By Maggie Beamguard
Insider Editor
At a well-traveled Moore County intersection stands an old general store. In days past, gas pumps sat out front and fertilizer and seed filled a warehouse at the back. Travelers stopped for a RC Cola, a Moon Pie or a pack of smokes.
The corner, known colloquially as Black’s Crossroads, has undergone a number of transformations. It has served as a heating and air business, an auction house and an art gallery and studio before becoming “Crossroads Marketplace” specializing in curated estate sales and consignments.
“It’s been a store of some sort since the ‘50s,” said Charity Blanchard, of the property which has been in her husband, Stephen’s, family for multiple generations.
“We’ve gone from fertilizer to furniture,” she added with a chuckle.
“Everything here just keeps getting another life.” The same might be said about Blanchards who have carved out a home on the property.
Turning Points
The couple arrived at the concept of Crossroads Marketplace after a few twists and turns. Blanchard worked for 15 years as a teacher, but discovered a knack for curating old things when helping sort through her grandmother’s estate.
As her family worked through a lifetime of belongings, they could not find an estate service that quite fit their needs. So they created their own solution, holding weekend yard sales at a small family property. The experience proved to be both a discovery and a turning point.
“I didn’t know I liked old stuff. I didn’t know I liked selling,” she said. “And then I realized I loved it.”
As an educator Blanchard found herself seeking out new roles about every five years, drawn to different challenges. Eventually she took a wider turn. Teaching gave way to reselling, and by 2016 pop-up markets grew into a shop, the BougieRedneck. After closing that shop in 2021, Stephen continued to hold auctions.
But now they are back at the junction with a refined concept.
Landing in the Sweet Spot
Inside Crossroads Marketplace, a set of red, mid-century modern TV trays is paired with a chair upholstered in green velvet. Primitive pieces are set with elegant pieces of china. Art dots the walls and an impressive collection of needlework is gathered neatly in a corner.
The curated collection is a mix of Blanchard’s own resale items and estate consignment items. Every weekend, the contents change. New items are frequently added. If something sells on Saturday, the corner is restaged for Sunday. “I want people to walk in and think, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got to come back,’” Blanchard said.
Crossroads fulfills a need many families may not realize exists until they face a fork in life’s road. Whether downsizing or dealing with the estate of a loved one, The Blanchard’s are able to provide full estate sale services – from organizing, advertising and appraising to selling and clearing out what remains.
By adding consignment services, the Blanchards can accommodate the needs of families who may not have enough for a traditional in-home estate sale, but still have meaningful, well-made pieces deserving of another leg on their journey. “Things that were made long ago are still here for a reason,” she says. “They were made to last.”
Blanchard also offers home and room restyle services that focus on functionality and personal style.
The Road Less Travelled
From homes filled with decades worth of small collections, to homes filled with fine antiques, or ones filled with memories and sentiment but nothing of much monetary value – each estate sale is different. The needs of families also differ.
“For us, estate sales aren’t just a business. We see them as a service,” she said. “We don’t just sell things. We try to figure out what families actually need.”
Blanchard begins each project by asking families: “What’s your end goal? Do you just need it gone? Do you need to make a certain amount? Are there things you’re not ready to let go of yet?”
These questions guide everything, from what gets staged in the marketplace to what gets set aside for a family to see one more time. The work often means balancing honesty with care.
“There are things buyers see as just furniture,” she said. “But for a family, that might be the table everyone gathered around.” It can be a delicate task. “The sentiment does not carry the monetary value,” she said, “and that’s a hard conversation to have, but a necessary one.”
“When you go through a house, you get to know a lot about a person,” said Blanchard. “Even the pantry tells a story.” Not every story is obvious. Sometimes what matters most is tucked away – a child’s old tea set or a box of letters hidden in a closet.
Blanchard’s passion is staging belongings in a way that honors the items and the people who cherished them. “We’re not just touching someone’s stuff. We’re touching someone’s life.”
Finding the Crossroads
Crossroads Marketplace hosts estate sales on the first and third Saturdays and Sundays of each month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Listings can be found at estatesales.net and on their Facebook page. The consignment store is open on the second and fourth weekends. Fifth weekends are flexible.
Crossroads Marketplace is located at 1093 Doubs Chapel Road in West End. For information about estate sales, consignments, appraisals, markets, visit the The Crossroads Facebook page.
Contact Maggie Beamguard at maggie@thepilot.com.
