Queen City Gift Guide: Where to Shop in Charlotte

Lovers of All Things Local

Archer Paper Goods

Neighborhood: Optimist Park

Located in Optimist Hall, Archer Paper Goods is a stationery and gift retailer specializing in greeting cards, desk supplies, pencils, candles, art prints, notebooks, gift wrap supplies and lots more.

Southern Blossom Florist

Neighborhood: South End

The Southern Blossom Florist is your spot to find fresh, beautiful flowers and gift boxes. Their "Charlotte Blossoms Together" gift box showcases great products locally produced in Charlotte like cookies, candles, jewelry and more.

Moxie Mercantile

Neighborhood: Plaza Midwood, Matthews

Moxie Mercantile aims to bring a sophisticated blend of home and personal accessories to the Queen City, with a special focus on local artists and vintage finds. Product lines range from home decor to purses, jewelry and bath linens.

JF Chocolat

Neighborhood: Citywide

JF Chocolat is a premier chocolatier serving the Charlotte area. Find goodies like peppermint coins, gingerbread bark, hot chocolate mix, bonbons, truffles and lots more. Order online or visit them at local pop-up markets throughout the season.

Welcome CLT (Charlotte Visitor Info Center Uptown)

Neighborhood: Uptown

The Visitor Info Center Uptown (WelcomeCLT) is where your journey to discovering Charlotte begins. In addition to being the go-to resource for visitors and locals looking for things to do, see, eat and explore in the Queen City, WelcomeCLT offers carefully curated Charlotte-centric retail options and gifts from local and regional vendors.

The Beehive

Neighborhood: Uptown

This quaint shop is located inside Overstreet Mall, a bit off the beaten path. The Beehive is packed with local goods, like Trapp fragrances, Cloister Honey products and David French paintings. Here, you’ll also find stunning jewelry, shoes and handbags, and housewares.

The Brown Sugar Collab

Neighborhood: South End

With local products ranging from home decor, bath and body to hair and skincare, The Brown Sugar Collab features a curated boutique shopping experience highlighting the exceptional creations of minority women.

Roam & Dwell

Neighborhood: Plaza Midwood

Known for "casual luxury," you can expect to find sustainable, affordable and ethically produced goods and gifts for you, your home and your wellness at lifestyle shop Roam & Dwell. No matter if you're looking for her, him or your home, you're bound to find something beautiful and unique in this aesthetically pleasing space.

Ruby’s Gift

Neighborhood: NoDa

Ruby's Gifts features one-of-a-kind, handmade items by all-local Charlotte artisans. Art, jewelry, home goods, pottery, clothing, accessories and much more—all crafted in and around the Queen City.

704 Shop

Neighborhood: South End

This local favorite lifestyle brand can be found online and at its brick-and-mortar store in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood. 704 Shop designs blend fresh looks and classic imagery with modern graphics for a contemporary look.

CLT Find

Neighborhood: Uptown

CLT Find offers shoppers a curated collection of accessories, apparel, beauty and grooming, jewelry and lifestyle products from dozens of local makers, artists and creatives in the Charlotte region.

The Map Shop

Neighborhood: South End

The Map Shop is home to more than 7,000 maps in stock, plus globes, nautical charts, street maps, city sightseeing guides, atlases, hiking maps and educational tools. Get familiar with the city or country (or any trail or body of water, for that matter) you’re interested in traversing.

Yummi Muffin

Neighborhood: Concord

This Black-woman-owned bakery specializes in all things delicious. Sample and snack on homemade muffins, biscuits, cookies and mini pies all packaged in festive gift boxes. Choose from an abundance of flavors like apple cinnamon, blueberry vanilla spice, coconut cream and many more.

Paper Skyscraper

Neighborhood: Dilworth

Paper Skyscraper is packed with gifts and goodies full of local flair, like unique coffee table books, games and toys, handbags and jewelry, glassware and funky home decor, stationary and gift wrap, and much more.

Charlotte Collective

Neighborhood: Plaza Midwood, South End

Dedicated to the “shop small” movement, Charlotte Collective is an alternative retail shop that showcases local makers and creatives from the Charlotte area. From home, body, lifestyle and office products, you’re sure to find the perfect gem of a gift.

Fashion-Forward Trendsetters

Girl Tribe Co.

Neighborhood: South End

What started as a Facebook group grew into a fashion line, an annual pop up shopping event and a growing retail franchise celebrating women-owned-and-run businesses. Girl Tribe Co.'s flagship location in South End Charlotte features Charlotte themed apparel, accessories, locally made jewelry, beauty products and more.

