Shopping in Gantt

Master jewelers Margaret and Robin Newton of Diamonds Choice have adorned extremities with precious metal flourishes to fit every budget for nearly 15 years. The tasteful team specializes in bridal jewelry, one-of-a-kind pieces, and custom designs and performs in-house repairs and restoration to re-set jostled jewels and disenchant mummy-cursed rings. A rotating stock of consignment and estate jewelry presents an opportunity to find irreplaceable accouterments.:

The Junior League of Greenville, a women’s organization aimed at empowering communities and promoting voluntarism, has been the driving force behind Nearly New Shop for 60 years. Volunteer staff members carefully sift through donations and select the most upscale of gently used items before gussying up racks with the chosen cardigans, shoes, and powdered wigs. In turn, their work earns funds for Junior League of Greenville’s slew of community projects, which range from youth nutrition programs to volunteer service days.

Youngsters who have outgrown their gear and adults picking up a new sport can outfit themselves with selections from Play It Again Sports, the largest sporting-goods resale franchise in North America. In its stores, brand-name equipment—from popular makers such as Adidas, Nike, and Wilson—shines in displays alongside gently used wares. This gear helps equip competitive athletes playing sports such as soccer and golf as well as noncompetitive sportspeople who just want to fill golf carts with soccer balls for fun. Patrons can also trade in or sell their equipment, provided that it is still in working condition, and put that money toward new gear.

Brimming with works from up-and-coming artists across South Carolina, Southern Galleries treats aesthetes to an exclusive selection of paintings and custom frames. The gallery is overseen by an experienced team of curators and artists in residence, who also use the studio for fun, informative painting classes for adults and children. Located across from the clock tower in historical downtown Simpsonville, the gallery fosters a creative environment with ceiling-high bay windows, rustic exposed brick walls, and a catcher-free environment where dreams can roam unhindered.:m]]

Named the best toy store in Western North Carolina by Mountain Xpress for five years running, Dancing Bear Toys overflows its two locations in Asheville and Hendersonville with an ever-evolving stock of high-quality playthings from top designers. Co-owners since the first store’s opening in 1993 and sisters since well before, partners Erika and Sarah routinely travel to the New York City International Toy Fair to scope out the latest and most exciting boons to kids’ imaginations, from wooden trains to broccoli-eating robots. Within the shops’ colorful walls, giant stuffed animals from Melissa and Doug smile down on Playmobil action figures, educational kits and puzzles, and a variety of children’s books, movies, and games.