Adapting with the times

As a longstanding family business in the Outer Banks, The Cotton Gin has shifted its retail focus over the years as the area’s customer demographics changed.

Every year, millions of people travel to the Outer Banks for vacation and relaxation. The group of barrier islands in North Carolina that stretch from the Virginia border 120 miles south to Ocracoke Island, is known for its beaches and lighthouses. It also has quite the aviation history. The Wright Brothers achieved their first successful airplane flight there in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903.

And among the tranquil ocean, sandy beaches, beach houses, lighthouses, restaurants and retail shops that people are drawn to, is a long-time retail operation with a strong presence in the area called The Cotton Gin.

John Wright (no relation to the Wright brothers) co-owns the stores along with his parents, Tom and Candace Wright, with three locations in Outer Banks currently: Corolla, Duck and Nags Head, North Carolina. The family also operates Sanctuary Vineyard as a sister business in Jarvisburg, North Carolina. The Cotton Gin’s flagship location was also located in Jarvisburg, but was lost to a fire in 2019 and is in the process of being rebuilt.

According to Wright, tourism is “busier than ever” in the Outer Banks these days. He notes that The Cotton Gin’s three locations are always busy when tourism peaks in the summertime, but says the tourism boom in the Outer Banks is a relatively recent phenomenon.

When the Wright brothers first flew a plane here 120 years ago, nobody was there other than people working for light-saving stations and the Coast Guard,” he says. “In a sense, the Outer Banks didn’t exist in a full commercial sense before the ’80s. Prior to that, it was a really small fishing destination.”

The Cotton Gin strives to offer coastal gifts with a mix of higher-end and less expensive merchandise that appeals to all demographics.

Photos: Brooke Mayo

Wright’s grandfather, John Wright, opened The Cotton Gin as a retail business in the 1960s focused on selling produce from his farm and handmade crafts at its original location in Jarvisburg. Tom and Candace stepped in to lead the business in the late 1970s. At that time, the shop had a southern country store vibe and focused on selling collectible gifts and home decor primarily for local customers.

Wright says he grew up in and around The Cotton Gin, helping his parents with the shop in the ’70s and ’80s. The business transitioned again in the 1980s and early 1990s as tourism ramped up in the area from country store to a coastal-themed retailer focused on selling resortwear, souvenirs and mementos.

“As more tourism developed, we were seeing there were fewer local customers in proportion to seasonal tourists,” Wright explains. “We saw more people coming just for a week or a few weeks out of the year. They weren’t necessarily going to be shopping for collectibles. They’re very much shopping for something reflecting the feeling of being on vacation.”

A mix for everyone

Although the retailer doesn’t offer much in the way of produce or farming anymore, it’s kept The Cotton Gin name as a reminder of the shop’s roots.

And as tourism grew in more recent decades, Wright says his parents decided to open additional storefronts around the area, with the Corolla store opening in the mid-1990s and the Nags Head location opening in 2002. The Duck storefront is the newest Cotton Gin location, having opened about 10 years ago.

All of the storefronts offer a mix of coastal-themed apparel, decor and gifts that appeal to both tourists and locals.

Tom and Candace still serve as the primary buyers for The Cotton Gin. Wright says they keep a pulse on trending coastal products by visiting major market events throughout the year, including Atlanta Market, Surf Expo, Las Vegas Market and Grand Strand Gift & Resort Merchandise Show.

The seaside retailer makes sure to stock products from some noteworthy brands, including jewelry and sunglasses from Brighton, bedding and towels from C&F Home, OBX charms from Pandora and apparel and accessories from Vera Bradley and Spartina.

Wright says the shops usually display more popular brands near the front of the store to draw people in. He adds that he also makes sure the stores display a mix of expensive and more affordable merchandise to appeal to just about any customer who walks through the door.

The Cotton Gin features an eclectic mix of decor with a common coastal theme.

