Slideshow

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  GAYLE SHOMER -

  Shannon Barker, General Manager of The Enchanted Olive in Mooresville, NC.

  Store |
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  GAYLE SHOMER -

  Shannon Barker, General Manager of The Enchanted Olive in Mooresville, NC.

  Store |
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  GAYLE SHOMER -

  THIS PHOTO IS FOR LAKE NORMAN MAGAZINE. Shannon Barker, General Manager of The Enchanted Olive in Mooresville, NC. The shop sells specialty oils, balsamic vinegars, wines and olive oil products. PHOTO BY GAYLE SHOMER

  Store |
• 

  GAYLE SHOMER -

  THIS PHOTO IS FOR LAKE NORMAN MAGAZINE. Shannon Barker, General Manager of The Enchanted Olive in Mooresville, NC. The shop sells specialty oils, balsamic vinegars, wines and olive oil products. PHOTO BY GAYLE SHOMER

  Store |
• 

  GAYLE SHOMER -

  THIS PHOTO IS FOR LAKE NORMAN MAGAZINE. Shannon Barker, General Manager of The Enchanted Olive in Mooresville, NC. The shop sells specialty oils, balsamic vinegars, wines and olive oil products. PHOTO BY GAYLE SHOMER

  Store |
• 

  GAYLE SHOMER -

  THIS PHOTO IS FOR LAKE NORMAN MAGAZINE. Shannon Barker, General Manager of The Enchanted Olive in Mooresville, NC. fills a bottle with the Gold Medal Winner at the 2011 California Mid-State Fair Oilve Oil Competition. The shop sells specialty oils, balsamic vinegars, wines and olive oil products. PHOTO BY GAYLE SHOMER

  Store |
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  GAYLE SHOMER -

  THIS PHOTO IS FOR LAKE NORMAN MAGAZINE. Sundried Tomato Parmesan & Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, bottled and ready to ship from The Enchanted Olive in Mooresville, NC. The shop sells specialty oils, balsamic vinegars, wines and olive oil products. PHOTO BY GAYLE SHOMER

  Store |
• 

  GAYLE SHOMER -

  THIS PHOTO IS FOR LAKE NORMAN MAGAZINE. Shannon Barker, General Manager of The Enchanted Olive in Mooresville, NC. The shop sells specialty oils, balsamic vinegars, wines and olive oil products. PHOTO BY GAYLE SHOMER

  Store |
• 

  GAYLE SHOMER -

  THIS PHOTO IS FOR LAKE NORMAN MAGAZINE. Shannon Barker, General Manager of The Enchanted Olive in Mooresville, NC. The shop sells specialty oils, balsamic vinegars, wines and olive oil products. PHOTO BY GAYLE SHOMER

  Store |

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Can you create a store centered around the concept of olive oils and vinegars? Will people try samples of each at a tasting bar, much in the same way they sip wines at a vineyard?

As the owner of The Enchanted Olive in downtown Mooresville, Shannon Barker certainly hopes so. She says she’s off to a good start since opening in March, with a steady stream of customers including both olive oil connoisseurs as well as just curious passersby.

“People are in awe when they walk in,” Barker says. “They don’t realize all the different flavors and uses for olive oils and vinegars, which go way beyond salads.”

Barker, a 21-year veteran of the food services industry, was impressed when she visited an oil and vinegar store in Bristol, Tenn. Wanting to branch out into a different area of food services that didn’t involve travel, she decided to open a similar store in the Lake Norman area. Barker spent months looking for the right location, and downtown Mooresville, with its historical charm and bustling sidewalks, was the perfect fit.

The Enchanted Olive’s visual appeal is instant. Customers are greeted with high ceilings, airy colors and rows of beautiful stainless steel tanks, which are built specifically to store oils and vinegars and ensure freshness with each pour. When they’re ready to purchase items, customers don’t look for prepackaged bottles. Sales assistants pour selections on the spot in small (60 ml) or large (750 ml) bottles, again to ensure freshness.

Barker and her staff are onsite to help customers pick and choose from the store’s 46 varieties of oils and vinegars, and will gladly make recommendations based on taste preferences.

“Putting together different flavors is fun,” says Barker. “It’s my favorite part of the job. I love to see the smiles on people’s faces when they sample a unique flavor.”

The Enchanted Olive

Where: 119 North Main St., Mooresville

Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Contact: www.enchantedoliveoil.com