 |
|
Roanoke Island
The Town of Manteo is undergoing something of a renaissance. New retail shops
have opened, and much more is in the
planning stage. There is so much to see,
do, and buy now in Manteo that parking
can be a challenge, but that just means you'll need to park on a side street and
walk a few blocks. Or you can park in the
Roanoke Island Festival Park lot, where
you'll find space almost any time of year,
and take a pleasant stroll over the Cora
Mae Basnight Bridge to shop and eat. We start with the shops along U.S. Highway 64, where you can find bargains as well as unusual gifts. Then we
move on to downtown Manteo.
Pirate's Cove Ship's Store
Pirate's Cove Yacht Club
Nags Head-Manteo Causeway, Manteo
(252) 473-3906 This marina store has a selection of active sportswear, including Kahalas, a Hawaiian line of beautifully hand-screened and batiked clothing. The shop also carries gifts, picture frames, windup crabs, marina supplies, and groceries as well as a line of 14-karat gold jewelry with a fishy flair. It's open year-round.
Silver Bonsai Gallery
905 US 64/264, Manteo
(252) 475-1413 In a restored home on the main highway, Silver Bonsai is a gallery owned by local artists Ben Stewart and Kathryn Holton-Stewart. The Stewarts are silver-and goldsmiths and bonsai artists. Their work fills the gallery along with the work of many local artists. One of the artists is often at work in the studio. The artwork and gifts in Silver Bonsai are distinctive. You'll find paintings, sculpture, candles, soaps, exquisite jewelry, copper items, quilts, furniture, Japanese pottery and local pottery, and more. See our Arts
and Culture chapter for more information.
Island Produce
US 64/264, Manteo
(252) 473-1303 Island Produce offers fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits as well as flowering plants for the garden and home, including beautiful lilies, pumpkins, and Christmas trees in season. Statuary and fountains to adorn your garden are here, too. It's open April until Christmas.
Jeanine's Cat House
US 64/264, Manteo
(252) 473-1499 Cat lovers revel in this shop filled with delightful gifts and necessities ranging from "purr-ty" cat earrings to beds and carrying cases for the furry felines. Cat motif sculptures, wall art, clothing, collectibles, cards, and stationery fill this pussycat palace. Jeanine's is next to the Christmas Shop and is open daily year-round.
The Christmas Shop & Island Gallery
621 South US 64, Manteo
(252) 473-2838, (800) 470-2838
www.outerbankschristmas.com The Christmas Shop is such an Outer Banks legend that we've also included it in our Attractions and Arts and Culture chapters. Opened in 1967, this fabulous shop has expanded exponentially over the years. The main shop deals with Christmas, and there are more holiday decorations than you ever knew existed. Trees, sparkling lights, smells of cedar and cinnamon, and holiday music make the holidays come alive, even in the middle of the summer. In the 36 rooms it's easy to get lost. As you sort through Christmas cards, peer into music boxes, sniff candles, select from thousands of ornaments, and play with toys, you may find that hours have passed and your shopping companions are nowhere to be found. You'll find Christopher Radko ornaments and Polonaise glass ornaments from Poland, Byer's Choice Christmas figurines, collectibles of all kinds, an angel display, music, home decor, and more. An entire upstairs room is devoted to Halloween. Farther back into the store is the Island Gallery, with jewelry, oil and watercolor paintings, prints, frames, decoys, and other artwork by over 200 regional artists and craftspeople. Beyond that, the General Store has authentic, old-time appeal and goods. The Candy Counter has an old-fashioned counter and penny sticks of candy plus modern candies in bulk and prepackaged varieties. Many visitors return to The Christmas Shop year after year. It's always packed and is open all year; call for hours. Parking is in front of the building and behind it, and there's a huge overflow parking lot across the street. Insiders know that The Christmas Shop has a super sale each December with holiday items greatly discounted.
Pirate's Cove Ship's Store
Pirate's Cove Yacht Club
Nags Head-Manteo Causeway, Manteo
(252) 473-3906
This marina store has a selection of active
sportswear, including Kahalas, a Hawaiian
line of beautifully hand-screened and
batiked clothing. The shop also carries
gifts, picture frames, windup crabs, marina
supplies, and groceries as well as a line of
14-karat gold jewelry with a fishy flair. It's
open year-round.
Silver Bonsai Gallery
905 US 64/264, Manteo
(252) 475-1413
In a restored home on the main highway, Silver Bonsai is a gallery owned by local artists
Ben Stewart and Kathryn Holton-Stewart.
