Hi! I’m Sharlie: wife, mom of six, and lover of antiques/history. I grew up in a small town called Belton, SC and we have a small town square there. In fact, most of the areas near me have a square, normally rundown from years of neglect and people turning to online shopping or bigger stores like Target. I’ve always appreciated the character of those stores and have been delighted to see some of these areas being built back up.

I have such a heart for these areas and if I allow myself to dream big, I’d love to somehow be apart of that movement. God planted an idea into my head a few months ago to visit local areas and share here on the blog and on Instagram (@thefrontporchfarmhouse) so that others could realize the hidden gems scattered all over Upstate SC. If I’m really dreaming big, I’d love to one day go all over the United States.

The first place I’m sharing is downtown Abbeville, SC. This quaint downtown is thirty minutes away from me and has ton of history. I’ve visited this spot before and as I made plans I could think of two to three spots to hit and thought I might be finished in a hour or two. To my surprise, I was there for nearly four hours and still didn’t hit all the places I wanted to!

One thing I really loved about this day trip is I parked my car and could walk to all of these locations. The Abbeville square is unique in that it is a loop and there are tons of shops. But let me note that what may be around right now may be closed if you visit a year from now. Some of these stores have recently opened and the sad reality is that some won’t make it. Which is why it’s so important to support these small, local businesses. Also, many of these stores are only open on Fridays and Saturdays, so check ahead before making the drive!

Have I mentioned the Abbeville square has brick streets? If you are coming out of town, I would recommend the Belmont Inn to stay. It is a historic building, sits right on the square, and offers a restaurant, bar, and it even has a dog grooming! It has new owners at the time of writing this. It’s the perfect location because it’s right smack dab in the middle of everything.

Joining me on my day trip was my friend Patty (IG handle: @cochranhillfarmhouse). Our first stop was Daily Bread Bakery. It was such a welcoming store and the staff was super friendly! I grabbed a gluten free blueberry muffin and a loaf of Country Peach bread to take home for the kiddos. Both were delicious!

Next stop was Urban 2 Country. Downstairs they sell gourmet food items. But there are antiques sprinkled around and there’s an upstairs with even more goodies.

Next we visited The Leaded Glass. It was a cute antique/consignment shop that had some really cute stuff and the prices were really great! I had my eye on a couple of chairs, but considering I have zero room for any more chairs, I left them for someone else to snag! 🙂

We then moseyed over to one of my favorite antique stores and one I’ve visited a few times, Crate & Quill. This has the cutest alley beside it called Abbeys Alley. It has lots of awesome booths and the prices are very reasonable. My only purchase (well, except for the baked goodies) came from here. I had to bring home this vintage flag! It’s perfect for this time of year!

Next, we made our way to a side street to visit Divine Your Space. This is a plant shop that also offers some decor items. They also offer craft events. The owner was super helpful and gave this gal that has a black thumb advice on planting peonies.

The side street we were on had some hidden jewels. Right at the end of this street is an old church called Trinity. It’s currently being restored and Patty said that normally there is someone playing the organ all day long! I wish I could have heard it. We stopped into a new store on this side street called Gathering on Trinity. It had a lot of cute items, including shirts and boutique items and there were some antiques in the back.

Also on that side road was a store called Holbert Auction Services. We weren’t sure if it was open to customers, but we walked in anyway and I’m so glad we did! It’s an antique store and it had some good stuff! Everything was an antique and it had good prices! There was a chippy door I had my eye on for $45, but it was too small for the space I had in mind.

We ended our day at The Yellow Brick Road. This store was a mixture of boutique items and some consignment stuff too. There were some antique framed prints I was tempted to buy for my gallery wall.

There were places I wanted to visit, but didn’t get a chance. Breezy Quarters is just off the downtown square. Paige makes soap and has really been a leading force into reviving downtown Abbeville. The Shed is another store that I didn’t get a chance to visit, but have been in before and has lots of antiques! There were also a couple of clothing boutiques that I didn’t get a chance to visit.

Let’s wrap this up and talk about food options! The Village Grill is a huge hit with locals! It’s currently closed because of Covid-19 but I’m sure it’s going to be back open soon. Check their FB page for hours and updates! The Rough House is also a local favorite, known for their hotdogs. Patty said the chili recipe is a 100 year old recipe! Main Street Coffee Company is the place to go for coffee or a light breakfast, lunch! There’s also a Maria’s Mexican Restaurant is on the square too!

So many options! If you visit from out of town, both Anderson and Greenwood have some nice antique shops too. I’ll be visiting those and sharing the sites there soon! In the meantime, you can check out one of my blog posts I wrote about some spots to visit and stay in Anderson, SC.