Southport Magazine

Local Art Hot Spots summed up
Story by Carla Edstrom
There’s a lot of art to see in Southport including large and small-scale shops, owner/artist studios and fine art galleries. It’s the perfect place to find that great art piece for your home, or a gift for a loved one while enjoying the coastal weather and scenery. With this month’s issue being all about art, I would like to feature just a handful of my favorite galleries and shops I think you should check out. Each of these galleries support local artists work. Some of them are old favorites and some are new. All of them have that Southport Southern charm. There are many other great places to visit too, so this is a good place to start! This is by no means a comprehensive list, but we wanted to highlight a few to check out.

Dunes Mercantile
Local Artisans and Curators
Linda Reeves and Bill Nelson, Owners
8600 Oak Island Dr, Oak Island
Call 910-367-6139
Being the new kid in town, this shop is absolutely jammed packed with antique vendors, local artists and craftspeople. Only open for about a month, Dunes has quickly become a fabulous place for artists to show off and sell their work. With 46 vendors and a waiting list for more, you can find all things vintage as well as many new crafts and arts such as paintings, repurposed furniture, pottery, glass art, and even local honey.

Coastal Cottage Shop
DiAne and Chris Benzie, Owners
4260 Long Beach Road, Southport
Call (919) 818-9406
Email: coastalcottageshoppe@gmail.com
On your next trip out to the beach, stop by the Coastal Cottage Shop. Established in 2017, this gallery shop is a hidden treasure on Long Beach Road snuggled underneath shade trees, and just as the name implies, it definitely possesses a warm cottage feel. Inside you will find a plethora of coastal themed gifts, local art and craft including paintings, pottery, jewelry, handbags and locally made furniture. You can find everything you need to decorate your beach themed home and more.

Hayden Studios
Spence and Kristi Hayden, Owner/Artists
5469 Dosher Cutoff, SE, Southport
Call 928-243-6740 or 480-560-4365
Email: spencehayden@yahoo.com
Open Friday and Saturdays 10-4
If your driving across Dosher Cutoff on the way through town next Saturday, stop by Hayden Studios and see what is going on. You may get to see a pottery wheel demonstration by Spence while browsing the other art and crafts for sale. You will find pottery, fabric, crocheted items, repurposed wine bottle wind chimes, jewelry, cement planters and stepping-stones and much more! Stop by August 4th for the Jam Rock Jamaican Independence Day Celebration featuring reggae music, vendors and food all day from 12-9:30 pm.

Artshak
Thom Seaman and Linda Platt, Owner/Artists
822 N Howe St, Southport
Call (910) 457-1757
Open 10-5pm daily and later for First Friday Gallery walks.
A long time staple of the Southport gallery community is the Artshak. With friendly owner/artists that actually make much of their art on premises, this gallery has it all. With 55 artists work on display, you can find one of a kind art pieces including large outdoor metal features made by the owner in the onsite studio, pottery sculptures, jewelry, wonderful encaustic paintings and fabulous large glass masterpieces. Defiantly check this one out!

Lantana’s Gallery & Fine Gifts
Maureen Meehan, Owner
113 S Howe St, Southport
(910) 457-0957
www.lantanasgallery.com
Open Monday-Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 11-5 and open later for the First Friday Gallery walk that occurs the first Friday of each month.
Lantana’s is a must visit gallery gift shop right on Howe Street near the waterfront. Every day you can find fabulous local artists creations including jewelry, paintings, pottery, and many other arts, crafts and gift items. It’s the perfect place to stroll through on a beautiful Southport day! Artist Anne Thompson is the featured artist for the August 3rd First Friday Gallery walk.
And don’t forget:
Franklin Square Gallery, 130 E. West Street, Southport
Pescado Y Amor, 6018 E Oak Island Dr, Oak Island
Ricky Evans Gallery, 211 North Howe St, Southport
Tale Feathers, 105 S Howe St, Southport
Shops at 424, 424 N Howe St, Southport
Painted Mermaid,1208 N Howe St, Southport
All About Art, Bald Head Island
You can also find art for sale displayed by local cafes like Port City Java on Howe Street, restaurants like Moore Street Deli and Dry Street Pub and wine shops like Silver Coast, Uncorked by the Sea and The Wine Rack.