Poole Shop

Last year, Poole Shop relocated just above its «big sister store», Capitol. They also had some staff changes, and in the spirit of transparency, I have to admit that one of my friends is now a manager/​buyer. But honestly, she’s one of the most stylish people I’ve ever met and she’s really transformed the store.
Currently, they are focusing on bringing in lines that are thoughtful, unique and socially responsible. Here are two of my favs:
1) ORGANIC by John Patrick– You’ll see his pieces in the NY Times Style Magazine, Bazaar, and Vogue. True to the name, the pieces are made of earth-​friendly, recycled and/​or organic materials… all with excellent craftsmanship.

2) Symmetry by Ted Byrnes and Gena Tuso– Focusing on scarves, each is cut and sewn in LA. Poole shop spent six months collaborating on an exclusive capsule collection for pre-​fall 2011! (Fall fabrics are either American-​made Woolrich wools, Japanese artisanal wools and/​or organically produced.)

3) LemLem — Ethiopian hand-​woven cotton clothing. It doesn’t get any better than LemLem in the spring and summer.
I also love the cult favorite, Isabel Marant & Etoile. Look out for jewelry by Melvin, Aurélie Bidermann and Lizzie Fortunado.
If for nothing else, come in and see their art-​displays and two-​story vertical garden by French landscape architect Patrick Blanc.

The Poole Shop drew me in from the outside by their bold and funky window display, which was nice to see amongst several very expensive and more conservative stores. They do have a nice selection and, while still pricey, you can find great jeans here. The staff didn’t even say hello though, and I found them to be a bit snotty. Other than that, it’s worth a go.

For casual ware this place is second to none. They have a wide variety of comfy stuff and cute dresses. But the real draw is the jeans, there is a bunch of stuff to choose from in this department. The only down side is that it is kind of a small store so the selection isn’t the biggest, but they do have an awesome fish tank.

This is probably the best place in Charlotte to shop for jeans. The best thing about the Poole Shop is that even though it seems like it could one of typical snobby stores where everything is ridiculously expensive and the sales staff is rude, it totally isn’t. They do have ridiculously expensive jeans (pretty much any brand or style you could want) but they also sell some really affordable brands so you can get a pair for under $ 100. The sales staff here is helpful, but they will tell you that you look great in everything you try on (even if maybe you don’t).