Catherine Hansen and Robert Brown
Before you begin exploring Chestnut Cove in Cashiers, proprietors Catherine Hansen and Robert Brown have one request: look upstairs and downstairs.
Depending on which entrance you used, there’s a good chance you’ve never seen the other half of their home furnishings and gift store – or discovered that a varied and lively retail landscape awaits across two floors connected by an exterior staircase.
For years, shoppers entered from either N.C. 107 South or Valley Road, often without knowing the two entrances led to the same business. Some came for gifts upstairs. Others headed downstairs for furniture and home décor. Many never discovered the staircase linking the two levels.
That started to change when the new owners posted photos on Facebook showing both floors shortly after purchasing Chestnut Cove in April. Nearly 6,000 people viewed the post in just a few days. Judging by the reaction, people weren’t merely admiring the merchandise – they were learning for the first time that the two entrances belonged to the same business.
From the day they purchased Chestnut Cove, Catherine and Robert saw opportunities to give the store a clearer identity. Their first priority was opening the layout – clearing sightlines, rearranging displays, and grouping merchandise to encourage wandering instead of searching while creating a more seamless experience between the two floors.
The couple had traded eastern Long Island for Franklin the previous spring, drawn by the mountains Robert had admired during a career in the bicycle industry. Pisgah National Forest and the Nantahala sealed the decision. Catherine brought her background as a licensed veterinary technician and children’s clothing store owner. Chestnut Cove came later, after a real estate agent friend spotted the listing and thought it was the perfect fit.
Together, they’ve brought a fresh perspective to a business with deep local roots – not by reinventing it, but by making it easier and more inviting to explore.
Upstairs offers greeting cards, candles, jewelry, gifts, and oversized handmade chocolate truffles that have become a destination in their own right. Downstairs showcases home furnishings, art, lighting, and décor with an increasing emphasis on North Carolina craftsmanship, from custom sofas and Hickory‑made leather chairs to handmade pillows. Local photographer Philip Smith’s wildlife and mountain photography and pottery by Nancy Kovacs add a distinctly regional touch.
Robert has another mission: giving husbands a reason to linger. Coming soon is his collection of watches, leather goods, sunglasses, wallets, and masculine furniture vignettes – designed to coax them inside instead of leaving them on the bench outside.
As Catherine and Robert continue putting their own stamp on Chestnut Cove, they’ve already accomplished something important: giving long‑term customers a reason to see a familiar store in an entirely new way. Sometimes all it takes is climbing the staircase you never noticed before.
If you’d like to learn more about this unique gallery – both upstairs and downstairs – you can call (828) 743‑7151. But with a place like this, you really owe yourself a careful browse. Visit 252 Highway 107 South in Cashiers.
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