Category Archives: Life In Wilkes

Hometown Hardware Holiday- Handmade Holiday Blog Post 3

2024 Hometown Holiday Season is underway! Light Up Downtown was a great way to begin the celebration

It’s time to unpack the Christmas tree decorations, if you haven’t done it already, and turn on your favorite Christmas music. The holiday season is here and it’s time to enjoy an evening of Christmas tree decorating. I must say, it’s a full on family affair and tradition that we all pitch in and help decorate the Christmas tree at our house.

It’s a joint effort with the tree being set up, lights strung onto the tree, and then the masterpiece of design begins. The Christmas tree decorations are put into place, we all place them onto the tree branches delicately, slowly filling in the gaps. The final end result, a heart full of love and joy of Christmas boasting within our home, a Christmas tree like no one else has or will have. The family Christmas tree. You can’t simply replicate that. It can’t be bought in a store… Christmas tree decorations are as unique as the owners themselves, handmade, customized to each individual family, and personalized. No Christmas tree is the same. What a wonderful thing!

I always enjoy the unpacking of ornaments. Our collection is definitely varied and unique. As the storage containers of ornaments makes it out of the closet, a peak inside reveals our stash of treasures of handmade ornaments. The collected ones, and those that represent fond memories of travels. I also love the ornaments that have been passed down through the generations through both of our families.

I must admit, it’s True Confession time: My very favorites are the handmade ornaments. My heart literally melts every time I take an ornament out that Benjamin made in preschool, or that he crafted with me. These special ones always seem to make it onto the Christmas tree every year no matter the size of our Christmas tree, big or small.

Each of these individual ornaments holds a special place in our hearts and minds. These special ornaments are crafting a unique handmade look to our family tree every year. Each ornament holding a special story or memory attached to it… one of the reasons what makes the Christmas season so special for all of us in the Searcy household. The handmade family Christmas tree.

Wilkes County Hardware is featuring its own handmade holiday Christmas tree this year! These beautiful ornaments are handmade and ready to add to your collection or would make a fantastic holiday present for someone special on your gift list this year. Thanks to Little Corner Pottery for these beautiful handmade ornaments. These are selling quickly!

As you begin to enjoy your Hometown Homemade Holidays in 2024, Ultimately, you might need to venture into the hardware store to pick up a new strand or two of lights, maybe even find an electric timer so your beautifully decorated Christmas tree turns on automatically, grab a new extension cord, or maybe even a power strip to connect all the lights and cords.

Stop by Wilkes County Hardware to pick up a Santa 🔑 Key. The Magic Santa Key only works ONE night a year, Christmas Eve. Leave this key out for Santa 🎅🏻.

But, have you ever thought about crafting your own Christmas magic? Handmade ornaments can be made with materials right inside your favorite hometown hardware store. Yes, we have the usual materials like green string, glue, tape, dowel rods, nuts, bolts, and washers… my question to you today…what unique materials could you use to craft a memorable ornament for your tree this year???

Maybe crafting isn’t your forte. That’s ok. We have your Santa gift list ready to go! Wilkes County Hardware features some of the finest local artisans from our local area. Nothing is better than the gift of handmade for the holidays. The gift of handmade is a special gift will be remembered year after year and can’t be found inside a big box store.

Handcrafted by Keegan Watson has been a local featured artisan inside Wilkes County Hardware for several years now. His award winning work has been featured in Our State Magazine.
Often times customers ask, how do I use this piece??? Larger bowls make wonderful ways to display collections(see photo above), use in daily food prep, or anyway you need it!
Local soap, shampoo and conditioner bars by Land of Canaan
Pottery pieces by Little Corner Pottery
Shop along the featured ladder wall to find Little Corner pottery and Handcrafted by Keegan Watson.
Handmade towels by The Vintage Home Studio
Pottery by Blue Door Studio
New artisan: Redeemed Rust, Christmas ornaments and magnets are flying out the door this year!
These handmade dishcloths are routinely sold out! 2 for $5
We feature a local artist each season with our updated window art work each season! Thank you to Andrea Baldwin for keeping us festive all year long!!!
A Handmade Holiday, A Christmas to REMEMBER!

