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The 1970s were pretty quiet in Duck, North Carolina. A few vacation homes dotted the coastline, but those were few and far between. Barely a soul in Northern Virginia had ever heard of a little town called Duck.
In fact, Duck was more than a quarter of a century away from officially becoming a town.
So when Virginian Walter Story and his family bought a chunk of wooded land in the heart of Duck with plans to develop a shopping village unlike any other on the Outer Banks, local folks thought he had lost his mind.
“Duck was a very, very quiet place at that time,” recalls Story. “People just thought we were out in left field…nobody even knew where Duck, North Carolina was! It was an extremely adventuresome endeavor … Trying to convince lenders to give us money was almost slim to none.”
Designing the unique shopping village was one of Story’s many tasks over the next few years. “I personally did the site plan and tried to work the buildings around the trees. We wanted to save as much of the natural
environment as we could,” he says.
Getting the architecture just right was another of Story’s concerns. He researched Coast Guard drawings of U.S. Life-Saving
stations on the Outer Banks. “I wanted the architecture to be reminiscent of the Outer Banks and its heritage,” Story says.
Even the name Scarborough Faire draws from the history of Duck.
“The Scarborough family lived in Duck for many generations,” explains Story. As for the Faire, “Well, that was quite by accident,” he laughs. Originally the name was set to be Scarborough Square, but an apartment
complex in Manteo shared the same name. The owner didn’t want anyone to infringe
on the name, and thus Scarborough Square became Scarborough Faire.
As for the atmosphere, Story had something very particular in mind.
“I wanted people with stressful jobs who were in Duck on vacation to be able to kick back and relax when they came here,” he says. “I wanted this to be different than any other place they had seen. I wanted it to be a place where people would sit for a while, have a glass of wine and enjoy the flowers and the trees.”
The grand opening in 1983 was a quiet one, Story recalls. No ribbon cutting, no pomp and circumstance, just a few stores opening their doors for the first time. Gray’s Department Store, Ocean Annie’s and The Fudgery were bold enough to become a few of Scarborough Faire’s first tenants. “I think they shared my vision,” says Story. Twenty-five years later, those three stores are still flourishing as a part of the shopping village.
In 1983 Scarborough Faire wasn’t quite
the size it is today. Back then only Phase One, which today houses Ocean Annie’s and The Fudgery, had been built. By the second year, construction on Phase Two was completed and there was reason for celebration.
“That second year we had a fairly large opening,” says Story. “The Chamber of Commerce was there, and so was Pop Scarborough, who everyone considered the Mayor of Duck. Those are fond memories.”
Phase Three, which today houses nationally recognized Elizabeth’s Café and Winery, was completed in the following few years. Scarbor-ough Faire has grown to include 15 shops.
Fast forward to the year 2007. Still no
garish neon signs, still very little concrete, still plenty of trees. Today, Connie Story, Walter’s daughter, is the property manager. She’s been handling the day-to-day affairs of the shopping village since 1999.
Her childhood memories of Scarborough Faire are a little different than her father’s. “I was twelve when my dad started building. We hated coming down every weekend,” she laughs.
Walter Story recalls, “My daughters used to say we were ‘Stuck in Duck’ all those years!”
But time has changed Connie, and now she takes pride in her family business. And watching Duck grow and change as much as
it has over the past quarter of a century, she appreciates what her father did even more. “I admire how my father had the foresight back then to save the trees and keep the atmosphere as it is,” says Connie.
The 25th anniversary was quite a milestone for this shopping village and the Storys with their pioneering spirits. A spring Chamber of Commerce mixer kicked off the celebration, and several of the stores planned special events.
Take an afternoon to enjoy Scarborough Faire for yourself. Sip on a glass of Chardonnay and watch the squirrels run through the courtyard. Bring a book and lounge on one of the benches under the sprawling live oaks. Browse the fantastic shops for a special treasure that can only be found here on the Outer Banks, and plan to have a meal here. Like many who’ve visited over the years, you’re sure to find yourself hooked on Scarborough Faire.
“We’re seeing a second generation come back to visit us. Those kids who came with their parents years ago are now adults with families of their own,” says Walter Story.
What’s even more gratifying to Story is having a third generation enjoy his legacy – his own grandchildren. Says Connie, “My
two-year-old and I went there today to have
a sandwich outside. We just sat and relaxed, listened to the birds and the waterfall …it’s just a great place to be.”
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