Please view our Charleston, South Carolina checklist at the end of the article...

Charleston, South Carolina, has it all—warm ocean breezes, Old World architecture, Lowcountry scenery and Southern hospitality. Throughout its history, Charleston has been an international destination for arts and culture, and it continues to boast a cosmopolitan scene. From remarkable local artistic talent spanning oils, sculpture and whimsical Southern folk art to early American furnishings—some crafted here—and English imports, the city offers both connoisseurs and casual shoppers a delightful lesson in the appreciation of the finer things in life.

Easily navigable on foot, the historic downtown shopping district begins on up-and-coming upper King Street (near the Visitor’s Center) and continues south and east in roughly an “L” shape. Among the quirky boutique galleries pioneering the emerging upper King Design District is Dwelling at No. 474. A standout for modern furniture, lighting lines and accessories, Dwelling’s exposed-brick walls also feature works by various artists, including bold paintings by West Coast artist Arn Strasser, whose colorful work is reminiscent of Joan Miró, and works by Erica Love, a newcomer to the New York art scene.

Moving south along King, the city’s shopping lifeline, you’ll chance upon several blocks of eye-catching, locally owned shops. Among these, Elizabeth Stuart Design (ESD) at 314 King is funky and fabulous, offering antiques, interiors and handmade jewelry by artists throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Prices are attractive: A French architect’s drafting table sells for $1,925 while an Edward Wormley Dunbar daybed goes for $3,850.

A few blocks away, the chartreuse-hued walls of Dailey-Grommé Twentieth-Century, 208 King, beckon shoppers to a definitive destination for Art Deco and 20th-century Modernist design. Owners Dick Dailey and Tom Grommé have made a splash on the local interiors scene with impressive furniture, decorative and lighting selections from European design greats, including Daum, René Lalique, House of Jansen and Fornasetti. Additionally, a research library offers collectors the opportunity to learn more about the materials and designs displayed at the store.

The grande dame of the Charleston antiques district, George C. Birlant & Co., 191 King, is one of the largest and oldest establishments of its kind in the Southeast. Founded by its namesake in 1929, this institution of imported 18th-and 19th-century furniture, silver, china, crystal and brass is still family-owned and operated. Many a Charleston bride is delighted to receive a Birlant’s box signaling a welcome addition to her silver chest. The store also carries prized local consignments and local acquisitions, such as sideboards, highboys and linen presses.

At the corner of Horlbeck Alley, Carolina Galleries (formerly Carolina Prints and Frames), 188 King, hosts a venerable collection of art by Charleston and Southern artists spanning the 1850s through today. Paintings, etchings, woodblock prints and works in other media by Charleston Renaissance artists, such as the aforementioned Hutty and Elizabeth O’Neill Verner, are complemented by the present-day smoky subtle landscapes of Stephen Chesley as well as Lowcountry scenes by Pennsylvanian Tom McNickle. The collection also includes current works by accomplished local painters Corrie Parker McCallum and Lese Corrigan.

George C. Williams LLC American Antiques (formerly Estate Antiques Inc.), 155 King, specializes in the decorative arts of Charleston and Southern origins prior to 1830. Williams possesses extraordinary knowledge of American antiques and has the goods to match. For example, an exquisite pair of satinwood card tables with radiating fan tops crafted in Charleston circa 1795 to 1810 is offered for $175,000.