Union Camp Collective Raleigh on list of best home decor shops

A Triangle store is among the best places in the South to shop for home decor, according to Southern Living.

A writer and editors of the publication, who are prolific home-decor shoppers, included Raleigh’s Union Camp Collective among the 30 best places in the South to find unique items for the home. The store is located at 115 Old Williamson Road, near Capital Boulevard.

About Union Camp Collective

Founded in 2015 by Charlotte Smith Jeffers, Union Camp Collective specializes in vintage and antique items: rugs, art, tables, lamps, chandeliers, tablecloths, bowls, tchotchkes, outdoor furniture and more. The inventory is eclectic, representing a range of styles, including traditional, mid-century modern, ‘80s glam, cottagecore and art deco.

The first Union Camp Collective location was in the old T-Hoff building on West Street, and it has since moved to Old Williamson Road. But Smith Jeffers said she’s hoping to find a space to buy, perhaps an old garage or house, and have a permanent home for her store.

Smith Jeffers purchases pieces for Union Camp Collective from estate sales, auctions and antique dealers in states including Maine, Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She doesn’t buy anything from yard sales, Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.

The Union Camp Collective owner said she connects with customers and makes them feel welcome at her store — no matter what their budget is.

“It’s so fun to sell to people who really want something because you know that it’s going to a happy home,” Smith Jeffers told The News & Observer.

Raleigh’s residents are lucky to be in an area with so many opportunities to shop sustainably and give pieces a second life, she said.

Being included in Southern Living’s list is a “complete honor” for Smith Jeffers, who is a longtime reader of the magazine.

“It feels really joyful to be seen and recognized,” she said.

The store is open Saturdays from noon until 5 p.m. Browse Smith’s latest finds on Instagram.

Other stores that made Southern Living’s list

Charlotte’s Cotswold Marketplace also represented North Carolina in the publication’s list. The 10,000-square-foot store featuring more than 70 vendors is filled with furniture, linens, pillows, lighting and art.

The magazine drew from 17 states and Washington, D.C. to compile its selection. Here’s a brief description of each store, according to Southern Living:

• Alabama: An architect, a former buyer for home-goods retailers and a landscape painter collaborated to open ALKMY in a 1930s cottage in Birmingham. Another store from that city, Design Supply, contains different vignettes, each with artwork, lighting, rugs and furniture that visitors can shop.

• Arkansas: Cobblestone & Vine was founded 30 years ago in Little Rock, and there are now three stores in the state.

• Delaware: With a store in Wilmington and another in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, Kurtz Collection has been selling rugs since 1979.

• Florida: Miami’s Polished Coconut stocks antique furniture, vintage lighting and objects collected during founder Alicia Kossick’s international travels. Casa Gusto in West Palm Beach mixes traditional antiques with custom pieces, such as furniture and frames.

• Georgia: The Paris Market in Savannah, housed in a Victorian-era grocery store, also has a cafe that Architectural Digest named the state’s most beautiful coffee shop. Dixon Rye in Atlanta opened in an old ironworks foundry in 2015, specializing in upholstery and featuring exclusive goods created through partnerships with artisans around the globe.

• Kentucky: In Lexington, Syers Browning sells a variety of goods including fine china, coffee table books, art and baby gifts. Jayne Thompson Antiques, open by appointment only, is located in an 18th-century brick home on 700 acres of farmland.

• Louisiana: Penny Francis, the owner of Eclectic Home, is an interior designer whose store is known for its custom fragrance, its music and a shop dog, Curry.

• Maryland: Domain sells a variety of decorative pieces and has a collection inspired by Southern Living’s 2023 Idea House.

• Missouri: Anna Weiss, the owner of MoModerne, often shuffles vintage and antique pieces between her home and the store.

• Mississippi: At secondhand resale store Hunt, customers can find vintage and contemporary furniture, art, rugs, lighting and other objects. SummerHouse is a full-service firm in a 6,900-square-foot space in Ridgeland, and the brand has a satellite location in Oxford.

• Oklahoma: TA Lorton offers upholstery, case goods and artisan pottery.

• South Carolina: Elizabeth Stuart in Mount Pleasant sells a variety of decorative objects, and it has a garden shop and conservatory. Wentworth, on Wentworth Street in Charleston, is an event-design firm often included in national “best of” lists.

• Tennessee: Reed Smythe & Company, located in a storefront between a taco restaurant and a tire shop, sells handmade gifts and other objects. The owner of Nashville’s Heirloom Artifacts is an interior designer who expanded to retail, and her store sells the kinds of items she and her team use in design projects.

• Texas: Blue Print, which has several locations across the Lone Star State, offers upholstery, lighting, tableware and antiques. Biscuit Home in Houston specializes in linens. Gilmer’s 80 Acre Market opened in 2021, and in addition to shopping, visitors can enjoy free outdoor concerts, yard games and bounce houses.

• Virginia: The Shade Shop in Charlottesville sells exactly what you’d expect: light fixtures and lamps. Manse in Alexandria sells a variety of items, but it’s known for its garden topiaries and planters. The owner of The Paradise Antiques is from Argentina, and her store reflects international sourcing.
• West Virginia: The Bower Decor Market focuses on dried and artificial floral pieces.

• Washington, D.C.: English antiques are stocked alongside art, decor and contemporary accessories at Pillar & Post.

Triangle restaurants featured in Southern Living

Eateries in the Triangle have been frequently represented in Southern Living’s “best of” lists.

Here are a few examples, as The News & Observer has previously reported: