Lexington Souvenir Shoppe now located uptown on the Square
Tammy Surratt Morris stands with a display in the Lexington Souvenir Shoppe that recently relocated to 7 N. Main St. on the Square in uptown Lexington. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
Tammy Surratt Morris is hoping her third location of the Lexington Souvenir Shoppe is the charm.
She reopened the business Oct. 15 at 7 N. Main St. in uptown Lexington on the Square next to Second Glance Consignment Boutique and Missions Pottery & More. The building housed Natural Lite Home for 20 years.
The souvenir shop opened in May 2019 on East First Avenue and was located at the far end of South Main Street for two years starting in October 2020. But being in the heart of town has always been her desired location. “I needed to be where the walk-in traffic is,” Morris explained. “The (Lexington) Visitor’s Center is just across the Square so it makes it easy for us to partner together.”
She noted local landmarks that draw tourists, in addition to locals, such as Conrad & Hinkle Food Market and The Candy Factory, are also close.
Morris recently experienced two major downtown events in October at her shop and was quite pleased.
“We had constant traffic during the Barbecue Festival,” she said. “It was a great day. And we got a lot of good exposure during the Boo Bash. We gave away all our candy and even gave away some T-shirts. People found us and said they’d be back.”
Lexington Souvenir Shoppe carries a wide variety of mementos celebrating all things Lexington as well as barbecue, from the cute — an apron with a pig on it and the slogan “Every Butt Deserves a Good Rub” — to the practical, such as thermal cup holders and silicone cups with tops for hot or
cold beverages. There are also coozies made from recycled materials and note cards and pens.
Apparel, ranging from onesies for babies up to adult size T-shirts and hoodies, are also a part of the shop’s inventory. Morris noted she is authorized by the City of Lexington to print shirts and other items with the cityscape logo used on welcome signs around town as well as the WiFi access logo of a pig face. She also recently got permission from Davidson County to print apparel with the county’s 200 th Bicentennial logo and also sells collectible Bicentennial coins.
Other collectibles for sale are several Christmas ornaments, including carved wooden ornaments of pigs as well as a blown-glass pink pig and a sparkling pink flying pig. “Pig Pennies,” elongated commemorative coins, dating back to 2007 that coincide with the annual Barbecue Festival are also available as well as some previously released Uptown Lexington ornaments of historic landmarks.
Lexington Christmas ornaments and a collectible Davidson County Bicentennial coin are displayed at the Lexington Souvenir Shoppe. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
Mugs, kitchen potholders, kitchen towels, golf towels, shot glasses, pig earrings and pins, totes, backpacks, keychains, buttons, magnets, pig noses and pig squeaky toys are among the smaller items for sale.
“And I’m going to add a section for High Rock Lake,” Morris said, noting that’s based on customer requests. She has a T-shirt with an outline of the lake now.
While her shop apparel inventory is about Lexington, Morris noted she offers custom screen printing of apparel from one individual item to hundreds for groups such as schools or reunions. She said she has about 1,000 designs to choose from.
T-shirts on display feature the city’s WiFi pig face logo and the Davidson County Bicentennial logo. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
Morris also has another business, iMarket, a social media marketing company geared to small businesses. “I love to help other people be successful,” she added.
Morris said she is looking forward to gearing up for the holiday season in her new location. She noted locals like the souvenirs to show their hometown pride and former residents and visitors like to have something to remind them of their time in Lexington.
“There really is something for everybody and every occasion,” Morris said.
