Pandora Pearson: a shining star

BLADENBORO – Pandora Pearson is a Bladenboro girl born and raised and currently she runs businesses in both the Raleigh area as well as Bladen County. Her thread runs through the communities she works and lives in and her footprints have left beautiful imprints in the journey.

Taking a trip to the Bladenboro Historical Museum, you can even find a trophy with her name on it for being recognized as a “Rising Star,” as just a junior at Bladenboro High School. She graduated from BHS in 1982.

Coming back to be a business owner in the newly erected Town Square anchors one corner of the many shops that have sprung up there and certainly, her eclectic boutique truly is a shining star in the community.

Pearson published on her website that, “At Things I Love Boutique, we believe in the power of a unique shopping experience and of gift-giving to bring joy and happiness. We are committed to offering apparel and gifts that are not only quality and well-crafted, but beautiful, too.”

She has an online handmade jewelry business named after her mother, who was a lifelong resident of Bladenboro, Carrie Love Jewelry, in addition to being a Realtor and real estate brokerage owner in the Raleigh, NC area for over 20 years.

For some time, Pearson has desired to see the revival of downtown Bladenboro to as she remembers it during the days when she lived and attended school there.

“I was born in Elizabethtown at Bladen County Hospital,” she said. “My parents were both from Bladen County. My dad is from Elizabethtown and my mom is from Bladenboro. Early in their lives, they moved to New York and decided they did not want to raise us in the north and they moved back to Bladen County.”

After high school she went on to get her BA degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and her MS degree from West Virginia University in marketing and communications. It was there that she met her husband, Jeff Pearson who now works in a pharmaceutical company.

“We have lived in the Wake/Johnston County area ever since,” she said. “I actually have three wonderful ladies; two of my high school classmates who are retired teachers primarily run the store. We’ve known each other since we were in the third grade. They run the store for me and I generally come down on Fridays and sometimes Saturdays to be here at the store.”

Backing up a bit to her post-collegiate years, Pearson began to gain her experience in business.

“For 13 and a half years I worked with Human Services,” she said. “I was a staff development trainer. After that, I made a total career change into Real estate. I’ve owned a Real estate company in the Raleigh area for over 20 years. My daughter Chelsea, who graduated from NC State came on with me and primarily runs the Real estate part of our Real estate company.”

Once a success in the Real estate market in a large metropolitan area, she returned home to her roots to build something for the community that she loved and grew up in.

“I was just chugging along in Real estate,” she said. “It’s funny how this all came about. We have a place in North Myrtle Beach and we were coming through here on a Friday afternoon. My husband looked over and said, ‘That’s nice that they’re building over there – and you’ve always talked about wanting to put something in Bladenboro. Why don’t you just look into that?’ So, that’s how this came into being.”

She says that her husband is a special gift from God and when he speaks, she listens carefully.

“We actually met in the Triangle,” she said. “My husband is actually from the Johnston County area and so we’ve made that home.”

She said that it was love at first sight.

“We were actually introduced on a blind date and have been together ever since,” she said. “35 years. We have two adult children including a 32-year-old daughter (Chelsea) and a 29-year-old son (Jamerson) who just got married in September. We have no grandkids, but we do have a granddog whose name is Bo.”

Pearson’s son and daughter-in-law actually contribute specially-created hats and T-shirts from their clothing line that they call “Casual Water” which is a big hit for people who love to golf and love to bot. The boutique also features many unique gifts and specialty items from people living in the Carolinas.

Whether it’s clothing, candles, soaps, magnets, teas and many other gifts that you won’t find anywhere else, you can find it at the Things I love Gifts and More boutique.

“My mother was a life-long resident of Bladenboro and she passed away in 2012,” Pearson said. “I started my own jewelry line in her memory and a lot of my things are handmade by me and it’s called Carrie Love jewelry which was her name. That’s also why you will see ‘Love’ in our name because I just want to be able to spread a little love in the world in memory of my mom.”

That makes her a “hands-on” business owner who has a deep rooted motivation to carry on her mom’s legacy with love. She was raised in love and in faith and part of the anointing that rests on the shop is the favor of God upon her life.

“Right here in Bladenboro, I grew up in a little old country church,” she said. “Center Missionary Baptist Church right out on Highway 410. We had a community of strong women who actually invested in us and did their best to make sure that we stayed on the right track as much as possible. For the most part we were raised by a village of like-minded people.”

She has a strong belief that God had a definite divine hand in her gift shop.

“People walk through my doors sometimes and they’ll just sit and they just want to talk,” Pearson said. “When they leave, we will look at each other and agree that we need to keep them in prayer because you can tell they are carrying a lot. I just want this to be a place where people can come; a friendly place to shop and if you need to take a load off your feet, that is why we have the chairs there. It’s just being able to share a little bit of love with the world.”

Things I love is not your ordinary shopping outlet or trendy boutique. It’s hard to walk in and walk out without buying that special gift for that special one in your life. And when you do, you realize that Pandora Pearson’s goal of sharing the love is contagious. In a very good way. You will walk out different than when you came in – just from being in the presence of the magnificent staff and the magical ambiance that actually comes into your heart.

Things I love is located at 125 S. Main Street, Suite D in Bladenboro, North Carolina. For more information, you can visit their website at: thingsilovegifts.com or call them at 910- 741-0410. The boutique is open Monday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.