about us
Welcome to our Family Business!
Carolina Home & Garden was established in 1996 by owners & creators, Brian & Stephanie Watson. Over the years, we have grown into much more than your local Garden Shop! We have thrived on being a unique and beautiful boutique garden center for almost 25 years! Brian & Stephanie, started this business in their mid-twenties. It was not until their daughter Logan began her journey here in 2015, that Carolina Home & Garden became more than your plant-buying place!
She began her journey with us by opening up a very bohemian-inspired boutique and gift shop, right inside the garden center. Logan continued her boutique up until Covid began and decided to pursue the entertainment side of Carolina Home & Garden. She is hopeful to re-open a smaller-scale boutique on the property in the future.
Brian was so thrilled to have one of his children interested and invested in his family business! In 2016 Logan and Brian decided to start the bar and live music scene in the gardens. This was just the beginning! We now have a full bar with beer, wine, coffee, botanical cocktails, fresh juices & teas, and so much more! We have added lots of food options to the gardens as well! After hurricane Florence hit our community, the Watsons were faced with a challenge. Did they stop offering events in the event space that the hurricane had destroyed, or did they rebuild a bigger and better event space, now known as the Sunroom? The Watsons designed the Sunroom and had it up and running by 2019. If you visit the Sunroom, you will notice that all of the shiplap walls are from very old pine trees that were knocked down on the Watsons' property by Hurricane Florence. Brian took what was a catastrophe and used it to rebuild something one of a kind! Sometimes we need something to motivate us to do better and change can be so good! In the following years, Logan and a team of other talented people, helped to transform the inside into a cafe. You will find lots of vintage and antique finds, nature-inspired art, and FROGS! The Watson family loves nature and vintage goodies. This is what makes their design and style one of a kind. Brian grew up in an arcade on Emerald Isle. His dad had the first grocery store on the Island and also had an arcade. This made his love for now, "vintage" arcade games. He has collected quite a few games over the years. You can play over 20 games of all kinds! Lots of pinball games, they even host tournaments!
The best way to experience this wonderful place, is to come see for yourselves and discover all that there is to offer! The Watson family loves their community and seeing so many different types of people all enjoying the Gardens, brings them so much joy! The Watson's are special people. You will see Brian running around the gardens, changing trash cans, cleaning spaces, stocking shelves, and so much more! He truly keeps this place running! Stephanie runs their sister venues, and floats in and out. They have lots of grandchildren that love to run around wild! This is a true family business, and you can feel it when you're around.
The Grounds
The Garden Center is located in the back part of our property. We offer a large variety of plants, mulch, pottery, fertilizers, and much more. In the front part of our store, we have a vintage cafe and bar room, and a separate wine lounge and arcade room. Brian loves collecting vintage arcade games! This has become the hangout spot where parents can enjoy a beverage, while their children enjoy playing games. Right outside is our koi fish flagstone patio. We love watching the kids feed the koi fish and hang out outside. We also have two alpacas, goats, doves, horses, and Chinese pheasants! We strive to be your local gathering place, for everyone in the family!
The Sunroom
Brian and Stephanie created Dream Makers Wedding Estates in the early 2000s; two beautiful Wedding Venues on the Crystal Coast: The Watson House and Gardens in Emerald Isle, NC, and the Palo Alto Plantation in Maysville, NC. It was not until 2018 that they began to transform Carolina Home & Garden into their third Venue. Brian, Stephanie, and their daughter Logan designed the Sunroom to feel as if you were sitting in a tropical paradise. it’s filled with tropical plants, water features, and vintage decor we call it “The Sunroom”. It’s a very special place to host an event of any type.