Guide: Shopping in Charleston, South Carolina

While many people view New York City as THE American fashion capital, I have ALWAYS fallen more and more in love with the fashion sense and Southern charm that comes with the style in *surprise* Charleston, South Carolina. I have ALWAYS admired the gorgeous preppy and Southern flair style and Charleston seems to have ALL the boutiques which I have dreamed of visiting in-person yet were too far from my Washington, DC area home base to do so. Just a few weeks ago, my best friends and I had a fun beach weekend in Isle of Palms, South Carolina (here) aka one of the prettiest places I have ever been (!!!) where we spent a day in Charleston (here). On THE top of my list of things to do in Charleston …. check out ALLL the shops. SO, I am sharing my own curated guide to shopping in Charleston, South Carolina!

For more United States travel inspiration, check out my Exploring 50 States expedition page.

From Madison Mathews to Lilly Pulitzer to LoveShackFancy, the charming fashion and shopping in Charleston, South Carolina is HARD to beat! Luckily for myself, the shops in Charleston’s Fashion District are primarily on the well-known King Street or within a few blocks away, making it an easy and fun afternoon activity. There’s *even* a Gucci and Louis Vuitton storefront there, too. A Target aka my favorite storefront is on King Street as well. Needless to say, I had an incredible time shopping and mostly browsing here in Charleston. And, I think YOU will have a great time shopping in Charleston, South Carolina, too!

Where I Went:

  • Madison Mathews (178 King Street) – I have been following Madison Mathews on Instagram for a few years now and have fallen IN LOVE with the brand’s gorgeous designs. I stopped in here to kick off my shopping stroll on Charleston’s King Street while my friends went in mainly for the air conditioning and free seating LOL! I LOVED finally getting to admire some of the most stunning designs by Madison Mathews in-person after seeing them on my phone screen for the past few years. The BEST part?! The store owners had their gorgeous dog there who LOVED visiting with me and my sweet crew (!!!).
  • Palm Avenue (251 King Street) – Palm Avenue is a Lilly Pulitzer Signature Store that was once one of 4 storefronts across the South. Now, Palm Avenue’s Charleston location remains the only storefront still in business since their Savannah and Raleigh locations went out of business. The ladies at Palm Avenue were SO SWEET and welcoming and *even* had a preview of Lilly Pulitzer’s Splash Sale on their sale racks! I invested in one of their hot pink belt bags for summer walks with my dog Rosie. My fellow Lilly Pulitzer loving best friend Alanna and I had a blast there!
  • Jude Connally (336 King Street) – I’ve known about Jude Connally ever since my high school years when my Step Mom wore their dresses on a summer vacation to Vero Beach, Florida. I own a Jude Connally dress of my *very own*, too! The designs that Jude Connally makes are super fun, preppy, and well-made, especially for the Southern heat and humidity. After our visit to Palm Avenue, I dragged Alanna into the Jude Connally storefront for a few moments!
  • Spartina 449 (231 King Street) – For YEARS, I have been a HUGE fan of Spartina 449’s designs. More speciafically speaking, I am a HUGE fan of the Lowcountry-based design house’s map prints on their accessories of which I own items in the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia map prints. It was SO MUCH FUN to stop in one of my favorite brand’s storefronts that are not super common up in the Washington, DC area. Not to mention, the ladies there were so sweet.
  • LoveShackFancy (218 King Street) – Well, I rarely feel like a 5 year old kid in a candy store nowadays, BUT I did when I stepped foot into THE iconic LoveShackFancy storefront here on Charleston’s King Street. The LoveShackFancy storefront is literally every grand millennial’s (like myself) dream come true in a store. I was so so so obsessed with the storefront the entire time and my friends LOVED all the sparse and plethora of seating options within the air conditioning *yet again*. The ladies working at LoveShackFancy were SO SWEET, too, and were happy with my excitement within their store. The day we went, an artist was custom painting on sunglasses cases which was complimentary with a purchase of one as apart of a promotion going on then. Needless to say, the vibes there were impeccable. Truly, a DREAM COME TRUE (!!!).
  • Charleston City Market (188 Meeting Street) – While it can get pretty overwhelming to walk through ALL the shops, the Charleston City Market has been apart of the city dating ALLLL the way back to the 1790’s. It also stretches four blocks of Charleston’s historic district and has markets of local businesses to Charleston, Charleston-oriented souvenirs, and small business owners. I ended up purchasing two of Sofya’s (here) stunning paintings to frame in my own apartment. (I hope to buy more of her designs someday, too!).
  • Old Whaling Company (409 King Street) – We stopped here *also* for the air conditioning – surprise!! BUT, we all LOVED getting to smell the plethora of lotions, body soap, and candles that Old Whaling Company has to offer its customers. Maybe, *just maybe*, I will be placing an online order soon after I write this paragraph. Old Whaling Company also has a mini storefront at the Charleston City Market AND a gorgeous mural of sea-like paintings on its walls within its King Street store.
  • Jean-Pierre Klifa (214 King Street) – The Jean-Pierre Kilfa storefront is brand-new to Charleston! I ended up talking with the store associate who was SO SWEET and explained the fashion house’s brand-new ties to Charleston. The Jean-Pierre Klifa brand is *just like* an affordable version of Emilio Pucci’s gorgeous designs with the bright and bubbly charm that comes about from Lilly Pulitzer. I had a blast browsing the new storefront and congratulating the associates there!

