A Family Outing to Pike's Soda Shop and Fort Mill's Vintage-Filled Shops

When my in-laws visited, we took them to some of the places we enjoyed around Charlotte and Fort Mill. These photographs are from that older family outing, including Pike's soda shop, a house-turned-cafe, and a favorite gift shop. They record the businesses and displays as we saw them then, rather than a current itinerary.

Pike's Old Fashioned Soda Shop

We had moved to the Charlotte area about four years before this visit. One of our early discoveries was Pike's, with its old drugstore signs, counter seating, and soda-fountain atmosphere. Mike, a pharmacist, particularly appreciated the pharmacy memorabilia.

The counter, stools, candy jars, and old bottles gave us plenty to look at. The photographs below show Alex at the counter and some of the details around the room.

Alex suggested going to Pike's that evening. Instead of ice cream or a malt, he chose a large cookie covered in frosting. The long restaurant description in the earlier version of this post described comfort food, fountain drinks, malts, sundaes, and a root-beer float called a Black Cow; it should not be read as a current menu or availability claim.

A little time in Charlotte

We also noticed music in the streets while we were in the city. These were the kinds of outings we liked sharing with visitors.

Fort Mill and its history

The town's official history dates Fort Mill's establishment to 1873. Its name combines a colonial-era British fort with a grist mill on Steele Creek. The area was home to the Catawba people, with Scotch-Irish settlers arriving in the 1750s and 1760s. Textile mills brought rapid growth in the late nineteenth century.

What I valued was the small-town setting with larger cities within reach. The original post estimated 20 minutes to Charlotte, three hours to Charleston, and two hours to Asheville; those were informal estimates from our location and are not reliable journey times for every route or traffic condition.

I liked browsing the downtown antique shops and chatting with the people who ran them. Some shops had closed by the time I wrote the original post, while others remained familiar stops.

Lunch in a house filled with antiques and art

The cafe sign reads Bac In Tyme. Inside the former house were antiques, newer pieces, books, and artwork. It was a new discovery for me, and I wanted to bring my mom and sister back to see it.

My mother-in-law sat on the sofa, and I took the chair in the photographs below. The furnished rooms made lunch feel different from sitting at a standard restaurant table.

Art on the mantel, stacks of books, lamps, and framed pieces leaning against furniture were part of the mix that caught my eye.

Browsing Birds of a Feather

Another stop was Birds of a Feather, where I had bought specialty gifts for friends and family. I appreciated the friendly service and the way they wrapped presents. These photographs show the displays we saw during that visit.

I admired the decorative night-lights but passed at $35 each. The paper-covered bunny was marked $12. Those prices belong to this visit, rather than a current offer.

A blue garment was displayed with four suggested ways to wear it. The necklace and earrings beside it were another detail I liked.

The shop also arranged decorative pieces on furniture and filled a tall glass vase with pale eggs and branches. I enjoyed looking at the displays as much as the individual gifts.

Two last photographs from the day

I noticed this shadow above a decorated console, though it was not mine or my mother-in-law's. The metal crab outside the coffee shop was another small detail worth a picture.