the real raleigh : charlotte smith

WHAT’S YOUR SIGN | Sagittarius

DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE IN 3 WORDS | I don’t know! More is more? Its just me. Whatever that is! I’ve had this same aesthetic my entire life, it’s hard for me to really pin point it.

WHAT DO YOU COLLECT | Egads. What don’t I collect? It’s a sickness! Currently hoarding: dandelion paperweights, Turkish military belts, National Geographics, American flags, vintage cookware, folk / tramp art, antique linens and by default, a fuck ton of dust.

FAVORITE PLACES TO SCORE FINDS FOR YOUR HOME | The majority was found at Studio 123 or on the road. Love Father & Sons. Robert Corprew is beyond good, too. If I had a bottomless bank account, Acquisitions. Their European antiques. Hubba. Hubba.

FOOL PROOF DINNER PARTY TIP | Diversify the drinks, the music and the age range.

FAVORITE PIECE OF CLOTHING RIGHT NOW | Anything that fits.

FAVORITE COCKTAIL | Jordan or Nicole’s Pina Colada (Bida Manda) / + Anything on (or off) the menu at Stanbury. Garrett & Carrie do toxic & delicious better than anyone in town. But I’ll get out of dodge for the painkillers at Stillwater.

NECESSARY EXTRAVAGANCE / SIMPLE INDULGENCE | dinners out / fresh flowers

YOUR FAVORITE 3 THINGS IN YOUR HOUSE | It changes. My house tends to be a revolving door! Today? The folk art by Miles Carpenter. The Jasper Johns Litho I found outside my old apartment in Alphabet City. And everything that’s on the wall above the fireplace. These things have soul. Hell, all of it does.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT WEARING OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS | Less clothes and a tan.

BOOK YOU’RE READING RIGHT NOW | Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

FAVORITE HOTEL | The Farm House in Stonington, Maine.

WHAT SURPRISES YOU ABOUT RALEIGH | Almost nothing anymore! And that’s a compliment. If I didn’t like where the city was going I would have stayed in New York.

WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO YOU RIGHT NOW | Customers. Acquiring more inventory. Friends & family, near & far. Good health.

YOU KNOW YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON | Rising tide lifts all ships. The Players Retreat. Gut feelings.

FAVORITE RESTAURANT | Mateo. Neals. Bida Manda. Stanbury. Players Retreat. // NYC – Lil Frankies. Ed’s. Lucien. Minetta. // Elsewhere – La Giostra.

WHERE IS THE LAST PLACE YOU TRAVELED | NYC / NC MTNS / Hillsborough

WHAT DID YOU BRING BACK | An empty wallet + big apple blues / vendor contacts & aggressive taxidermy / a full stomach & the hangover from hell

WHAT SMELL DO YOU LOVE | It can’t be bottled. Old homes, bacon, confederate jasmin. a mowed lawn. Peaches. Clean boys & puppies.

ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’D GIVE AN ASPIRING ENTREPRENEUR | It’s not for the faint of heart! But at the end of the day, if you truly love what you do, all of the bullshit & stress will always be worth it. Really. God bless juice thats worth the squeeze! So, know yourself and know the difference.

HOW DO YOU UNWIND | What does this mean, “unwind” ?

WHAT’S THE LAST THING YOU WERE WRONG ABOUT | How much time it takes me to leave one place and get to another. I’m terrible that way.

A BOOK YOU’VE READ MORE THAN ONCE | Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck.

FAVORITE PLACE TO BUY CLOTHES | I’m not. Budget depleated thanks to my pretty new baby, Union Camp Collective!

WHAT DO YOU BRING WITH YOU EVERYWHERE YOU GO | Baby powder. Sharpees. Check book. Appetite.

WHAT’S YOUR NEWEST MUSIC DISCOVERY | Hearing a lot of Townes Van Zandt & Guy Clark lately. Maybe a bad thing, but it’s more normal for me to re visit the old than to discover the new.

3 FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT YOUR HOUSE | It’s proximity to Cup A Joe, NCMA & the Fair Grounds.

WHAT’S ALWAYS IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR | Dukes. Butter. Bottled Budweiser. And Leftovers.

WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO PLAY YOU IN YOUR BIOPIC | t’d have to be a Wes Anderson. So I guess that would mean Natalie Portman, Saoirse Ronan or Gwyneth Paltrow. And if they aren’t available, Cate Blanchett would totally nail it.

NETFLIX OBSESSION | Chef’s Table & Mad Men

FAVORITE PLACE TO GET COFFEE IN RALEIGH | By week, Cup A Joe – regular drip or Voltaire. On Sundays, Joule. El Duderino. Can’t go wrong with a little jolt of vodka in the morning! And sometimes the only way out is to get back in.

TOP 3 THINGS YOU ATTRIBUTE YOUR SUCCESS TO | 1. Support from friends & mentors – Steve & Trish/ Martha & Molly/ my old co-workers at Klienfeld’s who taught me how to sell 2. Good internal composition: intuition/positive attitude/ persistence 3. Love. It’s the coal that makes this train roll.

WHAT CAN YOU NOT STOP THINKING ABOUT | Union Camp Collective! It keeps me up at night! At present, I’m brewing about how to get more folks in after hours. I’m really amped about what this summer has in store for UCC and can’t wait to collaborate with the rest of the creative community in town (and around). And. The next buying trip. Always the next buying trip. … and if its not business that’s on the mind? Pleasure.

WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU’VE LEARNED THIS YEAR | Too many things have been paramount! I’ve learned to trust timing. To do my own bidding. That despite my will, sometimes you just can’t fit a square peg in to a round hole. To take (calculated) risks. And to love a little harder.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR HOME | Hang things. Move things. Avoid cleaning things.

FAVORITE SONG RIGHT NOW | forever and always, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5.

THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME | Southern India with my sister.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAVE IN A FIRE | FOILED! My house is fire – proof for this reason exactly! I kid. But listen, if dying with your treasures is good enough for Cleopatra, by damn, its good enough for me! Pyramid, baby. …But maybe I’ll keep tags on so the “estate” could make a little dough post-mortem?