By Lilly Behbehani
When Sally Stollmack first opened SallyMack in 2014, she wanted to bring new and unusual products that made people smile to the Chapel Hill area.
SallyMack is a boutique gift store in Midtown Market on Martin Luther King Boulevard that carries unique and fun products. Stollmack attends trade shows and reaches out to uncommon vendors and artists to find items to display.
“We carry everything from snarky to classy and in between,” Stollmack said. “What I would say we’re known for is staying on top of what’s happening out there in a pop culture sort of way. We were probably one of the first stores, about five years ago, to get on the bandwagon to show our love, admiration and respect for (Ruth Bader Ginsberg).”
Stollmack always dreamt of opening her own business after being in the stereo business for 15 years, then running a furniture company for the next 18.
After leaving the furniture world, she wondered if she could run a business on her own. When a space became available in Midtown Market, the landlord – Stollmack’s friend –reached out. She knew there was no better time to take a leap of faith and open SallyMack.
Stollmack graduated from UNC in 1978, where she received the nickname SallyMack. She remained in Chapel Hill after graduation and has become a known member of the community. When she was thinking of a name for her store, she thought that the same nickname she received from a place she loved would be a great fit.
With strong support from the community and advertisement mainly through word of mouth and referrals, SallyMack has been a widely successful local business.
When the pandemic hit, Stollmack was concerned that SallyMack would be affected. Fortunately, SallyMack has been able to continue operating through its website, social media and loyal customer base. Though products cannot be purchased on the website, it allows customers to browse what is currently in store.
As SallyMack grew, Stollmack realized she could not run it alone. SallyMack has three part-time employees to help Stollmack run the store and one employee that runs the social media accounts.
“I learned a long time ago that I can’t do it all by myself. I know what I’m good at, which is choosing the merchandise, working with customers and the nuts and bolts of it,” Stollmack said. “But I’m smart enough to bring in other people who are really good at the things that I’m either not good at or I just don’t enjoy doing.”
The merchandise at SallyMack is continuously updated and changed every few weeks. Customers will get to browse new and different products in the store with each visit.
“I hope people feel good when they visit. I hope if they come here in a bad mood that they leave here with a huge smile on their face,” Stollmack said.
SallyMack is located in Midtown Market at 762-A Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and is open Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm.
