Go ahead: Twinkle the chimes, clang the bronze bells, tilt the kaleidoscope, try on the jewelry, play with the puppets, smell the soaps. To fully appreciate the high quality of the treasures at Tar Heel Trading Co. in Duck and Corolla, you’ll need to use all your senses. That’s why owner Judy Joyce encourages her customers to touch, play with and try on the fine American handcrafts she sells.
Tar Heel Trading Co. features the works of more than 200 American artists and craftsmen. Joyce is 100 percent committed to her store’s concept of superior-quality, American-made goods, and she has a personal connection to most of the artists she represents.
“The fun part of owning this store is finding and meeting all of the artists,” Joyce says. “When I look at a piece of art in my store I see the person or the family behind it. Each piece has a unique story, and we pass that story along to our customers. Our staff is carefully trained about the artists and their works.”
Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Tar Heel Trading Co. was begun on the Outer Banks in 1979 after Mary Ames set out across North Carolina to find handmade crafts to sell on the Outer Banks. Over the years, Ames’ concept expanded to include regional and national artisans. Joyce joined Ames as a manager in 1985 and bought the business in 1999. She is now celebrating her 10th year as owner of Tar Heel Trading Co.
Joyce credits her staff as one of the main reasons Tar Heel Trading Co. has been a favorite Outer Banks shopping destination for so long. The staff is extremely loyal – the two store managers have been with the company for more than 15 years and many of the seasonal staff return every year – and as a result they have developed relationships with customers. “We’ve built a family over the past 30 years,” says Joyce. “We have a high percentage of loyal customers who return to see the staff and see what’s new in the store.”
Joyce stocks Tar Heel Trading with fun things for the home – beautiful things to use or look at or wear. Much of the artwork is decorative, such as shorebird carvings, paintings, blown glass and metal works. But there are also many functional pieces, like lavender products, handmade soaps, candles, vases, microwave- and dishwasher-safe pottery, bells and chimes, oil lamps and diffusers, handbags and accessories, and toys. Tar Heel Trading’s collection of handmade jewelry includes sterling silver and 14K gold, semiprecious stones, pearls, glass beads, sea glass and much more.
Joyce is always filling her store with new works as well as being on the lookout for new artists.
“You never know what you’ll find from year to year but you can count on American made, high-quality handcrafts,” says Joyce.
Tar Heel Trading Co. is located at Scarborough Lane Shops, Duck, 252-255-0225 and TimBuck II Shopping Village, Corolla, 252-453-3132. www.tarheeltrading.com |
