The Whistlestop Shops of Auburn Offer One-Stop Shopping
In 2016, the City of Auburn introduced the Whistlestop Shops, the cutest little series of tiny-home, cottage-style shops located just off the train tracks at Auburn Station. The original purpose of the shops, according to the City of Auburn’s Main Street Coordinator Staci Waters, was to “serve as a starting hub for small business owners” and offer an opportunity to “market their products and grow their businesses,” but it’s become so much more than that, and will continue to serve a greater purpose, as the City of Auburn has approved a development plan for Waterworks on 4th, its new downtown, which will include pre-existing business, as well as introduce new shops, restaurants, breweries and more.
Though some locals have expressed growing fear with this concept, Waters wants to assure wary minds: “We want people to enjoy working and living here.” And as all developers are local, the project is very much going to maintain the history of Auburn.
“It’s still going to be a place where you can come and bring your kids and a place where local businesses are promoted,” she ensured. This small community will stay exactly that, but, at the same time, its goal is to be a forward-thinking one — one that takes up a larger place on the map, at least in the hearts and minds of the community it serves, and one that encourages the broadening of horizons so that people can eat, live, play, and, more importantly, grow in Auburn.
Though the town’s growth is inevitable, Auburn never wants to lose sight of its small-town charm, and the Whistlestop Shops are a big part of that. The shops offer a wide variety of handmade goods, custom crafts, and specialty services from business owners who operate as one big family, with each person playing a small part in a greater collective. There are currently a total of 11 Whistlestop Shops, each one entirely different from the other — its shopkeepers all coming together to serve the delightfully quaint community that they call home.
1. Homeskillet Provisions
Young married couple Jennifer and Eric Venegas, self-proclaimed “Humble Spice Merchants,” have been making small batch seasonings to elevate recipes since 2022; their small business joined the Whistlestop Shops shortly after. Everything from their rib rub to their roasted garlic ranch seasoning is dehydrated and mixed by hand. All seasonings are inspired by the big flavors derived from whole, fresh ingredients grown in the garden. Homeskillet Provisions’ shop is warm and inviting like a cozy cabin retreat — made possible by the shop’s aesthetic, of course, but more so by Jennifer’s smile as she jovially shares their spices, salts and rubs. Homeskillet Provisions has also partnered up with other local businesses — from nearby Cattywampus Acres in Auburn and Night Sky Coffee Roasters in Winder, all the way to Bulls Bay Saltworks out of South Carolina; they proudly display these businesses’ products alongside their own. You can also find Homeskillet’s products at farmers markets throughout Northeast Georgia. homeskilletprovisions.com, @homeskilletprovisions
2. Time Rewind Day Spa
Time Rewind Day Spa is, according to owner Kelly Shirley, “a unique time capsule,” and offers an experience akin to a luxurious retreat in a secluded oasis. Shirley, a licensed esthetician, offers services such as microneedling, chemical peels, dermaplaning, microdermabrasion, microcurrent (non-surgical facelift), plasma fibroblast, LED treatments and more. Shirley also provides multiple facial options, from express and high-frequency facials to teen and gentlemen’s facials. Met with rave reviews online, the spa is appointment only. There’s no time like the present to experience this little slice of self-care heaven. vagaro.com/timerewinddayspa, @timerewinddayspa
3. The Card Shack
Beau Gravel, a high school student at Bethlehem Christian Academy, loves cards. Sports cards, game cards, supplies for storing cards … you name it. Gravel features all of that and more in The Card Shack: the Whistlestop Shop dedicated to showcasing the teen’s passion for buying, selling and trading cards. In 2024, Gravel was featured in the Barrow News-Journal for turning his card-selling dreams into a reality but this endeavor didn’t start with him; it’s a family business, he claims, citing more than 40 years in the card business for his family and a generational “expertise” that has helped fuel his own personal work ethic. @the_card_shackauburn
4. Geoma Apparel
Fashion Designer Massa Williams is known for her diverse, handmade clothes that celebrate and emphasize various cultures and ethnicities, with a specific focus on African and European-inspired clothing for both men and women. She’s also proficient in revamping, altering and patching, making what was once considered old feel brand new again. Williams has been in the business of designing and altering clothes for many years, but it wasn’t until 2018 that she brought her business to the Whistlestop Shops. Since then she’s been doing it all: designing and altering, of course, but also creating custom prom and bridesmaids dresses, as well as offering patching services for everything from biker jackets to police uniforms. @cgouldenterprises
5. M5:16
Hawa Davis, the owner of M5:16, named her shop after her favorite Bible verse: Matthew 5:16, and much like the Bible is a holy patchwork of perspectives, so too is Davis’ shop – each item serving as part of a concerted work meant to inspire and honor. Davis likes for M5:16 to be known as a gift shop – one that spreads joy, which is more than evident by her playful demeanor and infectious laugh, but also apparent through her handcrafted labors of love: kitchen scarfs, teddy bears, and handbags, along with locally-sourced jams, candles and soaps.
