Situated on the banks of the Etowah River, the Canton Cotton Mill is a testament to how old things can be made new again.
When Steve and Lori Sinatra first laid eyes on the old building in June 2017, it was a dilapidated structure in sore need of repairs. But the couple saw it as the ideal space for their not-yet-opened home decor and antiques business.
He was an operations manager for a flooring company from New York; she was a hair stylist from California. They met in Georgia, married in 2007 and bought a home in Canton which they filled with unique decor and furnishings they found at antique markets and vintage stores. As they collected items for their home, they birthed the idea for their business.
Lori painted and refinished old furniture to sell in antique markets in surrounding counties; Steve followed suit and sold his advertising signs. For 10 years, they maintained their side hustles, cultivating a network and fine tuning their preferences and business practices.
They bided their time, waiting for the right building to house their enterprise. When they found the old mill, they saw its potential and seized the opportunity. They encountered more obstacles than they could ever have imagined — personal injuries after a car accident — the unprecedented chaos of the pandemic. Still, they persevered.
Now, as winner of the most first place awards in the 2024 Best of Cherokee contest, Cotton Mill Exchange is one of the most beloved retail destinations in Cherokee County.
“We're really excited about Cherokee County voting for us in so many categories because we feel like our store is really a one-stop shop for any occasion, or to decorate any area in your home or office,” said Steve Sinatra, sitting at a rustic table in one of the furniture booths.
In the contest, Cotton Mill Exchange earned first place for women’s clothing, gifts, antiques, home decor and furniture.
Lori Sinatra sat at one of the chairs beside him. Only four years ago — just months before the store’s planned opening date — both husband and wife nearly lost their lives.
On a regular Sunday afternoon in August 2019, they were leaving their subdivision when a sleeping motorist hit them in a head-on collision. Steve was in the hospital for a week; Lori was in the ICU for months and couldn’t walk for a year and a half.
At the old mill, major renovations were taking place. The contractors sanded the floors to remove the harsh varnish, painted modern black ceiling, added new windows and lighting. They built booths for the vendors and installed heating and cooling units. During those months, Steve split his time between Lori’s hospital room and the store.
“I was like saying to myself, ‘You can either believe all the things that you've been saying for all these years, or you could just totally fall apart,’” Steve Sinatra said. “And I chose to carry my faith through and just believe no matter how bad it looked for my wife.”
During that time, their good friends Suzanne and Jack Skelly kept the renovation going.
“They worked in our store here seven days a week — sometimes 12 hours a day — dealing with the developer on our behalf. Our store would not have opened if it weren't for them,” said Lori Sinatra, who referred to her friends as “angels.”
“I mean, who does that?” she asked tearfully.
They held a soft opening for Cotton Mill Exchange in January 2020. Only six weeks later, they closed their doors following government-mandated COVID-19 lockdown regulations.
Even after the store reopened in May, the Sinatras weren’t sure if they’d have to close for another lockdown and never held their grand opening. But the store never closed again, and steadily, customers came and supported the new business.
Cotton Mill Exchange thrived.
Items you can’t find anywhere else
Four years after its opening, the store remains a destination for antique and curio collectors in Cherokee and surrounding counties. But what makes it such a beloved space?
Perhaps the building itself has something to do with the store’s popularity.
“There are so many stories of people — their grandparents or their parents worked here for many, many years,” Steve Sintatra said. “So it was such a big part of Canton, and to see an existing business [in an old building] that put Canton on the map was kind of a cool thing.”
On a weekday afternoon, soft light spills in from large open windows, and throwback tunes from the 60s, 70s and 80s echo in the store’s wide interior. Exposed brick walls — made of bricks from the Etowah River — offer the 48,000 square foot space a chic, industrial aesthetic with a touch of Southern charm.
Don Heins, one of the vendors at Cotton Mill Exchange, refers to the store as his “happy place.” He and his wife, Merrie, are both university administrators and run a booth called Belleau Wood where they sell vintage furniture, paint, and unique antiques like weathervanes. Don and Merrie have been at the store since the beginning and helped with painting and organizing before the doors opened. Business has ups and downs, but Don says he’s not doing it for the money as much as for the joy of repurposing old things and watching them find new homes.
With 150 vendors, Cotton Mill Exchange houses a variety of home furnishings, antiques, and gifts. Items like handmade soaps, candles and olive oil line the display shelves at distinct booths. Others offer items like jewelry, leather handbags, muffin mixes, local honey and ground coffee.
In a large booth in the middle of the store, Kimberly Posey’s London Designs features ornate lamps, candle holders, and statement furniture. Above it all hangs a custom-made chandelier. At first glance, you’d never know that it’s made from a repurposed iron bed frame and string lights. That’s just the sort of unexpected pairing Posey likes to showcase in her booth. After 30 years of working the antique business and keeping a pulse on home decor trends, Posey has developed a knack for mixing and matching styles and for displaying eclectic items — like industrial wheels and vintage spindles.
“I'd rather mix a little bit of the new with the old,” Posey said. “I think that the vintage pieces have a lot more charm, and they're just helped to create a timeless space in your home.”
In the big room on aisle one, lies Crafty Staves, a booth that sells hand-crafted items like liquor cabinets, woodworked art, shot glasses and flight trays — all made from whiskey barrels.
Steve Brice, the creative behind the boozy designs, worked in the wholesale beer, liquor, and wine business for 43 years. Now that he has retired, Brice puts his love of woodworking to use by creating one-of-a-kind bar cabinets, dart boards and statement pieces. Through fractal burning — a process using a solution of water and baking soda fired with 12,000 volts of electricity — Steve and his wife Beverly achieve a burnt look on some of the pieces. “Welcome to the Man Cave. Eat, drink and be lazy,” reads one of Steve’s wall art pieces made of glass and wood.
“We like coming here because we find unique things that we cannot find anywhere else,” said customer Mindy Ureche who lives in Jasper. “We have bought several paintings here from local artists, and we're always looking for unique furniture. This carpenter's table we're thinking could be a desk. Or we'll stick some benches with it or something.”
Another customer, Ken Thrasher of Smyrna, was perusing and said he had been to the store a few times and liked the way it was run.
“We got some family in from Wisconsin, and we just came here to explore and see all the little gifts and things that they sell here,” Thrasher said. “It was something to do, especially on a rainy day.”
With the rise in popularity of home decor shows, customers are looking for more character and statement pieces in their homes, Steve Sinatra says. The store caters to that trend. With some imagination and perseverance, the old is made new at Cotton Mill Exchange. Artisans display their crafts, retirees restore vintage artifacts — and after everything, the Sinatras are seeing the fruits of their labor. Even the old mill has made a comeback.
Located in the Mill on Etowah development, Cotton Mill Exchange is at 2255 Reformation Parkway, Suite 100 in Canton. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. and on Sunday from noon until 6 p.m. The phone number is 770-992-9294; for more details, visit their website at cottonmillexchange.net.
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