The Stewarts are silver- and goldsmiths and
bonsai artists. Their work fills the gallery
along with the work of many local artists.
One of the artists is often at work in the studio. The artwork and gifts in Silver Bonsai
are distinctive. You'll find paintings, sculpture, candles, soaps, exquisite jewelry, copper items, quilts, furniture, Japanese pottery
and local pottery, and more. See our Arts
and Culture chapter for more information.
This store is worth a stop just to admire the
incredible etch-a-sketch drawings.
Island Produce
US 64/264, Manteo
(252) 473-1303
Island Produce offers fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits as well as flowering plants for the garden and home, including
beautiful lilies, pumpkins, and Christmas
trees in season. Statuary and fountains to
adorn your garden are here, too. It's open
April until Christmas.
Jeanine's Cat House
US 64/264, Manteo
(252) 473-1499
Cat lovers revel in this shop filled with
delightful gifts and necessities ranging from
"purr-ty" cat earrings to beds and carrying
cases for the furry felines. Cat-motif sculptures, wall art, clothing, collectibles, cards,
and stationery fill this pussycat palace.
Jeanine's is next to the Christmas Shop
and is open daily year-round.
Chesley Mall
US 64/264, Manteo
Food-A-Rama and CVS pharmacy hold
down the fort at this year-round shopping
venue. Island Pharmacy is an old-fashioned
store where you can buy prescription and
over-the-counter medicines, sundries, film,
and gifts, and use the UPS and Airborne
Express services in the back of the store.
Island Pharmacy also sells gift items,
including glass and china knickknacks and
some stuffed animals. One of the best
selections of gift cards on the beach can
be found here, too.
The Video Store has an array of first-
rate drama, comedy, adventure, martial
arts, horror, and children's movies. It also
rents VCRs, Super Nintendo, Nintendo,
and Sega Genesis games. Susan's Hallmark carries a wide variety of party supplies, religious products, candy (try the
spicy jelly beans), cards, stationery, and
photo albums. Subway and Top China
offer options for quick meals.
Burnside Books
US 64/264, Manteo
(252) 473-3311
Burnside carries office and art supplies
and a selection of historical and children's
books. Upstairs you'll find used hardback
and paperback books and a North Carolina book section. It's open all year.
Hotline Thrift Shop
US 64/264, Manteo
(252) 473-3127
West of the Dare County Public Library,
Hotline Thrift is a fund-raising shop for
Outer Banks Hotline, a crisis intervention
service that also operates a shelter for
battered women and their children. Hot-
line may be the most popular secondhand
store on the Outer Banks. The bargain-
priced inventory includes furniture, toys,
books, knickknacks, and clothing for men,
women, and children. It's open year-round.
The Cloth Barn
Etheridge Road, Manteo
(252) 473-2795
Returning to US 64, head north toward
Manns Harbor and turn left onto
Etheridge Road. Drive a short distance,
and you'll be at a store packed nearly
floor to ceiling with fabrics, notions, and
patterns. The selection of woven tapestry
cloth is unbelievably beautiful. The Cloth
Barn closes mid-December through mid-
January.
Wanchese Pottery
107 Fernando Street, Manteo
(252) 473-2099
This artistic shop is a small business near
The Waterfront on Fernando Street, where
customers watch local potters Bonnie and
Bob Morrill at work (see our Arts and Culture chapter). The shop is known locally
for its beautiful, useful art, and it also features handmade baskets and fresh cooking herbs. It's open year-round, but call for
winter hours.
Manteo Furniture
209 Sir Walter Raleigh Street, Manteo
(252) 473-2131
Manteo Furniture stocks a large selection
of home and cottage furnishings ranging
from traditional to contemporary. The
store, which has been in operation more
than 50 years, offers down-home friendly
service. Allow yourself plenty of time to
browse through the many rooms of furnishings in this 48,000-square-foot showroom/warehouse. The company sells a full
line of General Electric appliances and
offers financing and free delivery. It's open
year-round.
Outer Banks Quilts and Antiques
108 Sir Walter Raleigh Street, Manteo
(252) 473-4183
This large store carries the goods of more
than 12 antiques and collectibles dealers.
It's also the Outer Banks's only official
quilt shop, with handmade quilts and
quilting supplies.
Manteo Booksellers
105 Sir Walter Raleigh Street, Manteo
(252) 473-1221
Housed in charming quarters dotted with
wing chairs, cozy corners, and quaint
antiques, Manteo Booksellers is a must-
browse for every reader. Three rooms are
packed with books ranging from literary
classics to delightful children's stories. The
Outer Banks and Latin American sections
(they also have books in Spanish) are
excellent, as are the historical, self-help,
Civil War, and North Carolina fiction areas.
