The Sparrow's Pearl

ASHEBORO — The Sparrow’s Pearl Boutique, influenced by the beach and inspired by a great-grandmother, opened its doors on the first weekend of March. The grand opening will be held April 1.

It’s not surprising that the new shop at 118 Sunset Ave. is bright and airy. After all, owner Brandy Hoover and her daughter, Kiley, got the idea while shopping along the Wilmington River Walk and at a shop in Southport. 

“Kiley and I were in Wilmington and went into several boutiques,” Brandy Hoover said. “Six weeks later, we had it open. I’m kind of spontaneous.”

Brandy and her husband Gary are raising four children, including a niece. Kiley and Cheyanne are the oldest, both attending college and helping out at The Sparrow’s Pearl. They all pitched in to renovate the store, which features several pictures of beach scenes.

But the most talked-about is directly behind the counter, a portrait of a woman from a couple of centuries ago with a red streak painted across her eyes. Brandy Hoover said she found it while shopping and was fascinated by it. Gary, she said, wasn’t impressed.

However, it will figure prominently in the grand opening, with a naming contest ending that day and the winning entry announced. 

Cheyanne said the family “went for a Bohemian style — a beachy, girlie-type of line. We have a small number of men’s clothing that we want to expand and some for little girls. We have women’s sizes from extra-small through 3X.”

Asked where the name of the shop came from, Cheyanne said her great-great-grandmother, Pearl Vay Cole, who lived to the age of 106. 

The Sparrow part of the name comes from birds they see in their neighborhood. 

Speaking of her “Nannie Vay,” Cheyanne said, “She was very petite. She used to make her own clothes. And she was very particular.”

In addition to clothes you may not find in other local stores, The Sparrow’s Pearl also offers jewelry and some hair-care products. They hope they’ll soon be able to provide permanent jewelry, which is “the rage right now,” Brandy said. “We bought a kit to do it and hope to have (the ability) by the grand opening.”

She said her idea is to stock lines of clothing not found elsewhere in Asheboro. That includes Rock Revival jeans for men. 

“We’re trying to be a shop where anyone can come in and find something,” Brandy said.

She’s also collaborating with the Salvage Witch to stock antique furniture. There are a couple of pieces in the show window that are for sale. 

“My mother never opened a place before,” Cheyanne said. “We’re trying to figure out all the tricks. We have lots of styles and price ranges and will try to figure out what people want.

“We really wanted something downtown,” Cheyanne said. “We found this place and another. But the other one was really small with no dressing rooms.

“This used to be a bridal boutique,” she said. That's why the dressing rooms are so large, with seats and small lamp tables. 

Cheyanne said the building’s history also includes a comic book store, among other uses. “There’s a lot of history in these buildings.”

The Sparrow’s Pearl hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. each day. The store is closed on Sundays and Mondays.