6. Desiderata CBD
DeMona Mills wants to make one thing clear: her business is not a smoke shop; “it’s an alternative wellness boutique,” she emphasized. “We take a holistic approach to health,” Mills states on her website, “focusing on nutrition, exercise, stress management, and overall well-being.” Desiderata’s collection of adaptogens and nootropics help a wide range of clientele; from senior citizens seeking pain relief to 30-somethings having issues with sleep, their products are “tailored to meet the unique needs and goals of each individual client,” Mills said. Desideratacbd.com, @desideratacbd
7. Keepin’ it Real, LLC.
Lady Katherine Jansson is like your quirky, bandana-sporting cousin who takes no prisoners. At Keepin’ it Real, Jansson specializes in leather apparel and repair, but also patch application, embroidery, epoxy tumblers, chainmail, and sublimation printing. Customers here are met with the enticing smell of leather and a conglomeration of bizarre and smile-inducing paraphernalia, including (but by no means limited to) alien figurines, mannequin bodices adorned with her handcrafted chainmail, and glow-in-the-dark, epoxy middle-finger molds (with glitter, of course), because why not? Jansson is absolutely and unapologetically herself and her one-of-a-kind items keep it real.
8. The Sparkling Mermaid
The newest edition to the Whistlestop Shops, The Sparkling Mermaid is a whimsical, iridescent wonderland — one emphasizing the magical moments that make life feel like a fairytale. In hopes to maintain her jewelry’s beauty and quality, owner Jessica NAME only uses metals including sterling silver, 14kt gold, and stainless steel; she also offers permanent jewelry appointments in a conscious effort to make the memories last. Whether from her magical Whistlestop Shop to her online Etsy store, the jewelry is designed with the goal of creating “timeless keepsakes that let your story sparkle.” shopthesparklingmermaid.com, @the_sparkling_mermaid
9. The Brow Girl
Janeida Griffin has gone viral for her larger-than-life personality and expertise in eyebrow shaping. Her resume is impressive to say the least: having worked as a lead esthetician at multiple exclusive world premier resort spas, she now focuses her talents on offering her world-class services at the Whistlestop Shops, including threading, waxing and tweezing, along with her signature brow henna and brow lamination techniques. Griffin has developed her very own SERVICES and inspires other women to follow their dreams with classes for “other entrepreneurial boss babes.” www.thebrowgirl.com, @thebrowgirlandco
10. Stone-N-Love
Vincent Hunter is a local lapidarist. In other words, he’s in the business of rocks — shaping, grinding, and sculpting them to create quality pieces. Stone-N-Love, Hunter’s Whistlestop Shop, features handcrafted pendants, jewelry, and other treasures made out of the genuine semi-precious stones, exotic gems and rare crystals. When someone recommended gemstones as a business idea, Hunter was skeptical, but it got lodged in his mind. “[I thought] it got to be God tellin’ me,” Hunter said in his thick Southern drawl. “And so I said, ‘I’m gonna take a crack at it.’” And, no pun intended, he really did – using saw blades, sanding wheels, and other equipment to crack at gemstones, enjoying every minute of it.
