New uptown shop offers floral designs and home decor
Sean Bishop, owner of the new Fox & Olive home and floral gallery at 100 S. Main St. in uptown Lexington, leans over a sofa where Chestnut, "the little blonde fox” of the business name, takes a break from being the official store greeter. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
From fresh flowers and exotic plants to a wide variety of home décor and furniture, Fox & Olive, a new store in uptown Lexington, has you covered.
Sean Bishop, the owner of the eclectic business, has planned a grand opening for Saturday, Oct. 14.
The home and floral gallery is located at 100 S. Main St. in the space formerly occupied by Kickin’ Creations Artisan Market, which has relocated to 770 Hickory Tree Rd. in the Midway community.
“I’ve always been in love with this space,” Bishop said of the building at the corner of Main St. and W. First Ave. that features several Palladium windows. The space is part of the historic March Hotel building.
Bishop, who has several family members who live in Davidson County, decided to take a leap of faith when the space became available to expand his Fox & Olive retail business in Hilton Head, S.C., which he has operated for the past three years. He has no plans to close the Hilton Head store.
Prior to opening the Hilton Head store, Bishop had been in the floral and home décor business for more than two decades in his native Louisiana. He operated five businesses in the New Orleans area at one time but left after Hurricane Katrina changed the city.
The local Fox & Olive gallery will carry many of the same items he has in his Hilton Head business. The shop offers a large selection of silk flowers and plants, handblown glass vases, rattan and wicker wrapped glass vases, ceramic and glass planters, as well as handwoven Gullah seagrass baskets from the Lowcountry. There’s a small gardening section that has garden tools and aprons as well as a line of all-natural Skeeter Screen products to repel mosquitos and other insects.
Custom chairs and tables are available along with accent pieces for sale, such as a table with a driftwood base and a sideboard fashioned from pieces of reclaimed crab traps. Most of the home décor items are made by Southern artisans who use reclaimed materials.
The table and chair business evolved from having customers who rented such furnishings for weddings and other events ask if they could purchase the pieces. Bishop said two former Lexington Furniture employees craft chairs available in a variety of fabrics.
Additionally, Bishop makes his own line of soy candles that will change seasonally, such as a Mocha Peppermint and Mountain Fraser for Christmas.
Sean Bishop, owner of Fox & Olive in uptown Lexington, stands next to a display of topiaries, pottery, vases and candles. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
The fresh floral business will be located in the back of the building. He receives shipments of flowers and plants within 24 hours of being cut from sources in the Carolinas and Virginia.
“I do know a lot of people are excited about the fresh floral program here. What we do is very different with rare and exotic flowers and plants. If it’s something you can find at a lower-end flower shop or grocery store, we won’t carry it. If you’re looking for a dozen red roses or pink carnations, this is not the place where you need to be.”
Bishop explained he will have to see what the local market wants in terms of flowers and plants for weddings and other special events, but he hopes people will look to the store to buy beautiful gifts for themselves and others. For example, he said someone might pick up flowers as a hostess gift instead of a bottle of wine.
There is a small “pantry” section of the shop where you can find Heritage Shortbread made in Hilton Head as well as local honey and dip and spread mixes. “The only retailers who carry Heritage Shortbread are me and Williams Sonoma.”
Once he gets settled into the gallery, Bishop plans to offer workshops, such as fresh floral design classes, wreath-making around the holidays and how to design table place settings. He may bring in guest instructors such as a sommelier and chef to talk about wine and food pairings for a dinner party.
The name of the gallery, Fox & Olive, has two origin stories. He refers to his rescue dog, Chestnut, as “the little blonde fox.” She is the official greeter and “garden manager” of the shop. The olive reminds him of the olive trees he saw everywhere and in all climates when he traveled around Europe. The olive tree traditionally symbolizes friendship and reconciliation as well as peace. “It’s one thing to have a beautiful store and another to make people feel loved when they are in your store. There’s love and care in making beautiful things and sharing them.”
Bishop has tentatively set the store hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday but he may adjust those after he has a better idea of when customers want to shop. He will extend hours for special events in the uptown district.
Fox & Olive has a website and is on Facebook and Instagram.
