From bling to camouflage, there’s something for everyone at Xpress Yourself.
Grifton native Brenda Sasser opened the gift store with a wide variety of items on April 8 at the Kinston Plaza Shopping Center.
“Everybody that comes in,” she said, “can find something.”
Sasser began designing rhinestone T-shirts and other apparel — even screen-printed T-shirts. She started the business under the same name in a building behind her Grifton home a couple of years ago.
“As it grew,” she said about her home business, “I decided I needed to have a central location so people could see what I have here.”
When the Shoe Connection closed, she jumped on the opportunity to open her shop in the busy retail strip mall. With Hibachi Express and SweetFrog close by, customer traffic has been busy, she said.
Lotti Dotties and Happy Everything plates are popular, but hard to find in this area, Sasser said.
“(Lotti Dotties are) magnetic beads that are interchangeable with bracelets, rings earrings and necklaces,” she said.
Happy Everything large platters and mini plates are home décor items that are displayed with attachments that can be changed up for different seasons or special occasions.
Xpress Yourself carries a number of customized and monogrammed items, like T-shirts, acrylic jewelry and hand-painted wine glasses.
There are name-brand T-shirts, including Duck Dynasty and Calcutta, which also carries a line of sunglasses.
The shop features fashionable dresses and tops for the younger set, DaVinci beads, make-up cases and serving dishes made from recycled wine bottles. It also carries collegiate items, ergonomic flip flops — said to help back health and posture — and a wide assortment of tumblers and coffee mugs.
There is a whole section devoted to camouflage hunting items.
Whether it’s a gift for a man, woman, teen or your own use, Sasser’s shop probably has something that will fit.
Xpress Yourself, 2405-B N. Herritage St., is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays. For information, call 252-522-1022.
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Belk shoppers have an opportunity to donate to local charities while taking advantage of special offers on Saturday.
Belk is celebrating its 125th year of its semi-annual Spring Charity Sale. The event will take place from 6-10 a.m.
Jennifer Eichorn is store chairwoman of the event and human relations manager at the Vernon Park Mall location.
“Belk is big on giving back to the community,” she said, “and those organizations that help people in need.”
The local charities are The Salvation Army, Young Women’s Outreach, Groundbreaker’s Ministry, Lenoir County SPCA, Greene Lamp Head Start, Mount Calvary Christian Church/School, Lenoir County Relay for Life, Kinston High School band and Oakey Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Trenton.
Customers can purchase $5 tickets today and Saturday until 10 a.m. The total amount — 100 percent — will be divided up among the local charities.
The first 100 customers to enter the store starting at 6 a.m. Saturday will receive a Belk gift card ranging in value from $5 to $100, and a chance to win one of three $1,000 Belk gift cards being awarded companywide.
“Those gift cards usually go pretty fast,” Eichorn said. “They’re usually gone within the first 15 minutes.”
Participating charities and schools will be registered to win one of three $1,000 donations from Belk in a companywide drawing.
In 2012, more than 8,000 nonprofit organizations raised more than $10 million through Belk’s spring and fall charity sales.
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.
Have a suggestion?
Do you have a new retail business or one that’s undergone a significant change? The Free Press would like to hear about it. Contact Margaret Fisher at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com.