“If you love it, it works. Everything in my house I have chosen because it has sung to me.” 

–Emily Cochran, founder, Emily & Co

by Catherine Currin

photographs by Madeline Gray

Emily Cochran knew she’d found her passion when her vintage repertoire surpassed the storage unit. “I kept outgrowing, from the storage unit to shared retail spaces, and eventually opened my own shop.” After four years of casual collecting, in 2016 Cochran opened Emily & Co. in Glenwood South. There, Cochran’s selection of wares reflects her statewide travels and her own personal style. “My house is a big melting pot of colors and textures and styles. I love classic with a fun twist.”

During her early years of collecting, Cochran would update a chair’s upholstery or lacquer a table. But today at Emily & Co, she’s leaving most pieces untouched. “I find things that are beautiful as they are.” The vintage emporium reflects both old and new, from an antique bamboo mirror to luxe candles and newly tufted throw pillows.

In Emily & Co’s inaugural year, Cochran invited customers to join her on on two “picking” trips, sifting through antiques in Burlington and Fayetteville. The trips have become a tradition, and now is the time to get in on the April 28 journey. These outings have a spirit of adventure: Cochran doesn’t reveal the destination until the morning-of. “We’ll go no more than two hours outside of Raleigh,” Cochran says. What is predictable is the agenda: “A delicious lunch and my insider tips on vintage shopping, where to go and what to look for.”