PHOTOS BY CARRIE ALLEN
In the ultimate season of giving, your best go-to shopping destination this month is Sweet Grass. Then, again, every season of the year is a shopping experience at this popular Mooresville boutique: Christmas, Mother’s Day, birthdays, babies, and every life moment in between!
The Experience
Easy, but stylish, wrapping in their signature gift bag has you on your way in minutes, with a treasure that’s sure to please the recipient, and Sweet Grass owners, Michelle and Rich Harris, love sharing their appropriately named boutique. The name itself evokes a peaceful ambiance! Sharing that vibe with their regulars, new friends, and discerning visitors to the Lake Norman area, makes any challenge of owning a small business totally worth the effort.
The perfect retail duo with complementary skills (Michelle, the creative side, Rich, the business side!), both love meeting new customers and making them feel right at home. You’d be hard pressed to find many Mooresville residents who don’t jump at the chance to relax and unwind at Sweet Grass, while soaking in the week’s new inventory.
The Sweet Grass team of 10 (varying by season) knows one not-so-secret fact about their inventory: You won’t find anything in the shop that Michelle and Rich don’t personally love themselves. The selection is ever-changing, and even the gourmet food products they sell are personal favorites.
“We believe in what we sell, and we encourage customers to always shop local,” says Michelle. “Our shoppers also know we are here to guide them in a purchase, or simply to catch up on family news,” says Michelle.
Some of those family details – including birthdays, anniversaries, and personal “wish-lists” end up in a notebook of customer favorites and requests. It’s the kind of extra customer service that means everything to a husband out for last-minute gift shopping for his wife, or children hoping the staff knows something special their mother has admired in the shop.
It’s All in the Giving
Gift sales is definitely the shop’s largest category – even hard-to-find gifts for men – and the incredible selection, at various price points, always provides stellar choices. Michelle and Rich enjoy focusing on locally owned businesses, and love showcasing other area vendors whenever possible. Gifts can be personalized (often while you wait) including items such as acrylic frames and party cups, and the store offers local resources for both etching, embroidery, and custom engraving. Have your heart set on monogramming the perfect blanket for a new baby? Personalization is as popular as ever, and makes a cherished new item even more timeless. And there’s no more welcome baby or toddler gift than the softest toy ever from JellyCats.
The Sweet Grass gift selection really is endless, with unique luxuries for everyone on your list. If you’re thinking self-care, long-time employee JoAnna Palazzolo (and a personal lifesaver to Michelle and Rich during their Covid shutdown and reopening!) is creative in her own right, and one of the local artisans Sweet Grass proudly sells. Her company, Square One, makes the most beautiful, luxurious coconut wax, wood wick candles – perfect for a gift for girlfriends, and definitely include one for yourself.
For your favorite foodies or culinary enthusiasts, holiday gift choices abound, including wine cups and tumblers (Corkcicle is always in stock!), kitchen canisters and decorative cookware, cookbooks, cocktail mixes and decanters, as well as fun serving pieces from Happy Everything. Try the Poppy Popcorn made in Asheville (let’s just say their Bourbon Pecan should be part of your personal indulgence this Christmas!) And Chapel Hill Toffee goes in everyone’s stocking!
More personal choices, you’ll find stylish jewelry including Meghan Browne and inspirational Lenny & Eva, locally crafted Bonnie Boardman pieces, and on trend jewelry for women of all ages from Simply Iris. Plus, the absolute most comfortable LKN attire from LKN Local apparel.
Art and other home novelties from Two’s Company and Sugarboo Designs make ideal presents for friends or neighbors, and if you have a four-legged friend’s stocking to fill, don’t leave the shop without several choices of Flynn’s Favs Dog Treats.
Above all, impeccable customer care is important to Michelle, Rich, and their entire staff, who know their regular shoppers (and extended family!) are what have brought the business so much success. Gratefulness here is in plentiful supply!
Sweet Grass is located at 146 Mooresville Commons Way in Mooresville, NC. Reach them in the shop at 704-663-5878, by text at 704-450-6313, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram for news on events and unique new products. Store hours are Monday – Friday 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., and Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
