My favorite Raleigh stores to shop local and safely

I love to shop, and it’s important to me to support local businesses in Raleigh right now with the impact of the pandemic. Local stores in Raleigh are working hard to find inventive ways for people to shop safely, and I want to highlight a few here with some of my favorite products.

Edge of Urge, located near Historic Oakwood on Franklin Street is offering curbside pickup for orders and even puts your our order in a cute bag with tissue paper and ribbon. I’ve needed to find a few birthday presents for friends during the pandemic and I wanted to give them something special, so I bought an Edge of Urge “Treat Yo’self: Mystery Box” for each of them. This is an option on their website to have a hand-selected goodie bag of gifts put together either to pick up or to be shipped to the receiver. You can pick whatever price range you’d like to stay in for the box and add notes for specifications, such as any allergy concerns. This makes for such a unique, fun gift right now.

One store that’s so fun to browse around at is Deco, downtown on Hargett Street. They are allowing safe, in-store shopping by taking precautions for visitors. You can schedule an appointment to shop, but they are also take walk-ins while regulating how many people are in the store at a time. Guests check-in with a staff member at the front door and are given hand sanitizer. They are asked to place any items they’ve decided not to purchase into black shopping baskets scattered around the store to be sanitized. I’ve found all kinds of items here including fun jewelry, masks, pet accessories, Raleigh-themed gifts, and kitchenware. They also have very unique gift cards and books.

Located in Cameron Village, Bella Mar is currently my favorite store. If I want a new outfit to feel fabulous in, I can always find one there. I have many sides to my style depending on the mood I’m in, and I love that they have an edgy, cool vibe to their clothes. I’ve also found outfits that are very boho-chic. The store owner, Mercedes Rico, is very helpful while I shop to suggest how to style different outfits. The tan dress I’m wearing in one of my new headshots featured at the end of this post is from Bella Mar. It’s a beautiful dress I love because of its versatility to be dressed up or down, plus it was only about $36! Bella Mar is open for in-person shopping, mask required of course.

One thing I love to indulge in is a good scented candle. And I found my absolute favorites a while ago at a Moore Square Night Market from Light is Love, which are made in small batches right here in Raleigh. My favorite scents are Very Vanilla and Snickerdoodle. Follow them at @Lightislovecandles on Instagram for the latest available scents. Items are available for contactless pickup, or you can have them shipped.

The Flourish Market, downtown on Martin Street in the Warehouse District is a wonderful store, both for their products and for how beautifully decorated the store is. The coolest thing about this store to me is that many of the products sold promote a different cause or raise money to raise awareness about a social issue. In a video by WRAL Out and About, store owner Emily Sexton talks about the products she selects and how she wanted to make her space a store that advocates for and supports women. Along with having a wonderful message to promote, they sell amazing products. I mostly like to go for their jewelry. I’ve found very cute statement earrings and rings. But they have all sorts of gifts. I recently stopped in to purchase a gift for a couple who are having their first baby, and I found an adorable swaddling blanket to give them. They have in-store shopping as long as a mask is worn or currently they offer a flat rate of just $2.95 for shipping of orders.