Comments 0 July 21, 2011 9:40 AM
GRAND OPENING DAY TIMELINE
2 p.m.
Grand opening ribbon-cutting at the new Chic Boutique plussize consignment store, 128 E. Central Ave., Mount Holly. Call 704-820-8635 for more.
2:15 p.m.
Grand opening ribbon-cutting at Graphic Hound Studios, also at 128 E. Central Ave., Mount Holly, with refreshments to follow. Call 704-820-8429 for more about the printing, illustration and design business.
4 p.m.
Sugar Diva’s official grand opening at 124 E. Central Ave., Mount Holly. The specialty cake and sweet shop will have free samples all day. Call 704-780-9897 or go to SugarDivas- CustomCakes.com for more.
6 p.m.
Official grand opening for the new location of Sweet Peas Unique Gifts, 127 S. Main St., Mount Holly. A wine and cheese reception will follow. For more about the gift shop, call 704-827-6977 or find the shop on Facebook.
Friday is one day with four grand openings in Mount Holly. One of the four businesses is new while three others are celebrating expansions. Chic Boutique, a plus-size consignment store at 128 E. Central Ave., is a new venture by Mickey Casey of Belmont. In the same building, her daughter and sonin-law Heather and David Pierce have opened their newly renamed Graphic Hound Studios. Next door, Sugar Diva’s, home to fancy cakemakers Hollie and Gina Buck, has moved to a new, bigger spot after four months in business. And at 127 S. Main St., Malcolm and Jennifer Jordan found new digs for Sweet Peas Unique Gifts. “We’re trying to finally get all the ‘for rent’ and ‘for lease’ signs out of Mount Holly,” Malcolm Jordan says.
Plus size, not second class
Mickey Casey decided women of size deserved better. “All too often, the plus-size woman is treated in a retail clothing establishment like a secondclass citizen,” she said. “I just thought that we deserve more than that.” Selection is tiny, prices are exorbitant and the items available are hidden in the back like an afterthought, according to Casey. When her favorite plus-size consignment shop in Charlotte closed, Casey decided to fill the niche. It took more than a year to find a building and months to renovate the space — including putting up walls, repainting and installing the spacious, three-hanger dressing rooms on which she insisted. Casey splits the sale price 50-50 with consignors and accepts clothing seasonally and by appointment only. Chic Boutique carries sizes 14W and up, stocking styles from T-shirts to formal wear. The merchandise also includes shoes size 8 and up, hats, purses, handkerchiefs, belts, scarves and jewelry. Since the shop’s soft opening in June, Casey has gained nearly 50 consignors, with customers coming from Gaston, Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties.
The fine print
David Pierce does everything from manual screen printing and embroidery to digital design and elaborate vinyl car signs. He and wife Heather Pierce formerly ran Southpoint Designs in their Belmont home but changed the name after moving the business to Mount Holly.
The new moniker pays homage to their recently departed Italian greyhound, Zoe.
David Pierce, whose experience includes track graphic designs for Speedway Motor Sports and NASCAR, does all of the Graphic Hound designs. In-house, the company can print its own small orders but the Pierces can also handle large corporate jobs.
Gina Buck and daughter-in-law Hollie got into the cake-making business in March, opening Sugar Diva’s inside Mount Holly’s Cream and Beans.
This month, they doubled their space and took over a neighboring storefront at 124 E. Central Ave.
The bakers needed more space, according to Hollie Buck. She says customers are plentiful and orders heavy enough that both women need to be in the kitchen at once.
In addition to special order cakes, Sugar Diva’s keeps the shelves stocked with cupcakes and other goodies, including scones, cream horns, éclairs and chocolate-dipped sweets.
Gifts on Main
Sweet Peas Unique Gifts is a Mount Holly old-timer. The shop opened in November 2009, stocking its colorful wares in a one-room spot. One room became two and then a second spot became a third before the gift shop landed in its new South Main location. Owners Malcolm and Jennifer Jordan invest everything the business makes back into the business, according to Malcolm. He also says sales and clientele have been on an upward trajectory recently. Open on South Main since early this month, Sweet Peas carries handmade items and other finds.
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