Part of Paris Market's magic is its awe-inspiring window displays.
Every season, the front and side windows are transformed into intricate, imaginative scenes, thought up by Paula Danyluk and brought to life by interior design assistant and store manager Aeriel Whitworth and her team.
The windows facing Broughton are more sophisticated, while the side windows lining Whitaker are decorated in kid-friendly themes—this spring's is Mary Mary Quite Contrary.
Danyluk and co. check out Pinterest, magazines and other storefronts to get inspiration for their windows.
"Recently, we went to High Point, a big furniture store in North Carolina," Whitworth says. "They had really amazing showrooms to get inspiration from, too. It's cool to see what all the furniture companies are doing and what the trends are."
The windows change with the seasons and the trends, Whitworth says.
"Right now, we have a spring garden window since it's spring," she explains. "We'll be switching over to summer windows, and we're doing kind of a nautical theme for that, like boats. We're going to do an octopus, we're going to make sea creatures out of foam."
The team used to change the windows monthly, but the process of switching out the windows can get complicated.
"They take so much effort to do that we want to leave them up and have people be able to appreciate them for a couple months," Whitworth says.
When possible, Danyluk tries to use local designers in their windows. Recently, Lovelane Designs, a local children's play wear line, collaborated with the store.
"She brought us a teepee and put that in front when we did a camping scene last summer," says Whitworth. "It's fun collaborating with people for the windows."
Paris Market also uses products found in the store for the windows, though Whitworth emphasizes that it's not about selling the products.
"We try to make it store items because a lot of times people will call and be like, 'Oh, I love that peacock that you have in your window! Is it for sale?' And we can say yes," she explains. "There was a time we did a beach scene and we added more products to it because it didn't have enough, so we added some skincare products and shells we sell in the store."
With the expansion and commercialization of Broughton Street, local stores like Paris Market feel special, even rare.
The windows always draw attention from tourists, and Whitworth is proud to tell them that Paris Market is one of a kind.
"We have a lot of people come in and ask, 'Oh, are there a lot of other local shops like this?' So we try to point them out to Prospector or Sylvester and Co.," she says. "I feel like that's what people want. They don't want the big box stores."
Thanks to those windows, Paris Market can continue attracting attention and being that local flavor Broughton Street desperately needs.
—Rachael Flora
Runner up: 24e
