmet twist on Southern comfort foods and provides a visual feast for the eyes. Cookbook, picture book, resource guide, and an elegant coffee table book - The Seasonal Palette is all of these things." A few years ago artist, designer and gallery owner Bob Timberlake added a gallery in Blowing Rock and continues to contribute his designs to the area including the neighboring Chetola resort. Timberlake has a large following and his name is on many goods from his paintings, furniture he designs and clothing.  |
The center of downtown Blowing Rock is the community park. The large trees and many benches offer the opportunity to escape the Main Street activity and watch the crowds pass by.
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While many of the shops offer handmade items, some special shops offer locally made crafts. They include the Main Street Crafts Co-op Gallery and Gaines Kiker Silversmith on Sunset Drive (see links below).
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Many part-year residents in Blowing Rock are furnishing second or third homes in the area and find furniture, accessories, art and antiques in the Blowing Rock downtown area.
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The Blowing Rock Christmas Parade on November 24, 2007 is the kickoff to the Blowing Rock Holiday Season. The stores are filled with goods for the many holiday shoppers from the region.
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It is hard to spend a few hours in downtown Blowing Rock without stopping in Kilwin's Ice Cream and Fudge Shop. You can see the individual batches of fudge being made and pick from among their many flavors of ice cream and fudge.
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The town offers several restaurants for lunch during shopping breaks or dinner later on. Click here to learn about some of those restaurants.
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