A cute little shop, full of handmade items and an interesting book selection. Great place to look…read morefor gifts. Staff are quite friendly and helpful. Only downside is the parking area can get very busy, but overall I love this place

B. Brown Galleries is a great place to get unique original or custom art. The gallery carries a…read morevariety of gorgeous paintings from regional artists, which I always think makes art collecting more exciting. Most of the work in the gallery is impressionistic. I also really like Carmella Jarvi's water pieces. Bonnie Brown herself is great to talk to. She is passionate about her art and represents the artists in her gallery passionately. Ask her about her custom art projects. It's fascinating...take a photo of your own in to her studio, and she can digitally turn it into a custom painting. It's an amazing process, and it's a great idea for a special gift for someone.

This was a really cute experience. Great way to get out of the routine. You get to the place and…read moreput your name in the list to wait for a table to be free, but I was lucky enough that the table was ready while I was choosing what to paint. They have so many different things available, both with purpose or just pretty as a paper weight hahaha All colors imaginable. Stencils. Supplies that I don't know what they're for but someone with a speck or art knowledge I'm sure would appreciate Staff is super friendly and patient. You can bring anything you can buy in a grocery store. Just make sure you ask the price structure upfront because there's the price of the figure, plus the amount of time you're there. The figures take a month to cook and they'll call you!

We had a lot of fun at Dish It Out!…read more They open at 10am on Saturdays and we got there around 10:15. We were the second group there and shortly after, the place filled up! So I would recommend going early to get a table. They have a TON of pottery pieces to choose from including plates, vases, seasonal decorations, piggy banks, spoon rests, I mean you name it & they have it. I chose a Christmas plate for my son to put cookies on for Santa. You choose your own paint and have the freedom to kind of do what you want. They also have paint pens for more accurate drawing or writing words, you just have to ask up front. FYI - it takes up to 30 days to get your pottery back from the oven which I thought was quite a long time. Can't wait to see the finished product!

One word: AMAZING!…read more This spot takes your "arts and crafts" project to a whole new level. When you enter, the space grabs you. The decor composed of completed projects and DIY kits for sale are beautifully displayed and inspire you to make a masterpiece of your own. Your workstation is already prepared for you upon arrival. I quickly found my spot and will admit to feeling a tad overwhelmed and inadequate for what I pictured was ahead. However, you're assigned a "helper" to guide you step-by-step as much as needed. The two ladies were amazing in guiding us (it was a girls' night for me) from start to finish in making a piece that I am super proud to hang in our home. It's BYOB. Enough said! I definitely want to go back and do more projects!

Did someone say candles? New offering at AR. Went for a girls' night and some fun. What I wasn't…read moreexpecting was a long burning candle! I've only lit one out of three but am shocked how well it's performing. (I'm a bit obsessed with candles--haha.) Loved mixing the scents and coming up with whimsical names. Besides classes, they also have a nice retail selection. Great place to pick up some unique gifts of jewelry and home decor among other things.

This is my number one choice for coffee in Monroe! It definitely beats Alice Jules and La Vida…read moreMocha, and the people are super friendly! They aren't your traditional coffee shop since they have the consignment store, but it's pretty decent!

Fantastic local coffee spot! This is a thrift shop with a coffee bar up front. I was told the…read moreproceeds are given to a local children's home. Public service employees and military can stop in for a free coffee beverage. Location is clean, quiet, and is staffed by super sweet ladies. They sell a wide variety of items. Great little local secret!

Absolutely Magical. I went the week before Thanksgiving and it was a Winter Wonderland right in…read morePineville. When a store makes you smile when you open the door and the owner greets you with a giant smile plus it's busy- you have hit a Gem. What a beautiful curated small business shop. I am kicking myself for not going sooner. So many things to decorate with and lots of gift items too. Nothing I saw was overpriced. I bought some great gifts for under $10. I'm so happy I found this spot. Please go visit asap.

Unbelievable collection of curated decor and gift items! The price points are all so reasonable…read moretoo. Tom Underwood's eye for design is spectacular, and the team is so friendly!

I am a huge reader and love supporting local bookstores. I don't get to this part of town very…read moreoften and therefore have never heard of Troubadour before. I recently joined a book club and they have monthly meetings here. Actually, Troubadour hosts a bunch of book clubs so you should check that out. You can check their website and also sign up for their newsletter to get all the info. The bookstore is clean, bright, friendly, and well organized. I don't find many bookstores that have a horror section so I was glad to see they had one. Service is great and the selection of overall items is good too. Big plus for having good parking!

We just stopped by the Troubadour this morning. What a gem and on the East side of Charlotte!…read more This independent bookstore offers a wealth of books, speciality gift items, cards, seating and a cozy children's nook. Price points were fair and seemed to have something for anyone. We will definitely be making this our number one bookstore. The manager was knowledgeable and personable. He was also friendly and obviously enjoys books. I was able to find a unique gift for a friend. I look forward to receiving emails about coming events the Troubadour will be offering our community.

Presson Gallery touts a great selection of a variety of arts such as pottery, jewelry, photograph,…read moreand paintings, all created by local artists. Conveniently situated on main street in downtown Monroe next to public parking and an array of restaurant, bars and breweries. This is definitely a wonderful additional to the quickly growing, downtown monroe. I definitely recommend checking out Presson Gallery if you are in the area. Overall, they offer a great service for local artists at a good value