Evenbrooke Marketplace Expands
When Evenbrooke Martketplace opened in the Center 64 West shopping strip in April 2019, the antique and artisan co-op had about a dozen vendors in 1,800 square feet of space.
Last month, Evenbrooke, which has grown through recent years to 25,000 square feet of space in the former Shoaf’s Wayside Furniture building, added another 10,000 square feet in the adjacent building that formerly housed J&J Carpet.
Evenbrooke owner Brad McCullough said that space became available when his father, Jerry McCullough, decided to retire and close that business. But his father is still involved in the vendor market business behind the scenes.
“In the scope of our type of marketplace, we’re not huge but we are large enough to be a day-trip destination,” McCullough noted. “We’ve had excellent support and response from the Lexington area but we also draw from about a two- to three-hour radius.” Shoppers near and far come to look for home décor and gifts — from antiques and vintage pieces to primitive furnishings and modern farmhouse designs. There are also artisan vendors who craft their own jewelry, pottery, clothing and accessories.
“I like to think of it as a kind of feel-good home decor shop,” McCullough said. “No matter what age group you’re in, you’re going to find some nostalgic designs.”
For example, one of the vendors makes ceramic Christmas trees— the kind your grandmother probably had — that they sell year- round.
Some other vendors include Vintage Chicks Boutique, which carries home décor and clothing, and Blessed Mess Studio & Design, which offers supplies and classes for do-it-yourself crafters who want to repurpose furnishings by painting or creating faux finishes.
McCullough, who worked in retail sales when the building was a furniture store, said he likes that there are no walled off vendor booths and customers can seamlessly browse through various room vignettes, much like a furniture showroom. “The fun part of this is it’s more than a place to shop,” he said. “There’s a camaraderie between the staff and guests. We have people who come through to wander around and see what’s new and escape for a little time. You almost walk the line between retail and entertainment. You’re selling atmosphere as much as product.”
McCullough said it’s been enjoyable to transform the former J&J building into room settings for some of the larger “Shops within the Shop” vendors. For example, Bradley Watson of Watson & Co. has a large space that is framed like a large columned front porch compete with rocking chairs. He relocated his shop, which sells locally made soy candles, socks, T-shirts, hats and scarves, from Tyro.
Another major new vendor is CoDyDru Designs, which sells cowhides in the form of rugs, Christmas stockings, coozies and wine bottle holders, among other accessories, in a rustic Western
setting. The new building also houses Mpressionalbe, which sells custom T-shirts and apparel, drinkware and photo slates. There’s also a vendor who sells vintage gas station memorabilia. The Lexington Visitors Center has installed a mini welcome center stocked with information on other area attractions for the many out-of-town shoppers.
McCullough said he will install some new signage to tie the two buildings together after the holidays. Sometime in the spring or early summer he hopes to convert a vacant area between the two buildings into a covered pavilion that may host special events.
In addition to the new “Shops within the Shop” in the J&J building, there are still several in the main building including The Coffee Shop, Brook’s Nest Boutique for women and men and The Posh Bee children’s clothing boutique. HoneyBell’s Old Country Store carries a variety of locally raised honey and foods primarily sourced from North Carolina companies, such as Ashe County cheese, Homestead Creamery milk and wagyu beef from Rocky Forge Farms in Churchland.
The vendor marketplace is a family affair, McCullough noted. In addition to his father, Brad’s wife, Dawn, works there as well as their daughters, Amber and Anna, when they are home from college. A niece, Kayla, and nephew, Ethan, as well as long-time employees from J&J and the furniture store who are like family also help run the business. In fact, the store’s name comes from combining the daughters’ middle names, Eve and Brooke, which is pronounced “eve-IN-brooke.”
Evenbrooke is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. There are occasional “Sunday Special” hours, typically around holidays, that are posted on the Facebook page.
The address is 15 Murphy Drive, which is parallel to U.S. 64 West and across the highway from Walmart Neighborhood Market and Harbor Freight Tools.
