09/22/2026
Shop local, shop downtown Carthage!
SURVIVE THE DETOUR: SHOP DOWNTOWN CARTHAGE
If your weekend hasn’t been challenging enough, COME ON DOWN TO DOWNTOWN CARTHAGE.
We have officially turned shopping local into an extreme sport.
Will the road you drove down yesterday still go the same direction today?
WHO KNOWS.
Will Google Maps understand what’s happening?
BLESS ITS HEART.
Could you encounter a vehicle coming directly at you because someone misunderstood the new traffic pattern?
THE ODDS ARE NOT ZERO.
Will you eventually find somewhere to park?
YES.
Will getting there build character?
ABSOLUTELY.
But here’s the important part:
DOWNTOWN CARTHAGE IS OPEN.
The roads may be confused.
The GPS may be confused.
You may be confused.
WE ARE NOT.
We’re still unlocking our doors every morning. We’re making coffee, cooking food, stocking shelves, selling books, cutting hair, finding vintage treasures, scooping ice cream, selling clothes, making gifts, helping customers and occasionally staring out the window wondering what exciting new traffic maneuver we’re about to witness.
So grab your friends, your mother, your husband, your neighbor, that person you’ve been meaning to text back for three weeks, and come SURVIVE THE DETOUR.
Most of our downtown shopping businesses are ready for you Wednesday through Saturday.
And if your mission is BOOKS, Second Chapter Books is open Monday through Saturday, because apparently it’s going to take more than a construction project to get rid of us.
☕ FIRST THINGS FIRST: CAFFEINE.
Stop at Moore Coffee Company for coffee and something delicious while you mentally prepare for your adventure.
Or visit Buggy Town Coffee for another dose of caffeine, because depending on which route you took into town, one cup may not be sufficient.
📚 THEN COME BUY SOME BOOKS.
Come see us at Second Chapter Books.
New books. Used books. Fantasy. Romantasy. Dark romance. Romance. Mystery. Thrillers. Blind Dates with a Book. One Night Stands. Cheap Dates.
Basically enough books to make you completely forget that 15 minutes ago you were yelling:
“WAIT. AM I ALLOWED TO TURN HERE?”
We’re open Monday through Saturday, so even if everyone else is taking a well-deserved break, I’ll probably still be here surrounded by books.
🐱 HAD ENOUGH? WE HAVE CATS.
Yes.
CATS.
Stop by Kitten Around Cat Lounge on Courthouse Square.
Grab something to drink, sit down, hang out with adoptable cats and recover emotionally from your journey.
And yes, the cats are adoptable.
WARNING:
You may enter Downtown Carthage intending to buy a book and leave with a cat.
That is between you, the cat and your spouse.
We accept no responsibility.
🔨 NEED A HAMMER?
Head over to Keith Hardware.
Need something for the house? They probably have it.
Need tools?
Got you.
Need supplies?
Got you.
Need a reflective vest, traffic cone, compass, flare gun or something else to help navigate Downtown Carthage?
Okay, we cannot promise all of those.
But Keith’s is a hardware store, so your odds are considerably better there than at the bookstore.
🚗 SURVIVED THE DETOUR, BUT DID YOUR CAR?
Head over to H&S Tire and Auto on Monroe Street.
Tires. Oil changes. Brakes. Alignments. Repairs. NC state inspections.
Basically, all the things your vehicle may need after successfully completing:
CARTHAGE: HARD HAT MODE.
Hit a pothole?
H&S.
Need an oil change?
H&S.
Tires looking a little questionable?
H&S.
Check engine light come on halfway through trying to figure out whether you were actually allowed to make that turn?
H&S.
Because apparently in Downtown Carthage, we don't just have a business for everything.
We have a business for everything that happens to you while you're trying to GET to the other businesses.
👗 RETAIL THERAPY, ANYONE?
Stop into Lisa’s Boutique and find something cute.
Because if you’re going to participate in an extreme sport, you might as well look fabulous doing it.
🪑 TIME TO GO TREASURE HUNTING.
Visit The Vintage Barn and see what you can find.
You weren’t looking for it.
You don’t need it.
You have absolutely no idea where you’re going to put it.
BUY IT ANYWAY.
That is how antiquing works.
🍦 YOU’VE MADE IT THIS FAR. YOU DESERVE DESSERT.
Stop at Wishflower Bakery & Creamery Shoppe for something sweet.
At this point, calories consumed while navigating construction do not count.
We checked.
Probably.
🍲 NOW WE NEED ACTUAL FOOD.
Stop by The Soup Company for soups, sandwiches and salads.
Or head to Chuck Wagon Restaurant for some classic Carthage comfort food.
Because supporting local businesses is exhausting work and we need you properly fueled.
AND THEN THERE’S THE TYSON SINCLAIR.
Honestly, the Tyson Sinclair is practically its own side quest.
Head inside and explore local businesses including Market 107, Practical Posh, The Soapy Goat & Gifts, Second Charm Vintage, Sun + Soul Collective, Grand Ole Finds, MADink, J’s Variety, City Barbershop and Susa Hibachi Grill, plus other local businesses, artists and services throughout the building.
You can shop.
You can eat.
You can get a haircut.
You can buy vintage treasures.
You can find gifts.
You can wander around an incredible historic building.
At this point you might as well just block off the afternoon.
HERE’S YOUR CHALLENGE.
Come downtown.
Buy a coffee.
Spend $10 at a small business.
Buy a book.
Have lunch.
Find something vintage.
Buy a shirt.
Eat some ice cream.
Get a haircut.
Buy a hammer.
Pet a cat.
Hell, ADOPT THE CAT.
We don’t care what combination you choose.
Just come see us.
Because underneath all the jokes, there is something we really do need people to understand:
THESE BUSINESSES ARE STILL OPEN.
Construction is temporary.
But small businesses cannot survive indefinitely without customers.
These are businesses that employ local people, donate to local schools and organizations, sponsor community events, host events, pay local taxes, support one another and help make Downtown Carthage a place people actually want to visit.
So while downtown looks a little crazy right now, please don’t forget about us.
Actually, do the opposite.
Make Downtown Carthage your destination.
Bring your friends. Bring someone you hate.
Try somewhere you’ve never been.
Spend $10 somewhere you’ve never shopped.
Have lunch.
Get coffee.
Buy something completely unnecessary simply because it made you happy.
And then tell somebody else to come do it too.
SURVIVE THE DETOUR.
SHOP DOWNTOWN CARTHAGE.
SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS.
Come for the shopping.
Stay for the food.
Stay a little longer because you accidentally turned the wrong way.
And if you successfully enter Downtown Carthage, visit at least three small businesses, cross Courthouse Square and eventually figure out how to get back out...
🏆 CONGRATULATIONS.
YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY COMPLETED:
CARTHAGE: HARD HAT MODE
Your prize is the satisfaction of knowing you supported the small businesses trying to keep Downtown Carthage alive.
And possibly a cat.
No purchase necessary to participate in the traffic portion of this event.
Unfortunately, participation in that part appears to be mandatory.
😂
DOWNTOWN CARTHAGE, NC
Main downtown shopping days: Wednesday through Saturday
Second Chapter Books: Monday through Saturday
Share this event.
Invite everybody.
Tag your favorite Downtown Carthage business.
And if you own a downtown business and we missed you, SPEAK UP. We’re adding EVERYBODY.
Because this isn’t a Second Chapter Books event.
This is Downtown Carthage saying:
WE’RE STILL HERE.
Now come find us.
