A fashion dream has come to life in Downtown Mocksville.

With prayers, stepping out on faith, and having a supportive husband to bring the dream to life, Honor Darling was created.

With a goal of offering more than trendy fashion at affordable prices, this boutique has Christian values and a tag line explanation: “Bold in Style. Anchored in Christ.”

Said owner Aubrey Draughn: “We have been overwhelmed with community support, dedicated customers, and a downtown that has embraced our mission. I can’t imagine this store being anywhere but Mocksville.”

Draughn lives in downtown Mocksville and works in this community as a social worker. Her husband, Justin, has been a part of the revitalization efforts in the downtown area and serves on the town planning board.

With strong roots to this town and county, the Draughns couldn’t be happier with the success in the community they love.    

When you first walk in to this fully renovated retail space you will be struck by the white tile ceiling, black chandeliers, and the bright and showcased “Honor Darling” sign.

Justin Draughn Construction custom designed built-ins and shelves that line the wall as well as a register area that faces the storefront.

Everything about the interior is her style and vision that her husband was able to create. “Justin was really able to take my visions and blow them away.He definitely exceeded my expectations. He was able to put them on display for others to see through the storefront. Seeing him bring it to life has been just as inspiring as the original vision I had for the store.”

The original inspiration was their 5-year-old daughter, Honor Presley, who is a mini fashionista who is confident no matter how many necklaces she has on or layers she is rocking for the day. She has proven to be the biggest cheerleader for her parents and for her namesake store.

The name Honor Darling comes from her fashion choices in the morning when dressing for school or church.

“I have to say to her often, ‘Now, honor darling, should you really wear that today? Let’s change clothes or wear something a little more appropriate for school,’ but she is strong willed and comfortable in her clothing choices and wants to wear the clothes she has picked out. That confidence with her adorable personality is what was behind the naming of this store,” her mother said.

Aubrey and Justin haven’t been alone in bringing this vision to life. Aubrey’s best friend since third grade, Courtney Castle-Britt, has been a supporter of this dream from the beginning and has put in many unpaid  hours back to when the store was nothing but a Facebook page selling clothing through posts. “Courtney has been a key player by bringing an attention to detail and ability to maintain organization into my desire for buying the clothes and finding the styles that will fill up the boutique shelves.  Courtney has taken on a part-time management role within the store and the day-to-day tasks.”

Aubrey is finding that stepping back a little from Honor Darling for her fulltime job is a little harder than she imagined – but she is confident in the Honor Darling team.

“Putting so much time and energy into bringing this dream to life is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me and my family. While it has been a bit exhausting it has been exhilarating,” she said.

On opening night, almost a month ago, she was overwhelmed with emotions by seeing the store packed with friends, old and new, that wanted to see this new boutique and all it had to offer.

“All of our opening goals were exceeded and we had a difficult time keeping any merchandise on the shelves for the first two weeks. But now that I have been able to see what the demand is I am able to keep up with it by getting multiple shipments of new clothes and new styles weekly,” she said.

Draughn wants to remember the feelings from that first night, the feelings of thankfulness and being overwhelmingly blessed, because she knows that God is behind this blessing and wants to always remember to give Him the glory.

A grand opening celebration” is being planned for July 30 and the community is invited. There will be live music, giveaways, and other surprises. The celebration will kick off at 6 p.m. and will end when the last customer leaves.

“Seeing others find joy in my store and the clothing I offer is a blessing I want to extend to others,” she said.

Honor Darling is closed Sunday and Monday and open 11 a.m. until at least 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.