Hometown Holidays: Blog Post 2

November 1st hit me hard this year. October is a very, very busy month in our world… two festivals occur each year in Downtown North Wilkesboro. Apple Festival begins the month of October and Spooktacular concludes the month.

As I began to put the Halloween decorations away, it occurred to me that Light Up Downtown was 21 days away. Literally, as a downtown merchant we are moving from Halloween into Christmas season as quickly as possible 😬.

Always a fun time when Santa drops in for a visit!

Wow! So much prep work gets underway between each holiday season and festival… BUT that would require a different day and blog post!

If you missed the first blog post in this series, use the link here to read the full story Home for the Holidays… Gathering Around the Table: Hometown Holidays Series #1

My mind wandering, task in hand, Halloween decorations being packed away and beginning to think about the upcoming Christmas season ahead… Light Up Downtown North Wilkesboro marks the official beginning of our “Hometown Holidays” here in Wilkes. I began to reminisce about my personal experiences of Christmases past in our hometown.

Time flooded my memories… the ultimate focus, making memories with our son by recalling upon the Christmas experiences that we shared together here in our hometown.

All of these Christmas memories were a core holiday remembrance that I have coined as a “Hometown Holiday” Memory.

A visit with Santa at Talia

I can vividly recall taking “B” to Light Up Downtown to view all the lights in the Downtown corridor, seeing Santa at Talia, or even snacking on a homemade cookie as we wandered through the Christmas Open House at the old Wilkes Courthouse.

And it simply wasn’t a Hometown Holiday without heading down to Memorial Park to select a Christmas tree.

Our Hometown holiday experiences continued with The Annual Christmas parade sponsored by the Wilkes County Chamber of Commerce. The ultimate celebration of the parade each year, was the final view of Santa as he waved to all, boasting a joyful Merry Christmas !!!!

We always enjoyed the togetherness and loyally participated every year. We gathered with friends to enjoy the moments of Hometown Holidays that seemed to happened seamlessly every year. To those who put these events together, I say Thank You! The Christmas memories are precious and very special to not only my family, but to many families who participate in these local holiday celebrations and events every year!

Another part of Hometown Holidays: Christmas plays, and church on Christmas Eve

My personal reflections went even deeper. The Gifts we give at Christmas will often be forgotten years down the road, but these “Hometown Holidays” memories will stay with us and will be remembered always.

That thought put a bit a perspective into Hometown Holidays Season that is now upcoming for 2024. So my personal goal for this Christmas is to explore and experience new Christmas hometown holiday events.

All the Christmas lights are on! Light Up Downtown 2024

Will you also accept this opportunity??? What new memories will we all make this Christmas 2024 by experiencing something new in our hometown??? After all, Christmas is a special time with family and what could be better than by establishing new traditions and memories.

Looking at the list below, our hometown is full of opportunities for families to gather and create hometown Christmas traditions and memories. Christmas Memories are simply timeless treasures of the heart. Go make some new Hometown memories this holiday season!

I’m looking forward to new Hometown Holiday Memories, and a return trip to the Gingerbread Festival this year! Last year was our first time seeing the talent of all of our local gingerbread makers, and can’t wait to see what’s in store for this year!
Coming Soon: Look for the next edition on the blog, Handmade for the Holidays.

What special hometown holidays events do you always look forward to each year???

