 Scarborough Faire Duck's Original Shopping Village You'll Treasure The Memory |
Scarborough Faire
Describe the perfect place to shop and you'll probably describe Scarborough
Faire in Duck. The term "shopping center" doesn't do it justice. Scarborough
Faire is a village gathering place, a respite from summer sun, a browser's
delight, a comfortable vantage point for contemplating natural beauty.
From the moment you pull into this shady retreat, you know it's an extraordinary
find. The buildings, walkways, yes, even the parking lots, make way for trees.
Raised boardwalks skirt gardens of flowers and native plantings. "People see
strip shopping centers and malls every day at home," says Walter Story, who
developed Scarborough Faire with his wife Caroline. "When they come here, you
want to provide them with something special. We went the extra mile." |  |
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The Story's, who live most the year in Warrenton, Virginia, have been Duck
property owners since the 1970's, although their Outer Banks roots go back to
the late Forties when the road to Duck was no more than a sand track. In the early 1980's, the county rezoned a large tract near their vacation home for commercial use. Talk of mass merchandisers moving into the village left the Story's afraid that the ambience of Duck would ruined. So they bought the land. "We tried to set a tone for what Duck could be," says Caroline. The "tone" Caroline refers to is simple design, based on the lifesaving station motif favored in Outer Banks architecture, and a respect for the natural setting. "Duck is Duck. There's no place on the Outer Banks like it," says Julie Gard of Gray's Department Store, one of the first five stores to open at Scarborough Faire. |
| Scarborough Faire became "a labor of love" for the entire Story family, says
Caroline. "Every year for three years, we drove down here every weekend."
Walter did much of the site design himself with the help of a Baltimore
architectural firm. Daughters Diana and Connie, who were teenagers at the time,
helped too. They are still hand-on owners. "We're not just property owners, we're involved with the merchants," says Walter. Gard says the Story's commitment to quality and a good mix of shops has made Scarborough Faire successful. "Walter was put on this earth to do Scarborough Faire," says Caroline. "He had this vision of what a shopping center could be." There's no doubt that others share Walter's vision. The original five shops were filled when the center opened in 1983. Phases II and III followed and, by 1986, Scarborough Faire had 21,000 square feet of retail space. Today there are over 20 shops and restaurants at Scarborough Faire. "I'm a firm believer that if you do something that provides a service to people, the economics work out. You'll end up successful in the long run," says Walter. |  |
| Throughout the summer, Scarborough Faire will be celebrating with a variety of festivities which will include boardwalk fashion shows, storytelling
hours, wine tastings, pottery demonstrations and other daily events.
Excerpts from an article originally printed by SUNNY DAY Magazine, p.162, 1993 |
1177 Duck Road
Duck, NC 27949
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