Local boutique becomes a must-shop for holiday decor and gifts

After a rebrand and a new location, The Southern Nest has made a name for itself as a go-to for southern home inspiration and gifts

December 4, 2020 | Wilson

The Southern Nest moved into their new location at Promenade at Carolina Reserve from across the street at Carolina Commons in the fall of last year. When they made their move, they rebranded and transformed from a small, neighborhood boutique to a full-fledged retail store with displays that rival popular chains.

Throughout the year, the store sells a mix of gifts, apparel, and home decor. The holidays take over in November when the store becomes a must-stop location for locals to find Christmas decor and gifts. The holiday season is the store’s busiest time of year, and preparations start early.

Owner, Leslie Harris and her employees begin preparing for the holiday season in January. They handpick every item in the store by curating must-have traditional pieces with new and unique finds. “I’m always on the search for new and unique small business wholesalers,” said Harris. “I’m a big supporter of other small businesses.”

The team begins the process of tagging and pricing in July. “You have to think so far ahead,” said Harris. “If we waited until July to buy Christmas inventory, there would be very little to choose from.” Harris explains that it is actually useful to do her buying right after the holiday season because she can see what just sold, what worked, and what didn’t.  

Currently, Christmas decor, gifts, and servingware beautifully decorate every inch of the store. Harris gives credit to her floor designer, Trish Duffy, who works with Harris and the store’s assistant manager to refresh the floor every week. “There are so many things in here, you really can’t see it all,” explained Harris. “Moving things around gives the store a fresh look every week, and it makes the store new for our customers.”

The store hired marketing consultant Hope Gough who Harris says was instrumental in rebranding the store after the move. The rebrand included refreshing inventory, updating the website, and increasing social media presence by using local photographer, Beth Devitt Photography to capture their retail displays.

While local malls saw a drop in Black Friday sales this year, The Southern Nest had a more successful Black Friday than last year.

“There is nothing that brings me more joy than when customers come in here when they don’t really need anything,” Harris shared. “They say they just want to come and look because the store makes them happy.”

How it started:

Harris worked as a nurse for 20 years in her hometown of Florence, S.C. When she retired in 2010, she moved with her husband Bob to his hometown of Indian Land. Bob is the grandson of Jim Wilson of Jim Wilson Road, and his family still owns a lot of land in the area. “It is a special community for us as a family,” Harris said.

The couple moved into a family farmhouse and began a major remodel. “I had a vision of what I wanted the farm to be,” said Harris. “Not country, but more of a French cottage look. Clean and simple. I knew in my mind what I wanted.” 

She began searching around Charlotte for furniture and decor to create her vision but couldn’t find anything. Harris’s friend had a booth at Blacklion, a multi-merchant marketplace, and asked her if she had seen anything like the items she wanted. Her friend hadn’t, but suggested that Harris start her own Blacklion booth with that particular style. Knowing nothing about the retail business, Harris took a chance and started a booth. The booth was successful and quickly grew a following of customers. Those customers eventually followed her when she opened The Southern Nest.

Since opening the original store, The Southern Nest has tripled in size.

The Southern Nest
7716 Charlotte Hwy, Suite 110
Indian Land, SC
thesouthernnestsc.com
instagram.com/the.southern.nest