Where I Want to Shop Next Time:

  • Lake Pajamas (153 King Street) – I have seen SOOOO many of my fellow blogger/influencer friends raving about Lake Pajamas. I once found a pair of Lake Pajamas at my local Goodwill and sadly did not pick them up for some reason (there’s always a next time, though!). One day, I shall own a pair. And, next time I am in Charleston, I *most definitely* want to make a stop in this sleeping in heaven storefront!
  • The Finicky Filly (303 King Street) – Confession: I do not know much about The Finicky Filly besides the fact that one of my college friend’s Mom’s suggested it to me. HOWEVER, the name is WAYYYYY too cute not to pop in and make a visit at the next time I am in town.
  • The Tiny Tassel (46 Spring Street) – I have been connected to the store owner the ultra-adorable Mimi for a few years now and have been DYING to check out her stunning storefront for a few years now! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the designs that Mimi designs herself, ranging from beaded earrings and bracelets to clothing. I’ve had a pair of flamingo tassel earrings for over 3 years now! Well, what can I say?! There’s ALWAYS a next time!!

Wrap-Up:

The shopping alone would bring me back to Charleston just about *any* day. I will definitely be back in Charleston (hopefully) very very very soon!!

XOXO – Katie <3

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72 Hours in Charleston, South Carolina

A pineapple fountain, beaches everywhere you turn, and colorful buildings galore, I’m not going to lie, Charleston is definitely me in a city. Ever since I learned of this magnificent coastal city, I knew that one day I needed to plan a trip. Luckily for myself, my college’s Honors Program allowed me to help plan and attend their annual Fall trip to Charleston this past September. This meant that I got to not only travel to Charleston for the weekend, but have the opportunity to go with some of my best friends (and make new ones along the way). Let’s just say a lot of Lilly Pulitzer went into my suitcase that weekend!

Since I did travel to Charleston with my school, this meant that there was an academic component to it. Yes, that means that professors DO travel with us. For the academic part of the trip, each of us spilt up into different mini courses which focus on a different aspect of Charleston, such as food, the environment, gender at the Citadel, and religion. My group had an environmental emphasis placed on it, and we traveled to the Isle of Palms State Park where we participated in an ocean cleanup (more on that later!). Personally, I really enjoy the academic aspect of each Honors trip, as it allows me to learn about a different city and its culture in an out of the classroom manner.

Friday

After getting up at the crack of dawn with a suitcase full of Lilly Pulitzer and a five hour bus ride, I finally made it to Charleston. Upon arrival, each mini course group met at the hotel and settled in there, before we all headed to the Isle of Palms State Park for some much needed vitamin sea. There, I finally achieved my dream of getting to take a underneath a beach pier, which was super exciting! After soaking up some sun, it was time to hit the Spirit of Charleston for a gorgeous river dinner cruise (fun fact: I LOVE river cruises in general, so this was a plus!!). There, I got to soak in some gorgeous views of Charleston’s iconic Ravanel Bridge, downtown, and Fort Sumter. Let’s just say I feel right in love with the city before even stepping foot in its downtown!

Saturday

Saturday morning was mini course morning, so, for me, that meant it was ocean clean up time. My group and I went back to the Isle of Palms State Park, where like many other South Carolina beaches, are participating in a statewide clean up that happens one Saturday morning each month. Before the clean up, my group and I learned some staggering facts about how much plastic waste affects our oceans and our beaches; one little piece of plastic can really harm a tiny ocean creature. These facts definitely made me realize the gifts that each person who takes part in the ocean clean up brings to our ecosystems. I didn’t take many pictures at the clean up, as I wanted to put my all into the service component of the trip and really take the time to leave my mark while I was there.

The afternoon-evening was left open for me and my classmates, which meant for most of us exploring the downtown. My friends and I ended up checking out a burger place (which I honestly forget the name of), before walking throughout many of the shops of the city’s iconic King Street. After visiting many shops, we headed for Rainbow Row, the Waterfront Park, and the Pineapple Fountain where I truly felt as if I was in my element! Once we soaked in some of the major sites, we headed for the Charleston City Market, where we met up with my cousin Laura who went to school and lived nearby the downtown. My friends and I, then, enjoyed dinner and experiencing Charleston from Laura’s viewpoint. We were definitely the last one’s back to the hotel, but it was 100000% worth it!

Sunday

Sunday morning was a morning spent well listening to presentations from my classmates and I about their mini courses. Since we had extra time after the presentations, we took a group excursion to the Boone Hall Plantation to learn about its colonial history and receive a surprise presentation on how indigo is made. Once our morning had ended, we had a nice group lunch at the celebrity-frequented Hyman’s Seafood restaurant before hitting the road back to Raleigh.

All in all, going to Charleston was like a Lilly Pulitzer dream come true. Planning a trip to Charleston was something that I had hoped to do for a few years now, so I feel very lucky that I was able to experience this magical colonial city with some of my best friends. They always say that there’s always an opportunity to travel to the places that you have loved and have consistently wanted to see, and after going this trip, I can vouch that this is very true. Til next time, Charleston!

XOXO, Katie

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