The Sporting Gent

Neighborhood: Myers Park

Men’s high fashion isn’t for every guy; that’s why The Sporting Gent, located in historic Myers Park, is a perfect fit for kings of casual wear, whether their adventures take them outdoors or to a fancy dinner party. The shop’s cache includes classic Southern brands like Southern Marsh, Drake, Costa, Atlantic Drift and more.

Capitol

Neighborhood: SouthPark

Capitol is a luxury clothing boutique that features designs from Valentino, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci, along with high-end jewelry and accessories by Marie-Helene de Taillac, Irene Neuwirth and The Gem Palace.

Tabor

Neighborhood: Myers Park

From the owners of Capitol, Tabor is a men’s shop housed in a Myers Park bungalow, where hard-to-find designer lines fill the shelves.

Ivy & Leo

Neighborhood: Uptown, SouthPark, South Charlotte

Named after the owners’ two beloved rescue dogs, Ivy & Leo offers cute, chic and trendy clothes for a fraction of the cost. Since 2009, the shop has expanded to multiple cities in the Carolinas.

Vestique

Neighborhood: Dilworth, Ballantyne

Vestique is an women's fashion boutique carrying trendy clothing, accessories and jewelry with locations in Dilworth and Blakeney Village.

Boem

Neighborhood: South End, SouthPark

With its tie-dye wallpaper, ocean prints and palm leaves, you can’t help but be sucked into the super chill Boem vibe. The hip boutique features women’s clothing and accessories.

Taylor Richards & Conger

Neighborhood: SouthPark

For more than 25 years, Taylor Richards & Conger has offered an upscale shopping experience for men with lines from top designers including Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss and Donna Karan, Canali and Brunello Cucinelli.

Revolution Clothiers & Co.

Neighborhood: Dilworth

At Revolution Clothiers & Co. you can shop the latest collections from Ted Baker, Raleigh Denim, Chaser and Gypsy while perusing through wares from local jewelry designers and artists.

Betty by Moxie Mercantile

Neighborhood: Plaza Midwood

The sister store to Moxie Mercantile, Betty carries an expanded assortment of women’s clothing, apparel and accessories as well as kids’ products.

Sports Fans

NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop

Neighborhood: Uptown

Make a pit stop at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop to find gifts for racing fans of all ages. And for the ultimate fans, gift a NASCAR Hall of Fame annual membership. Members receive special members-only gifts, invitations to exclusive members-only events, a subscription to a members-only quarterly publication and advance access and select discounts to community events at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Charlotte Hornets Fan Shop

Neighborhood: Uptown

Take pride in your team all season long by gifting a Charlotte Hornets jersey (or grabbing one for yourself) from the Charlotte Hornets Fan Shop inside the Spectrum Center. The shop is stocked with T-shirts, hats, socks and other team merchandise for men, women and kids.

Carolina Panthers & Charlotte FC Team Store

Neighborhood: Uptown

This is the one-stop shop for all of your Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC merchandise needs with something for everybody from newborns to adults. Free short-term parking is available in front of the Team Store in Bank of America Stadium on Mint Street.

Charlotte Checkers Team Store

Neighborhood: East Charlotte

Get your gear on and cheer on Charlotte’s American Hockey League team. Purchase hats, sweatshirts, T-shirts and jerseys online or swing by the Checkers headquarters in the Bojangles Entertainment Complex (the BOplex) off Independence Boulevard to visit the Charlotte Checkers Team Store in person.

Charlotte Knights Official Team Store

Neighborhood: Uptown

Find an extensive selection of licensed Knights jerseys, apparel, collectibles and accessories inside Truist Field at the Official Team Store of the Charlotte Knights, the AAA affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

Topgolf Charlotte

Neighborhood: Southwest Charlotte, University City

Described as a “golfer’s paradise,” Topgolf is a national entertainment venue that provides golf games for all ages and skill levels. Your friends and family don’t need to be pros to have a good time with 102 climate-controlled bays, a full menu and TVs tuned in to top sporting events as far as the eye can see. Stop by one of the two Charlotte-area locations to get a gift card or a private lesson for the golf-lover in your life.

Jewelry Collectors

The Golden Carrot

Neighborhood: South End

Find carefully curated “carats” at this local jewelry shop featuring unique treasures handmade by independent designers. You’ll discover the perfect piece that’s easy to wear today and can continue to be loved generation after generation.

Tiny Gods

Neighborhood: Myers Park

This local fine jewelry shop features a selection of the most meaningful, coveted, one-of-a-kind jewelry from top designers, each piece serving as a work of art. Tiny Gods also carries a collection of high-end home decor.

Laura James Jewelry

Neighborhood: Cotswold

Laura James collected heirloom jewelry as a young girl, which sparked her interest in the history of vintage pieces. Hence, the incorporation of antique metal and stones in most of her trinkets at Laura James Jewelry. Whether she’s converting an old timepiece into a modern accessory or designing cutting-edge earrings, James’ creations are one of a kind and can be found in her shop at Cotswold Marketplace.