Hometown Holiday Events in Wilkes at a Glance! (Definitely not a complete list but gets you started)

  1. Light Up Downtown North Wilkesboro- November 22, 2024
  2. Reindeer Games- Wilkes Playmakers December 5-8
  3. Wilkes Literacy Gingerbread Festival- December 6-7, 2024 at The 1915 Event Venue
  4. Christmas in the Commons- in Downtown Wilkesboro December 7, 2024 3:30-8pm
  5. Holly Jolly Christmas Party- Wilkes Art Gallery- December 6th
  6. Wilkes Chamber Singers- Performance of The 12 Days of Christmas – December 8th St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 3pm, Tuesday December 10th North Wilkesboro Presbyterian 7:30pm.
  7. Community Lovefeast- Candlelight Service in the Moravian Tradition, North Wilkesboro Baptist Church Sunday December 8, 2024 7pm.
  8. Sip and Shop Holiday Market- Wilkes Art Gallery December 9, 2024 5pm-6:30pm
  9. Annual Holiday Market- Wilkes Art Gallery December 10-21
  10. A Storybook Christmas Parade- Saturday December 7th 3pm
  11. Wilkes Heritage Museum Christmas Open House- December 7th 10am-4pm
  12. Christmas Carriage Rides-in Downtown North Wilkesboro December 5, 7, 19, 20,21
  13. Santa And Mrs. Claus visits Tripp Mercantile- December 7, 20,21 (4-7pm) during carriage rides
  14. Christmas at the Cross- Candlelight service at Faithfest Thursday December 12th 6pm.
  15. Friends of the Library Holiday Book Sale- December 12 5-7pm, December 13-14 9am-5pm. 611 Cherry Street North Wilkesboro (buy one get one holiday books on Friday and Saturday!)
  16. Santa at Liberty Theater and FREE movie-Polar Express Friday December 13 6pm. FREE movie runs from December 13-19, 2024.
  17. Breakfast with Santa- Wilkes Playmakers Saturday December 14 9am-12pm
  18. Santa at Dom’s Bakery- Saturday December 14th 2-4pm
  19. Grand Ole Christmas Show- JAWC- December 19th 7:30 pm
  20. Festival of Tables- Benton Hall Thursday December 19th, 2024 6pm.
  21. Santa at Cook’s Sporting Goods-Saturday December 21, 2024 1-4pm
  22. AND Don’t forget your memory making Annual shopping trips to Wilkes County Hardware for handmade Christmas gifts, stocking stuffers, picking up a Santa key for the kids, and warming by the stove.
See y’all soon!

November

This November has been a month of contrasts. Warm weather marked the beginning of the month and ended the month with colder than normal temperatures. 

Autumn Glory

I think you will see some definite contrast in some of the photos captured this month. The leaves are beginning to fade away as compared to the glorious autumn colors of last month’s photo gallery. November brings us a time to reflect on our blessings. 

November Beauty

My joy this year has been found in finding Blessings in the simple things we have in our lives, like capturing a sunrise moment. Each day brings unique moments and experiences. 

Glimmering Sunrise

May you be blessed this holiday season with Thanksgiving in your heart each & every day. Happy Holidays! 

First Light
First Fire of the season! About month later than usual.
Glorious Beauty: this old, majestic and mature tree is one of the last ones to lose leaves in our neighborhood.
Golden Hour: I must admit I’m not a fan of the time change but the Sunsets have been glorious at Wilkes County Hardware this month.
Stealing The Rainbow
Morning Love Story
Blooming Beauties Hard to believe that flowers were still blooming in early November
Jack Frost: Heavy frosts set in finally in later November, the sun quickly melts it away
Sunshine Seeker: Joy enjoys a nap in the morning sun
Hometown Holidays: November kicks off the holiday season with Light Up Downtown.

October

Morning fogs, and vibrant colors… the best way to introduce my photography finds for October. The colors of Autumn are majestic, melding together as a kaleidoscope for the camera lens.

Foggy Mornings

Awakening to Fog
Sun peaking through the fog
Valley Fog

Northern Lights: Aurora Borealis

The unique colors are determined by the gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, the altitude of the collision of the gases, and the amount of energy in the particles… different colors are created. Just a few pictures of what I witnessed during this rare capture this month.

Pink/purple: Produced by nitrogen particles

Green: One of the most common colors at the lowest levels of the atmosphere, interaction of oxygen molecules

Red: Oxygen molecules interact at a higher level in the atmosphere.