The retailer also aims to offer coastal gifts for customers of varying ages. For kids, The Cotton Gin has plush, vintage candy and antique games that hearken back to simpler times. For teens and young adults, the retailer stocks trending beach apparel and drinkware. Wright adds that the stores offer books featuring local folklore, which is popular among older customers. He says those customers also tend to like smaller, Outer Banks-themed keepsakes.

"As we get into senior citizens, they’re just looking for meaningful gifts but they’re on a fixed income. You want to be mindful of that,” Wright notes.

While each of the three locations has similar branding and products, there are some differences in the layout and merchandise focus at the different shops.

The Corolla storefront is part of a larger shopping village that is popular among tourists. Wright says that location “leans pretty heavily on apparel” and jewelry for tourists. “A lot of the visitors in Corolla are getting a big house where they’re staying all week where their range of movement is not far outside of Corolla or Duck,” he explains. “They are going to want to know more about the wild horses of Corolla and the Currituck Lighthouse.”

The Nags Head location is a standalone shop with its own parking lot. Wright says that location tends to get more local customers who want to shop for coastal- themed home decor, such as lamps, accents and candles. He adds that Nags Head is also known for its southern lighthouses, so that’s a big theme featured on products in that store.

The Duck storefront is in a very walkable part of town, and Wright says that location gets a good mix of both tourist and local shoppers. With that in mind, he says the Duck store stocks a mix of products that appeal to tourists and locals alike.

Burned but not down

But the original storefront unexpectedly shut down in 2019 after it caught fire.

According to a 2019 report from OBX Today, a radio station in the area, the blaze likely started in the attic during working hours. A passerby alerted people in the store to the flames and everyone got out safely.
Although no one was hurt, much of the building was destroyed.

“Probably two-thirds of the square footage was burned completely,” says Wright. “There was a portion left from newer construction that had a firewall and it was partially saved. But it had to have smoke remediation done on smoke damage and repair.”

Beach-themed jewelry and customization with latitude and longitude strike a chord with visitors to the Corolla location.

Wright and Candace note that the fire came as a shock for the business. But, Candace adds, she maintained a lot of hope for the future of business.

“When the store went down in 2019, it was sad. But we could continue on because of our other locations in Nags Head, Corolla and Duck,” she says.

Wright and Candace also credit The Cotton Gin’s success to the retailer’s loyal team of employees. Wright says the retailer usually has about 15 employees during the winter off-season and up to 30 employees for the busy summer season.

“We have staff that has experience and has been part of our store family for a long time,” says Wright, noting that the company’s employees like that the retailer generally offers them flexible scheduling.

Wright adds that offering strong customer service is also key to success for seaside retailers.

“Tourism is challenging and really rewarding,” he notes. “Unlike a business in a year-round community, we just have so many first chances that they can also be your last chance. You have to be really on point with customers. And I think that’s a challenge that I like. I don’t see it as a problem.”

Candace says The Cotton Gin also sets itself apart from other retailers by offering plenty of events and experiences for shoppers. With Sanctuary Vineyard as a sister business, each Cotton Gin location features a small wine bar that’s open during select hours in the busier seasons and some outdoor seating to enjoy the wine. Occasionally, The Cotton Gin invites musicians to perform calm, acoustic music on the porches and outside seating areas so customers can listen and shop.

“That helps get peoples’ attention and remind them we’re more than just a place to shop. You can linger for a while,” Wright says.

The Cotton Gin and Sanctuary Vineyards also partner with Kitty Hawk Kites in Nags Head to host fun hang gliding tours at the Wright’s property in Jarvisburg.

The Cotton Gin is also in the process of rebuilding its flagship store. Wright says the retailer is working on making sure the building can pass regulations in the area, with a goal of reopening within the next year.

“We’re bringing it back to life,” says Candace. “It won’t be what it was, but it could be even better with new decking and with all the wine and activities on the farm. It will be a pretty cool spot.”