Over two hundred and fifty years ago, America’s Eastern coast from Maine to the southern tip of Georgia belonged to England. Then, what we polite Southern belles would term a “minor disagreement” over tea and other concerns ensued, and our countries went their separate ways, each vowing never to do business with the other side again.
As it tends to do, time has mended those fences, and our British friends with their tea and scones and (admittedly) superior chocolate are once again gracing our shores, and we in turn can’t seem to get enough of Downton Abbey and royal weddings and wishing it was an American tradition to wear tiaras for pretty much any occasion (just me? Okay then.)
If you recently found yourself obsessed with Bridgerton or The Crown, and are anywhere near North Georgia, you can get your British fix at Crown & Bear in downtown Dahlonega.
Located above one of the popular restaurants on Dahlonega’s square, Crown & Bear is a charming retail shop offering imported groceries and giftware from the United Kingdom.
Proprietor Fiona Bagley has brought her lovely British accent to mingle among the Southern y’alls and drawls of the north Georgia mountains. She has filled her store with her favorite UK food and gifts representing England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and the shop fits right in with Dahlonega’s small-town charm.
A native of a small English village, Fiona served in the British army before marrying a U.S. Army officer and has made Dahlonega her home.
She runs Crown & Bear with her daughter, Katz, and their store mascot, Waffle – a member of the corgi breed favored by Queen Elizabeth II. Waffle can usually be found just outside the store entrance during his daily appearances for photo ops and free corgi hugs.
Those who venture up the stairs to Crown & Bear will find a variety of classic British food delights, such as biscuits (as in, cookies – not our Southern breakfast kind!) and snacks, chocolate and candy, sauces, jams and preserves, and, of course, teas.
Traditional English puddings are also on hand, with special Christmas puddings available during the holiday season. The more adventurous Anglophile can pick up some Marmite – a dark, thick yeast extract, which is often used like a spread and eaten with bread and butter, among other things.
Shoppers may recognize familiar names such as Nestle, Cadbury and Heinz, but the products inside the packages are not the same as those made here in the United States. I am convinced that once you try British chocolate, you will no longer settle for our subpar version.
I enjoy the unusual labels and humorous marketing of some of the items in the shop, and I always find something new to try!
The store’s inventory also includes gifts and home accessories from teapots and kitchenware to British memorabilia, stationary and more. Fiona has developed a relationship with the designers and makers of the products she sells, and feels that it’s important to be able to tell her customers about the person who designed or made the items she carries in the store.
Some of Crown & Bear’s best-selling items include Mason Cash baking bowls. An iconic English company founded in 1800, their baking bowls can be seen on BBC’s The Great British Bake Off and are often passed down through the family.
The bowls come in various themes, and Fiona says the In The Forest Range design, which features woodland animals, is particularly popular and regularly sells out.
The store carries mugs, tea towels, totes, and other items by Edinburgh, Scotland, designer Cherith Harrison, whose artwork features many of the animals found in the Scottish Highlands.
English designer Alison Gardiner creates bone china mugs, tea towels, notebooks and other items with whimsical designs featuring famous historical figures, including Henry Vlll, Shakespeare and Jane Austen.
While Crown & Bear does have an online presence (click here to shop), a visit to the brick-and-mortar location is worth the trip, as the shop itself is charming, and there are always new and unique items added to the selection to discover. You can even have your picture made with the Queen herself! A life-size flatter version of her, at least.
It has been written that Napoleon once claimed that England was a nation of shopkeepers.
Fortunately for North Georgia, one of these proper English shopkeepers is bringing some of Great Britain to the South so that y’all can be a little bit British too.
Want to plan a trip to Dahlonega? Read more about North Georgia’s city of gold here!
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This is a great store with lots of interesting items. The owner is very nice and helped me pick out my first wool cap! Great article!