Beads, Inc.

Neighborhood: Myers Park

Sisters Christine White and Anne Todd translated their passion for creative design by cultivating Charlotte jewelry mainstay Beads, Inc. Within the walls of the colorful Myers Park studio, shoppers can either purchase already finished pieces or try their hand at crafting a custom wonder, stringing anything from Swarovski crystals to semi-precious stones, sterling silver, Czech glass beads and beyond.

Experience-Seekers

U.S. National Whitewater Center

Neighborhood: West Charlotte

An annual pass to the U.S. National Whitewater Center offers 365 days of access to the active, outdoor lifestyle. With 30 outdoor experiences available, spend the next year paddling class II-IV whitewater, traversing the treetops, floating the Catawba, riding single track, or climbing the world’s only deep water solo climbing complex.

Great Outdoor Provision Co.

Neighborhood: Montford

Founded in 1972, Great Outdoor Provision Co. is a specialty outdoor retailer based in North Carolina that’s committed to providing a personal retail experience for all shoppers. They encourage you to come in, compare and contact, touch and feel, and interact with staff who know and go outdoors.

Barefoot Archery

Neighborhood: South End

Have a wanna-be Robin Hood or Katniss in your life? Surprise them with archery lessons or a visit to the range to hone their skills at Barefoot Archery.

Funny Bus Comedy City Tour

Neighborhood: Uptown

Grab an e-certificate to Funny Bus and give the gift of laughter (and a little learning). Book a tour for an evening out with your own personal stand-up comedian and guide.

Timed Out Escape

Neighborhood: Ballantyne

While some escape rooms seem to be dark and almost similar to haunted houses, Timed Out Escape is aimed at featuring truly fun and challenging puzzles with an exciting storyline. Get a gift certificate for the recipient so they can decide which room to take on.

Inner Peaks Climbing

Neighborhood: South End, Matthews

Inner Peaks Climbing Center offers two state-of-the-art facilities in South End and Matthews. Gift a pass so guests can harness up and climb on their own time or sign up for a class to elevate their skills.

Thrift Store Treasure Hunters

The Rat's Nest

Neighborhood: NoDa

Not quite what the name The Rat's Nest may suggest, this NoDa storefront is the epitome of cool, funky finds, including leather jackets, vintage ringer tees and an assortment of cowboy boots that call to adventurous shoppers.

J.T. Posh

Neighborhood: Dilworth

Pop over to Park Road, where J.T. Posh, the self-proclaimed “savviest consignment shop” features brands that include J.Crew, Tory Burch and Lilly Pulitzer.

East 8th Vintage

Neighborhood: Elizabeth

With wares ranging from midcentury to Y2K, East 8th Vintage is an authentic old soul shopping experience. Pop in to discover some of the coolest vintage finds from home decor to high-waisted jeans.

Milk Money Vintage

Neighborhood: NoDa

Explore vintage goods curated to perfection at Milk Money Vintage shop in NoDa. You’ll step back in time as you explore their retro lineup of clothing, furniture and home goods.

HGTV Binge-Watchers

Abode

Neighborhood: Dilworth

In addition to its reputation as a go-to for stylish housewares in Charlotte, Abode doubles as an interior design firm, where items from European flea markets as well as markets from all over the U.S. fill owner Mary Tobias Miller’s space. You’ll find an eclectic array of furniture, lighting, original artwork, linens and accessories.

Hickory Furniture Mart

Neighborhood: Hickory

The Hickory Furniture Mart houses nearly 100 galleries, stores and outlets and features approximately 1,000 premier furniture lines in a mix of factory outlets, custom showrooms and private galleries on four levels.

Sleepy Poet Antique Mall

Neighborhood: Madison Park

If vintage furniture and homewares are more your gifting style, spend an afternoon perusing the aisles of Sleepy Poet Antique Mall at your leisure.

South End Exchange

Neighborhood: South End

South End Exchange's inventory includes everything from antiques and designer home furnishings and accessories to china, crystal, lighting and rugs.

High Cotton Home Company

Neighborhood: Montford

High Cotton Home Company boasts a big furniture showroom showcasing Vanguard Furniture lines, fabulous lighting, custom to-the-inch rugs, decorative accessories and original artwork from local artists. You’ll find transitional and contemporary furniture pieces in-store and enjoy access to ordering furniture of almost every style and price point.

Slate Interiors

Neighborhood: Plaza Midwood

A multi-merchant venue representing over 60 merchants and artists, Slate Interiors is a destination shop for exceptional one-of-a-kind finds. Open to the public and design professionals alike, the selection of home furnishings, accessories, lighting, and original art changes daily.

