Beautiful Things

While shopping for a few furniture items today I found a great shop and the name truly says it all, " Karen's Beautiful Things", they began in 1986 as Karen's Boutique, located in the quaint Reynolda Village in Winston-Salem, NC, adjacent to Wake Forest University. The small but charming boutique was filled with exquisite lingerie and romantic dresses, reminiscent of the Victorian Era. Being a designer myself, I was very impressed the way the store was arranged so beautifully. Everywhere your eye roamed, there was another breathtaking item, I spent over 1,000. in my mind immediately!!!!! I did purchase the animal print ottoman shown in the last picture, it worked well with my pillow and animal/oriental accents. I already have plans to purchase a lovely animal accent chair next month, which will complete the finishing touch in my family room.


During time in Winston-Salem, Karen was a flight attendant for the former Piedmont Airlines. On one of her flights, she met her future husband, Bobby Holder, who owned an Art and Antiques business. They married in 1991, merged their businesses, and relocated to historic Dilworth - a suburb of Charlotte. The business was renamed "Karen's Beautiful Things", inspired by many customers who came into the shop and commented on how BEAUTIFUL everything was. They soon outgrew this location and the business moved to McMullen Creek Marketplace south of Charlotte. After 3 more years, they moved to the Park 51 Shopping Center south of Charlotte and filled it to the brim with treasures from all over the globe.

Karen's Beautiful Things is proud to announce that as of June 1, 2009 they have left the Park Rd location and moved to a Beautiful and more exciting space. They are now centrally located in the Arboretum Shopping Center. (see Map below) They still have all the Beautiful Things, Clothing and Accessories that Karen's is known for as well as delightful vignettes with new home decor and furnishings, antique furniture, and home accessories from as far away as England and the Netherlands. Karen and Bobby stay busy on frequent buying trips, always finding unique and unusual pieces! They now have a quaint area filled with vintage clothing & accessories reminiscent of the days gone by.


Brian, their son, is a partner and buyer for the business. He graduated from Kings College with a degree in Retail Management, Purchasing, and Advertising. He brings with him over 18 years of retail experience. Brian has managed stores from Gadzooks to Stein Mart and decided to follow his family's dream and become a part of Karen's Beautiful Things.


And the MOST unique feature of Karen's Beautiful Things - is their Unique Greeter - Gracie! Gracie is a small Yorkie with big personality. As Karen's "Official Greeter", she is a major contributor to the charm and "GRACE" of Karen's Beautiful Things.
While browsing, I found Gracie sleeping on the ottoman I was interested in buying, I thought she was a toy until she raised her sweet head to look at me, startled me because I thought she was a toy.

You'll always be well taken care of at Karen's Beautiful Things. Karen greeted me, complimenting me on my choices of lamps which were gorgeous oriental and of course, my taste gravitates toward the most expensive everything, however, the price was quite resonable for the unique quality and size.

There are always New Arrivals!!

8042 Providence Rd, Suite 900 Charlotte, NC 28277

Arboretum Shopping Center at the corner of Pineville-Matthews Rd. and Providence Rd.

If you live in Charlotte, the shop, is a must visit. If you are visiting Charlotte you can ask anyone on the street where the Arboretum Shopping Center is located and they will know, it is one of our cities quaint shopping experiences in the city.

Posted in: 18th Century Lamps, accessories, Antiques, Vintage Clothing