Hi, friend! If you are new around here, I’m Sharlie. Wife to my high school sweetheart, Benjamin, and mom of six amazing kiddos. Yep, you read that right… six! I’m a blogger and Instagrammer (you can find me at @thefrontporchfarmhouse) and I love going to small towns and exploring their downtown areas. I grew up in Belton, SC and currently live in Donalds, SC.

My latest small town adventure is Easley, SC. This is the fourth small town I’ve visited (Abbeville, Laurens, and Pendleton are the others, in case you’ve missed them). It never fails to amaze me how different each town is, the personality that stands out, and the hidden jewels that some locals don’t even know about. Easley is about an hour drive away from me so I was relying on my gps to get me there. As I came up on it, I was surprised. This downtown was much busier and larger than the others, two sides separated by a railroad crossing and fairly busy roads. There were lots of parking options, some in front of stores and then parking lots behind the stores. We parked behind Merrell’s Pizza and walked through this charming seating/eating area. You can see downtown Easley peeking through on the other side.

Joining me on my trip was my best friend, Melanie, an Easley local, my oldest child, Pressley, and my littlest, Miller. As I stepped through the other side to get a good look at the stores around me, I got that familiar feeling. These trips really and truly are a special kind of adventure. Most of us might hear about a store, park in front of it, run in, and then leave. I know that’s what I used to do. But scheduling these day trips and just wandering around, exploring each and every storefront is so fun. I can’t tell you how many surprises I’ve uncovered by stepping into a store that I probably wouldn’t go into and walking out with a new favorite store.

We walked down the street. On this side of downtown, lots of the buildings are office buildings. But I have to smile as I see one of my favorite words…antiques– Uncle Sam’s Antiques and Collectibles. This store is off the corner of the main street. I walked in, looked up, and saw a row of chandeliers. Chandeliers are my love language. 🙂 This was my kind of antique store: large and full of good antiques. Melanie walked away with a crock for $7. She collects these and the look on her face as she ran over to grab it made the whole trip.

We continued on that side of the road and made our way into Burlap and Ribbons. This was a really cute store. The front door hangers are what really stood out, but they also sell jewelry. I bought a little wooden pineapple here to go on an outdoor wreath and Pressley bought some hair scrunchies.

It was time to cross the street, which means you have to cross the railroad crossing. A train actually came by about five minutes after we crossed. This side of Easley is a little busier. We stopped into Something Special first. This store had home decor boutique items on one side of the store and clothes on the other side.

Circa Makers & Merchants was the next store we wandered into. I absolutely loved this store. A mixture of vintage/antique goodies, local art and handmade gifts, this store was a treat. You can tell that the pieces brought in are carefully selected. I can’t recommend this store enough.

We continued on our way, checking out some of the restaurants because it was getting close to lunch. I loved the alley seating areas, nestled between brick walls and twinkle lights above. Our next stop was Plum Home Decor and Gift Boutique. This store offered home decor items, lighting, and a super cute wallpaper bar in the back. I’m a little scared of wallpaper (that’s why I stick to peel and stick!), but I adore looking at it!

We were hungry at this point so we weighed our dining options. Some of the restaurants didn’t open until dinner, others were only offering curbside service, so we finally decided to cross the street and eat at Merrell’s Pizza and Pasta. I ordered BBQ nachos, Pressley had a turkey sub and fries, and Melanie had a salad. The staff was super friendly and the food good. Instead of crossing the street again, we decided to drive over to the other side since we were right beside our cars.

Driving to the other side and parking turned out to a real treat because we discovered this cute gazebo and fountain area. There are swings for relaxing. It’s just a really pretty area! We stopped in Seven Five Boutique and met the co-owner, Sherry. This is a clothing boutique with super cute clothes, shoes, and bags. She told us about an antique store just a few stores down, Garland & George Fine Antiques. A good reminder to talk to the store owners to find out more about the town. She also mentioned there’s a location nearby that will be opening soon centered around the silos. It sounds really amazing so make sure to check that out if it’s open and you are in the area.

Garland & George had absolutely beautiful pieces. I fell in love with a chaise there. Unfortunately I have not the space or extra money for it, but is sure was gorgeous!

We ended our day at Good Karma Ice Cream. Good Karma is a special store. There is a women’s consignment section and the other side has new women’s clothes and shoes. And then tucked in the back is a cute ice cream store. Pressley got herself a waffle cone with mint chocolate chip and cotton candy. A strange combination to me, but Pressley said it was good.

Before we headed home, we heard about an antique store down the road called Mainly Antiques. It was a five minute drive down the road. It was large with several seperate booths in the front part and then a large, open warehouse in the back. I bought an old baking powder tin here for under $13.

I always like to share other food options that are downtown so you can check them out. There is Bleu Voodoo, which is only open for dinner. Melanie had eaten here before and said it was really good. Serendipity Cafe was offering curbside service and their menu looked really yummy. Rainbow Billiards has burgers and pool tables. The Pint Station is a craft beer bar and looks really cool. Joe’s Ice Cream Parlor is a popular spot to check out too. There was also a bar called Main Street Pub.

There were also hair salons, yoga location, nail salon, bridal shop. Lots to check out! Thank you so much, Easley, for letting me visit your downtown! Pressley had so much fun she now wants to go on all of my Friday adventures! lol I can’t wait for the next week!