Hello Indy!

Waiting for my nephews band to arrive to begin their routine uniform pickup before their performance in Bands of America competition. They placed 5th out of 91 bands in this super regional competition!!! So very proud!!! Go Wando!!!
Early morning flight…

The Colors of Autumn

“Nature’s first green is gold. Her hardest hue to hold.” – Robert Frost
Vibrant Reds
Autumnal Gold and Copper
A walk in the woods…
Peaking in towards the mountain
Colorful Woods
Buck Mountain never disappoints 💕
Kaleidoscope of Color
Melding of Autumn
Perfection of Autumn

Service Oriented Hardware Store

Most folks know to stop by Wilkes County Hardware for a key that works… but did y’all know that we do all of the following things each and every single day as services???

Hundreds of key blanks available for duplication!!!!
  1. Key duplication- need an extra key or lost the extra key to your car. Bring your original key 🔑 into Wilkes County Hardware and get a new one made.
Chip keys are also available and coming soon, Sidewinder keys!!!

2. Rekey door locks- sometimes for safety reasons you need your door lock rekeyed or would like to have your NEWLY purchased door lock keyed to your current key. We rekey in the store with locks in hand. You must call the locksmith for on site services with rekeying door locks. Ask for assistance inside Wilkes County Hardware for this service in store and pricing information.

Deadbolts and door locks can be keyed to the same 🔑 key

3. Padlocks keyed the same- want to use the same key 🔑 for multiple padlocks??? We have options for you to key padlock to your key.

4. Pool Water Testing- Summer splashing fun requires a bit of maintenance… bring a sample of your pool water to Richard for a quick test (for free) to see what needs to be addressed, chemicals added, etc.

5. Chain ⛓️‍💥 Cutting- chain cut to exact length, by the foot. Please note: once the chain is cut and purchased it is not returnable!

6. Pipe threading- Galvanized and black pipe cut to size. Threading is also available if needed.

Wilkes County Hardware has a good selection of Galvanized and Black Iron pipe that are available for cutting and threading. Fittings also available in store.

7. Window screen repair – old screen doors or window screens looking a little bit worn out? Bring them by for a quick update.

8. Roll pipe cut to length – this stuff is a bulky beast to cut and many other hardware stores now will NOT cut it to length. Instead, you are forced to buy the huge roll 😳. But at Wilkes County Hardware, we cut it by the foot for our customers. Thanks for supporting local!

9. Glass cutting- Glass cut up to 36 inches long, bring exact dimensions. Glass expert on staff, thankful to have Tim Billings experience and expertise!

10. Tool Handle Replacement- old wooden handle all busted up? Stop by to pick up a replacement tool handle or leave it with us and we will do the work.

This oldie goldie tool is used during tool handle repair… shaving off the excess

11. Kerosene heater repair- Wick replacement available with many popular styles in stock.

12. Knife and scissors sharpening- if those knives seemed to be a little bit dull, drop them off and we can give them a sharpen for you. Scissors need a bit of TLC??? Fabric scissors require more time and effort to sharpen- bring a piece of small fabric with you so we can test them as we work on them to make sure they are perfectly sharpened.

13. Free Assembly- Purchase a large item from Wilkes County Hardware like a Traeger grill, wheelbarrow, etc and we will assemble it for you prior to pick up.

14. Special Orders- We order new or needed products for our customers every week! Sometimes you find the hardware store product in stock but you might need a larger quantity, ask us to order it for you!

Gallons are common in store but we have the capacity to order 5 gallon bucket for a much larger job!

15. Carry Out- We carry out packages, or bulky large items to the vehicle for our customers all the time!

Pool chemicals, large bags of bird seed, and potting soils tend to be bulky and heavy and carry out is standard in store.

Someone shared this thought with us not long ago, it is definitely worth sharing… “We all make choices as a consumer, so choose to support your favorite small businesses so that they can continue be open. If we choose not to support small businesses they cannot thrive and survive. “

Thank you for supporting local businesses in our community!