The cookbook selection is extensive. The bookstore has a busy calendar
filled with book signings and free readings
by authors, poets, and storytellers. Manteo
Booksellers is open year-round.
My Secret Garden
101 Sir Walter Raleigh Street, Manteo
(252) 473-6880
Next door to Manteo Booksellers, My
Secret Garden features Tiffany-style
lamps, custom wreaths and swags, unique
garden accessories and statuary, handmade birdhouses, and mermaid items.
This shop offers handpainted furniture,
including mirrors, lamps, dressers and
servers, plus indoor fountains, Muffy Vanderbears and Beanie Babies, and pottery.
This is a charming shop with lots of gift
ideas. It's open year-round.
Old Creef's Corner
Corner of Queen Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh Sts., Manteo In a slightly askew building on the corner, this former gas station houses Water Street Station, a women's apparel store. This shop offers casual island wear for women and girls. Colorful dresses, linen clothing, fine accessories, luggage, handbags, hats, and babies' apparel are available. Waterfront Salon & Day Spa offers relaxing day-spa services and the latest in great hairstyles. Next door, Full Moon Junction offers a place to get a snack, a drink, an ice cream cone, or a cup of coffee. It also sells T-shirts, inexpensive toys and candy for the kids, and small gift items.
Centennial Square
Sir Walter Raleigh, Queen Elizabeth, and Fernando Sts., Manteo This beautiful square of buildings offers interesting shops on the first level with apartments above. On the Sir Walter Raleigh Street side, you'll find the Dare County Arts Council's Sea and Sounds Gallery (see our Arts
and Culture chapter). Around the corner on the Fernando Street side is is Muzzie's Antiques, which offers an assortment of antiques and treasures. Estate and heirloom jewelry, Shabby Chic and April Cornell linens, antique and rag dolls, vintage accessories, and wedding gowns are just a few of the items. There are also furnishings, mosaic tables, painted furniture, lamps, trinket boxes, pillows galore, cards and bath products. Carry home some tropical style at the Beach'n Life. Imported goods from the Caribbean are featured in this shop that brings Key West to Manteo. Everything from music to handpainted furniture to palm trees is sticked in this fun shop.
The Waterfront Shops
Queen Elizabeth St., Manteo Along the Manteo Waterfront sits this four-story complex with businesses, restaurants, residential space, and covered parking. Charlotte's is a quality women's boutique that features traditional and contemporary fine and casual clothing, accessories, gifts, and a beautiful sweater collection, including ones by designers Lisa Nichols and Michael Simon. The store is open year-round. Sleeping In sells comforts for the bed and bath. Everything is luxurious, lingerie, gowns, robes, bath items, body care products, candles, bedding, and home decor. Ken Kelley and Eileen Alexanian are the owners of Diamonds and Dunes, a fullservice jewelry shop. The "designing couple" produces fine handcrafted work, drawing on more than two decades of experience in the jewelry business. Services include setting stones, sizing rings, and creating one-of-a-kind keepsakes. They showcase their very own lighthouse bracelet made of the five Outer Banks lighthouses. They also offer Belgian diamonds and gold, silver, or gem-studded ear pins to give you the three-earring look without all the holes. The store is open year-round. Andrus Gallery and Studio showcases the masterworks of painter Steve Adrus,. The artist works within his gallery and enjoys discussing his work. If you're looking for locally produced items, stop in at Roanoke Marshes Trading Company. They offer such items by Outer Banks artists as shell candles, hand painted glassware, and nautical wall decor. For a good summer read or a yummy frozen treat, visit Mother's Mondey. Along with books and desserts, Outer Banks gift items and lots of wine and wine accessories are stocked here. Island Accent Gifts features glass sea life sculptures, metal art jewelry, and more.
Magnolia Market
Queen Elizabeth St., Manteo This group of shops opened in 1999 across from The Tranquil House Inn. Here you will find Magnolia Grill, where you can purchase drinks, snacks, sundries, and gourmet foods or eat lunch or dinner. The Blacksmith's Store offers live demostrations of 19th-century blacksmithing. Ornamental ironwork is for sale here.
