Art galleries, record stores, vintage clothing shops, strange oddities, musical instruments — and whatever you consider art — Winston-Salem has it all. So many stores spread all over town aim to please the artist community in Winston-Salem, but on Trade Street, you can visit some of my favorite stores. Continue reading for a tour of my personal favorite Trade Street spots!
The first stop on our tour, Low Five Analog Archive, is a small, newly opened store with its own darkroom for photo development. Low Five sells many things to benefit the artist community, and includes vintage and film cameras, new and old records, along with local artists’ work. All the prices are very reasonable for these works as well, most of the vintage cameras being less than $150, whereas in other places they would be priced above $300.
The next stop on our tour is The B String, a locally owned guitar shop. The first time I stepped into the shop, I immediately wanted to learn guitar so that I could buy all of the pretty guitars. Even though that never happened, I can still appreciate the beauty of old guitars. This store is perfect for any music enthusiast or lover who is looking to support local business.
Next up on Winston-Salem shop tour is the Piedmont Craftsman Gallery, a shop where hundreds of handmade crafts, paintings, jewelry, and more are sold. The Craftsman Gallery also invites local artists to display their work in the Gallery, through their artist guild. The Craftsman Gallery also takes part in hosting the Piedmont Craftsmen Annual Craft Fair, where over a hundred artists show their work.
Our penultimate stop on the art tour of Winston is Major Tomms, a kooky women-owned shop with handmade oddities, such as hundreds of unique earrings, decorated fake fluffy chicks, and cruelty-free taxidermied animals. As well as the oddities, there is also a section in the back, where they sell vintage clothing, and have everything from old corduroy pants to flowy hippie vests. The employees truly embrace their emblem of “We are here for the weird.”
The final stop on our Trade Street tour is Happy Hour vintage, one of my personal favorite vintage clothing shops. Although I have only bought one thing there, because it is quite expensive, every time I walk on Trade St., I have to stop in there and see if they have anything that I would like. The store has such a wide variety of clothing, shoes, and accessories, some that date back to the 1950’s.
Even though I was born and raised in Winston-Salem, every time I walk Trade St., I am still fueled with the same love and curiosity for new shops and items.
