Anniversary Sale

Lillies Boutique is celebrating it's 18th Anniversary this year. To celebrate- everything in the shop is on sale! Miss Lillie started in business in Wallace years ago in a smaller location- as a Hat Shop- she made many of the hats, and they were very well received- As things are wont to do- if you have a hat...you see the perfect dress for that hat- and carry it- or see a dress that is just crying out for a hat- and buy it....and so the Hat Shop became a Boutique- and if you have hats and dresses....can handbags and jewelry and shoes be far behind!!! Over the next year, the direction in the shop will change slightly- mass selections will be replaced by unique purchases, and Lillie intends to spend some time going back to her beginning and will be making some hats. Please stop by and congratulate Miss Lillie on her store's anniversary- and ask her about her experience in Florida at the Ms Classic American Pageant. She thoroughly enjoyed participating in the pageant, and placed Third. She intends to enter again next year.

Exerpt from WITN story

This story aired on WITN news- it was about the plans to reinstate rail service from Raleigh to WIlmington within 10 years- Any town or city official will tell you that Mayor King's statement (see italics) is true- Revitalizing a downtown area is not just a good cause- it is a necessity to the health of a town. Our downtown is not yet critically ill- but it is not the healthy robust center that it was years ago. Yes, we need to build new business spaces- and we need the businesses that will come with them for our town and county's economic health- but not at the expense of the old.
GOLDSBORO, N.C. -- Randy Sauls remembers a once great union station -- when he was 10 years old. "My memory was that the train seemed larger than life," he said. "I was awestruck by it." Today, the station is nearly 100 years old and hasn't been used for 30 years. But passenger trains are one step closer to rolling through this town.The state unveiled plans today to restore Goldsboro's historic train station -- the start of a process that could ultimately connect Raleigh and Wilmington by rail….. City Mayor Al King believes the project will revitalize businesses in town. "If your downtown dies, your city's going to die," he said. "And our city was dying." The station could someday become Goldsboro's front door, just as Sauls remembers from his childhood. "There's just something nostalgic about a train whistle," he said. "It's wonderful."

Trapp Candles have a new home in Wallace

Need an Orange Vanilla fix since Inspirations closed? Trapp Candles have a new home in Wallace at Willa's located at 508 S Norwood St. They have a good selection in the popular votive size in 8 popular fragrances including Orange Vanilla, Wild Currant, Guava Mango, Sexy Cinnamon, Water and Honeysuckle. They also have a selection of the room sprays- something a lot of you were looking for. You'll find a lot of neat things there besides candles including ladies fashions-Their hours are 9-5- and the phone number is (910)-285-2448.

At the Auction

You never know what you'll find at an auction! Last time I was there, one of the the hot sellers was cast iron frying pans- I learned a lot about frying pans from the folks around me- old ones are far superior to new ones, even those in bad shape can be returned to almost new condition with some effort-and the old ones are signed by the makers- Griswold & Worrell were among those offered that night. If you haven't been- here's how it goes, from 2-5 on Auction Day, you can get a look at all the things that will be offered. You need to register at the back of the building for a number to be able to bid- you will need your driver's license to do this. At 5, the Auction begins with "Boxed Lots". These are collections of items that are similar- a box of creamers, glasses, whirligigs, figurines, tools. The bidding is a bit frenetic- and they go FAST- and CHEAP! There may only be one item that you want in the box- but you have to take the whole thing. There is a break in the action- and that is a good time to indulge in some of the best cake this side of the railroad tracks! At 6, the Auction settles down to business with small items- everything from the frying pans to porcelain to glass, vases to coins, then moves on to furniture. It takes a little time to get used to the Auctioneers cadence- but it is not impossible to follow the action- even for the amateur. A lot of items went for very reasonable prices- much to the auctioneers dismay- some are in pristeen condition- some are a great bargain if you're willing to put in a little work. I won a blanket chest for $3.50 that will need a new cushion and hinges- but for $3.50- what's a yard and a half of fabric and some hinges! At the end of the evening, buyers are invited to look through the remaining items- if there was something they wanted that had not been auctioned, you can choose it and put it on the table- the miinimum bid for these items is $5.00...so if there is something you just have to have- and nobody else does- you can get a great deal! If you've never been, I encourage you to go! Auctions are held every other Saturday- for August the dates are the 11th & 25th. You can check out the upcoming items during the week before the auction on the Brown & Thigpen website- the link is to the right- check out the terms & conditions- items have to be taken that night or on Sunday. See you at the auction!