Cowbridge Furniture

Neighborhood: South End

Formerly known as The Purple Picket, Cowbridge Furniture is the go to place for high quality furniture and home decor that exudes character, style and panache.

Nadeau - Furniture with a Soul

Neighborhood: South End

While Nadeau wasn’t founded in Charlotte, each of its stores stocks its shelves with unique handmade pieces by artisans around the globe so no two shops are the same.

LaDonna Antiques and Interiors

Neighborhood: South End

Located in furniture-savvy South End, La Donna Antiques and Interiors brings in items from around the globe, spanning France to Italy and Scandinavia. Unlike other store owners who travel across the Atlantic in search of special pieces, owner LaDonna Harris relies on domestic vendors to find unique items while keeping her own furniture taste in mind.

Family-Focused Friends

Discovery Place Charlotte

Neighborhood: Uptown, Myers Park, Huntersville, Rockingham

Discovery Place Charlotte has not one, but four different museums for guests and members to explore: Discovery Place Science, Discovery Place Nature, Discovery Place Kids – Huntersville and Discovery Place Kids – Rockingham. An annual membership is the perfect gift for the kids and the kids at heart.

Schiele Museum of Natural History & Planetarium

Neighborhood: Gastonia

Learn about natural history through exhibits on wildlife and habitats, gaze up at the stars in a planetarium, and explore outdoors on trails, a wildlife garden and even a Stone Age heritage site with a Schiele Museum of Natural History & Planetarium membership.

Shower Me With Love

Neighborhood: SouthPark

A baby and children’s boutique specializing in kids furniture and decor. Shower Me With Love products are designed for longevity – everyday heirlooms that can be passed on to future generations.

Sky Zone Trampoline Park

Neighborhood: Pineville, Huntersville

The traditional gym may have some new competition. As the self-proclaimed inventors of “fun fitness,” the world’s first indoor trampoline park is redefining the way your family can stay active. Sky Zone has something for everyone, including an open jump, a foam pit, a SkySlam court, ultimate dodgeball and skyrobics classes for the parents.

SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium

Neighborhood: Concord

Get up close and personal with more than 5,000 sea creatures at SEA LIFE Aquarium in Concord Mills mall. The attraction brings you face-to-face with sharks, jellyfish, octopus, seahorses, starfish and more, and teaches visitors about what we can all do to protect our oceans.

Malls For All

SouthPark Mall

Neighborhood: SouthPark

Charlotte’s oldest shopping mall is also one of the region’s largest. Anchored by Nordstrom, Belk, Dillard’s, Macy’s and Neiman Marcus, stores at SouthPark Mall range from high-end luxury, like Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co., to American Girl and Crate & Barrel.

Northlake Mall

Neighborhood: Northlake

Just 10 miles north of Uptown, Northlake Mall is a popular destination for those who value style and a big selection. The 150 retailers include H&M, Michael Kors, White House | Black Market and Apple. A 14-screen AMC Northlake 14 movie theater and a variety of restaurants make it easy to spend several blissful hours here.

Carolina Place Mall

Neighborhood: Concord

This 1.2 million-square-foot mall is located right outside of Charlotte in Pineville, North Carolina, and is anchored by Belk, JCPenney, Barnes & Noble and Dillard's. Carolina Place Mall is also home to many unique stores, including American Diva, Francesca's and Build-A-Bear Workshop. This diverse mix of classic stores that everyone loves and off-the-beaten-path stores waiting to be explored creates the ultimate shopping experience.

Concord Mills

Neighborhood: Concord

The mix of traditional retailers and outlet stores makes Concord Mills equal parts tourist attraction and super mall. It’s nearly 1.4 million square feet of retail therapy conveniently located off I-85, just a mile from Charlotte Motor Speedway. In addition to getting their retail fix, visitors can also take in unique entertainment options, including SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium or The Speedpark at Concord Mills, which offers go-karts, mini golf, monster truck rides and more.

Charlotte Premium Outlets

Neighborhood: Southwest Charlotte

With more than 100 outlet stores, Charlotte Premium Outlets has something for everyone. Retailers include Steve Madden, Coach Outlet, Nike Factory Outlet, Janie and Jack, Cole Haan and more. There are also a variety of restaurants and snack shops that allow you to refuel and get back to shopping.

Ikea

Neighborhood: University City

We’d be remiss if we left this Scandinavian staple off the list. Not technically a mall, but IKEA is big enough to seem like one. Packed with home furnishings, but also unexpected stocking stuffers and gift ideas for the whole family. You may get lost in their kids' toy rooms, decorative art section or kitchen collections, but there will always be a helpful associate in blue ready to help you find your way to the checkout line.

Article originally written by Cassie Townsend; updates and additions made by Kristen Moore in November 2021.