The Cotton Company

The Cotton Company fills a historic building on South White Street in downtown Wake Forest and works as a marketplace and an art gallery at once. More than eighty local vendors sell inside, and everything on the floor is handmade by the person selling it.

Bob and Elizabeth Johnson bought the building in January 2000 and reopened it that November. The motto, yesterday’s architecture and today’s artisans, is a fair summary of what happened here. Artists keep working studios on site, so you can watch some of the making.

What to know

• The renovation won an Anthemion Award for the owners, the architect and the builder.
• Fourteen artist studios were filled when that phase of the building opened in 2001.
• The Graham, an event space in the building, can be rented.
• Meet the Maker events introduce shoppers to the people behind the goods.
• Pottery, jewelry, candles, body products and fine art fill the stalls.