Make preparing for this school year even easier by saving this list and heading Downtown! Our back to school shopping list doesn’t just end at backpacks, ballpoint pens, and blouses. Set your child up for success!
#1 Dance Lessons
Dance can help restore joy and stability in troubled lives and ease the tensions in schools that are disrupted by violence and bullying.
Who Arts Inspired Dance Academy
AIDA is an award winning program that offers instruction in dance, music, and more to students ages 18 months and up. Our mission is to inspire a passion for education, development and community enhancement in the cultural arts. Quality, affordable education with a community focus provides students an opportunity to build character, enhance self-esteem and enrich communities. Performance opportunities allow students to set goals, build confidence and obtain a sense of achievement. A fun, loving atmosphere provides a safe environment for students to grow as dancers, performers, mentors and citizens. By focusing on the individual accomplishments of a class or child, Arts Inspired Dance Academy is able to encourage every student to feel as if they are a star!
What Developing strong dancers, strong citizens and strong communities.
Where 118 E. Jones St. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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#2 New Look
A fresh new haircut can give your child that boost of confidence they need!
Who Big Chat
What Big Chat Salon is a salon offering a wide variety of hair services. We look forward to meeting you!
Where 508 Broad St. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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Who Revelry Barber & Shave Shop
What Traditional Barber Shop atmosphere with modern amenities, including a craft beer bottle shop, professional 9′ billiards table, vintage cocktail table Ms. Pac-Man arcade machine (always on Free Play, guys!), ample comfortable seating, as well as bar seating, and two televisions. We also have a hospitality station set up with free beverages (coffee, tea, water), and keep in mind how close we are to Stick Boy Bread Co. as we hope to feature a few breakfast pasties from our local artisan neighbors here and there.
Where 101 S. Main Street, Suite 201 Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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#3 Personalized Book Bag + Lunch Box
Send your loved one back to school in style with an embroidered school book bag they can cherish for years to come!
Who Carolina Monogram & Co
What Monogramming, Gifts, Apparel and the Home of 1909 Design Screen Printing
Where 715 North Main St. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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#3 Teacher’s Pet
Start the year off right with a small gift for your child’s new teacher! This is a great way for your kids to get excited about the first day of school and recognize that their teacher is someone to be respected and appreciated.
Who Chocolate Fix
What Our aim at Chocolate Fix is to make life sweeter by offering our customers comfort, delight, and new family traditions one delicious piece of chocolate at a time! We have 60+ different delicious milk, dark, and white heritage chocolates in our showcases. Real chocolate like your grandma used to give you! Pick from the case or choose from many preboxed gift options. Chocolate makes the perfect gift! Make sure to also fill a bag with our general store candies as well. We have lots of baskets of those to choose from. We want you to leave our store happy!
Where 135 S. Main St. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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Who Flowers on Broad
What Our fresh flowers are locally grown, shipped from Holland, California and South America daily.
Where 517 Broad St. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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#4 Glasses and Cases at Family Optical
Our focus is your prescription! Bring us your prescription and our Optician will help you find the perfect eye wear! Since going back to school means going back to essay writing, computer screens, and quadratic equations, there’s really no better time to head over to Family Optical!
Who Sunglasses & Eye-wear Store · Optician
What Eyeglass frames, Prescription Lenses, Prescription Contact Lenses, Prescription and Non-Prescription Sunglasses, Optical Accessories, Reading Glasses and Gifts.
Where 121 Raleigh St. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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#5 Picture Perfect
Your senior year will be full of momentous occasions, including your senior pictures. From touring university campuses to enjoying your final football games and dances as a high school student, your weekends and afternoons after school are sure to be packed. As you start planning your schedule, remember to leave plenty of time for everything related to your portraits.
Who Jebb Graff, Photographer
What I’m currently seeking commercial work, as well as high school senior portraits, headshots, and consulting for other creatives.
Where 101 S Main St. #220 Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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Who Shira W Rose Photography
What Shira W Rose Photography specializing in portrait & lifestyle photography.
Where 106 Raleigh St. Suite #6 Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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#6 Music Lessons
Structured music lessons significantly enhance children’s cognitive abilities — including language-based reasoning, short-term memory, planning and inhibition — leading to improved academic performance. Visual arts lessons were also found to significantly improve children’s visual and spatial memory.
Who Joyful Sounds Academy of Music & Art
What Our commitment to every student is to encourage their enjoyment of learning. “Music and Art are soul-satisfying and the more you learn, the better you get. The better you get, the more you want to learn”.
– Diana D. Thomas, Owner
Where 117 E Vance St. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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#7 Makeover
While your daughter’s calendar is packed with classes, club meetings, football games, volunteering and dances might seem overwhelming, don’t forget that these events for the new school year also offer optimum opportunities to debut all the latest beauty looks!
Who Merle Norman Cosmetics Fuquay-Varina
What We offer complete skin care, makeup, special event make up, full facials, waxing, ear piercing and hair services.
Where 208 S Main St. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina

#8 Starting School in Style
Whether you’re a parent or a student, there is a plethora of clothing and accessories to get you excited about starting another school chapter.
Who Pass it On
What Pass It On is an upscale resale shop that offers new and gently used women’s clothing, shoes and accessories at fabulously low prices. Pass It On has two locations – Raleigh and Fuquay-Varina – and features a large variety of designer clothing in excellent condition at affordable prices. Pass It On is open to anyone who loves fashion and great prices. 100% of Pass It On’s merchandise is donated and supports InterAct’s programs and services.
Where 1012 Oberlin Rd Raleigh, North Carolina
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Who Samantha’s Jewelry Design & Repair
What For years it’s been our passion to design custom jewelry pieces as unique and memorable as the people and special occasions that they’re for.
Where 516 Broad St. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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Who The Shoppes on Main Fuquay Varina
What At The Shoppes on Main you will find a unique and eclectic shopping experience as well as wide variety of events and special activities for you and your family. Inside you will find over thirty distinctive shops that offer a wide variety of upscale boutique items, hand crafted artisan pieces, gourmet foods as well as one of a kind gift and novelty items. Stop in The Shoppes on Main today and experience a unique taste of downtown.
Where 212 S Main St. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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Who Something You Boutique
What Come visit us at our boutique in historic Fuquay Varina, NC! Brands include Sympli, TRIBAL Sportswear, Zee Alexis Shoes, Clara Sunwoo, Charleston Shoe Co, Fitflop, Chinese Laundry, Southern Gates Jewelry, Sheila Fajl Jewelry and Mollybeads Jewelry.
Where 511 Broad St. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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#9 Happy + Healthy
Everyone knows a good night’s sleep, a protein-packed breakfast and fresh fruit for a vitamin-C boost are good ways to set kids up for the day, but our tips take school year health to the next level.
Who The Vine Natural Health Shoppe
What We are passionate about being a connection in the community to the highest quality natural and organic products to help us all grow healthier and stronger. We carry the industry’s best in quality, innovation, variety, and value. You can not find a better selection of quality vitamins, supplements, or health and beauty products closer to home than what The Vine offers.
Where 506 Broad St. Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
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