Endless Possibilities
105 Budleigh Street, Manteo
(252) 475-1575 This shop recycles, gives back to the community, and offers stylish accessories for sale all at once. Clothing specially selected from Hotline, a community thrift store, is shredded into strips. The fabric is then hand-woven on looms into colorful boas, pocketbooks, rugs, and hats. Volunteers do the weaving, and proceeds benefit the Outer Banks Crisis Intervention and Prevention Center. Every item is custom made and one of a kind. Open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Outer Banks Yoga and Pilates
105 Budleigh Street, Manteo
(252) 480=3214
www.outerbanksyoga.com Outer Banks Yoga and Pilates oerates above Endless Possibilities. A selection of yoga items, such as T-shirts, films, and CDs are sold here. Drop-in classes are offered in yoga and Pilates. The Web site offers class times.
Phoenix Shops
Between Budleigh and Ananias Dare Streets, Manteo This strip of shops faces an inner courtyard instead of the street. Somethings Special is just that. Brimming with items from the world over, you'll find uniques gifts sure to please. Outer Banks Posters sells posters, offeres custom framing, and sells lighthouse figurines, clocks, and other items. Inspired by the Sea sells handpainted furniture and decor pieces. Lighthouses and seascapes are often painted on their work. Prada and Gucci purses, along with fine women's clothing are offered at Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice. Beachwear items are also sold here.
Finally Mine
Across from Magnolia Market, Manteo
(252) 473-1387
www.finallymine.com For unique gifts for yourself or someone special, Finally Mine is the place to stop. There's quite a bit of sterling silver jewelry and earrings, including many pieces fashioned with glass. Home accessories, including old English stained-glass windows, blown glass, frames, pottery, and lamps, are one of a kind. You'll also find Martha Johnson framed collages, bath and body treats, garden accessories, mirrors, and more.
Nancyware Pottery
402 Queen Elizabeth Street, Manteo
(252) 473-9400 In a building across from The Tranquil House Inn, this is the pottery studio of artist Nancy Hase. The potter's wheel is on display, and you can see her work from time to time. She also offers classes on the wheel. In this year-round shop you'll find Nancy's pottery, jewelry, and tile work. The pottery is high-fire functional stoneware that is dishwasher, microwave, and oven safe. There's a great variety of kitchen items, including deep-dish fluted pie plates, colanders, three-piece child dining sets that can be personalized, vases, dishes, and spoon rests.
400 Budleigh Antique Mall
Budleigh Street, Manteo
(252) 473-9339 This mall features more than 20 rooms filled with antiques, furniture, and more. Vintage Christmas decorations and collectible kitchenware are among the popular items for sale. Open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
The Museum Shop
Roanoke Island Festival Park, Manteo
(252) 475-1500 This Museum Shop at Roanoke Island Festival Park goes beyond what you'd expect at a museum store. This store is huge, packed with historically themed gifts and items for the home. Inspired by Roanoke Island life and history, sections include Elizabethan, Civil War, nautical, and Native American themes. In the book section, books about the Outer Banks are extensive, and there are handsome leatherbound blank journals and a wide range of music. In the Elizabethan section, you'll find teapots, tea, biscuits, and other English items. The nautical section has books, telescopes, tide clocks, old maps, models, and more. The toys include hats, swords, and capes for playing dress-up. Jewelry, candy, food, games, gifts, and home decor items are all here.
Clemons on Budleigh
406 Budleigh Street, Manteo
(252) 473-9870
Clemons is a cute antiques shop housed
in a little white cottage a couple of blocks
from the waterfront. The shop stocks
antiques and newer items for the home
and garden. Three rooms are filled with
china, furniture, linens, clothing, mirrors,
frames, hats-you name it. Garden statuary and yard ornaments sit on the porch.
Open May through October 10:00 A.M.
until 5:00 P.M.
Wanchese
After you cross Roanoke Sound westbound on the Nags Head-Manteo Causeway and pass Pirate's Cove, turn left at
the next intersection onto North Carolina
Highway 345 and head toward Wanchese.
Turning to the right onto Old Wharf Road
(less than a mile from the intersection
with US 64/264), you'll find Nick-E
Stained Glass, a studio and gallery, which
is a veritable stained-glass wonderland
featuring the original creations of Ellinor
and Robert Nick (see our Arts and Culturechapter).
Dare County Mainland
Nature's Harmony
Shipyard Road, Manns Harbor
(252) 473-3556
Nature's Harmony is a full-scale nursery
with three greenhouses, specializing in
herbs, perennials, and wildflowers. It
offers a plant-maintenance service for your office or home. This store sells pottery and garden-related accessories plus
fertilizers and mulches. Landscaping services are available. It's a lovely, peaceful
spot that's open from February through
Christmas.
|