I am fortunate to have traveled to so many incredible stores around the world with exquisite design elements and cozy corners, but I noticed a common, unfortunate theme - if I wasn’t there to shop, what was I doing there? Maybe I didn’t want to shop, but I did want to hang, talk about denim, take a seat on the couch and enjoy a magazine, or just scroll through my phone surrounded by immaculate vibes.

A few years back while in NYC in January, I got caught in a cold, wet snow and ran into the nearest store. They immediately took note of my frozen, shivering self and offered to take my jacket, poured me a whiskey, and told me to go take a seat upstairs on their sofa and wait out the weather.

That was the level of hospitality I’d been looking for, which is terribly uncommon in the retail space, and that I wanted to provide so I decided to build Fancy Groceries around this idea. We roll out the red carpet for everyone who walks through our door. Community based retail, I like to say. A place where all are welcome whether they want to buy a USA made jacket, a cup of coffee, or if you just want to play a game of chess. More than anything, I want you to come and hang and simply enjoy the space. Let’s geek out over raw denim, coffee, or whatever show on HBO currently has our collective attention.

I started Fancy Groceries in 2019 after moving to Winston-Salem from Los Angeles. The first thing I noticed upon arrival in this old tobacco town were the numerous empty factories and beautiful buildings - space that never would have been wasted in a place like LA. I kept thinking to myself, “This would be great in there! Oh, we need that and what a perfect spot for it!” while driving around, and eventually I caught sight of a sign that read “Fancy Groceries and Clothing just for Him”

Convinced I’d found an amazing store, I approached the facade...only to discover it was nothing but another vacant space.

But the name struck me. I did my research and learned that a 'Staple and Fancy Grocery' was a type of general store in the 18- and 1900s that sold both everyday necessities (the staples) and higher-end specialty items (the fancy). And one of them happened to have been right here in Winston-Salem, the aging sign protected within a historic district.

As a video editor for the majority of my life, I did not come from retail or fashion. But I love clothes and I love shopping for garments with good stories and histories. I don’t believe in waiting to wear your best outfit for a special occasion. Life is too short not to enjoy your favorite fits. I wear my clothes hard, and am unafraid of getting them dirty, stained, or torn, which means the kind of wears I’m looking for are the ones that are built to last.

I couldn’t shake the idea that a place called Fancy Groceries that didn’t sell groceries at all was a place that I’d want to be.

And if I was ever going to open a store, I’d only do it if the clothes could be made of real materials by talented folks making the best of the best.

We’re the first Fancy Grocery to exist in nearly 90 years, albeit with a twist this time. Sure we still sell coffee, cokes, and the occasional treat, but our focus is on fine clothing and plastic free wears. Sure this means we often hear the question “Where’s the groceries?” but our Fancy Groceries is still a place to see and be seen with plenty of seating, hot coffee, regular events, live music, and more.

By the 1930s, they’d all but faded away, falling out of favor to chain stores which were taking over America and by post WW2 there was a boom in the auto industry and people no longer relied on their local general store within walking distance. They could now drive to bigger and better stores.

A Staple and Fancy Grocery was a type of general store in the 18 and early 1900s that sold both everyday necessities (the staples) and higher-end specialty items (the fancy).

These general stores were a place for the community to gather, to see, and be seen.