Following an exhaustive holiday season of cooking and cleaning, shopping and socializing, should you find yourself leisurely strolling on South White Street in Downtown Wake Forest, it would behoove you to explore the ever-evolving selection of North Carolina-made products at Southern Suds & Gifts.
Indeed, the 2,000-square-foot space located in the heart of Downtown Wake Forest, owned and operated by Heather Harrison and Dolores Riggins, – sells hand-crafted items made by around 40 vendors from various North Carolina communities. Although other shops sell some similar items – made by machine and from out of state – Southern Suds may be the only one to sell exclusively handcrafted Carolina products by Carolina residents.
From beef jerky and maple syrup, coffee, candy, and popcorn to all manner of jewelry, woodwork and pottery, embroidery, candles, and cards, soaps, and scrubs, the shop exemplifies a mutually beneficial business plan and sustainable economic development model. By creating a brick-and-mortar marketplace for high-quality products made by the people who live and shop in the region and paying a fair price for the work and skill to do so everyone benefits.
Originally focused on soap and bath products, Heather started the shop with Dolores as one of the original vendors in 2015, operating out of a small space in Youngsville around the corner from Heather and her husband’s former home. The couple moved to Wake Forest soon after.
In 2016, Southern Suds relocated the shop to 222 E. Jones Ave, now known as Alphabet Soup Tutoring, and then in 2018 to the historic space at 213 South White Street. The previous owner of Ollie’s Coffee and Pastries reached out to the Southern Suds partners about relocating around the corner – and the rest is history.
Built in 1914, the sturdy brick building owned by Joan Miller previously served as home to the post office until 1926 and later housed Mack’s 5 and 10 Cent Store for decades thereafter. Growing steadily every year since starting the business, in 2023, Southern Suds experienced the best holiday shopping season to date for everyone involved in the business.
“All of our folks have a passion for the things they make,” said Riggins, who retired from the Wake County School System as a lead secretary after 20 years. She started in the craft business by making and selling wreaths in a shop in Clayton. Her husband, Eddie, who worked 25 years for Philip Morris, helps out around the shop.
“It’s really fun to watch someone sell their first item,” Riggins said. “We want to see people succeed. We have very little turnover.”
From her perspective, Riggins said she likes seeing people doing things they love to do. “It’s very affirming to them to have a place where they can sell their creations.”
For her part, Harrison said, “Most of us would prefer to support a local small business and also a local artist. It was a very busy Christmas and vendors were making things as fast as they could. It was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time.”
With love and appreciation for every vendor, the partners point out a few to feature, including Carissa Sliwinski, owner of Positively Lettering; Marsha Rogers, owner of Marsha’s Back Porch Pottery; and Janice Roberts, owner of Janice Originals.
Even during COVID, no vendors were lost.
“The support we had was amazing,” Riggins said. “There’s always something new to see, new inventory, and displays to keep things interesting. We’re exhausted after the holidays and happy for things to slow down for a bit. Everybody needs a short break, and then business will pick up again soon.”
With all the new housing and businesses coming to Downtown, Southern Suds, and other retail shops benefit from increased traffic.
“We could not be happier for Southern Suds and all the success they’ve seen,” said Jason Cannon, President of the Wake Forest Business & Industry Partnership. “As Downtown continues to develop in a smart and sustainable way, more and more people will relocate here and partake of everything this amazing area has to offer. Thanks to people like Heather and Dolores and the creative businesses their efforts lead, our Downtown offers a unique atmosphere that keeps getting better all the time.”
