Garner shopping center may be worn, but it offers a diverse selection of shops

The first couple times I was at Forest Hills Shopping Center in Garner, N.C., I wan't impressed in the least. It struck me as an older, tired property whose better days had been behind it. But however worn it looks on first glance, there is evidence that it's days are not numbered just yet.

And because Forest Hills happens to be where the nearest branch of our local bank is located, I expect I'll be back there on numerous occasions in the future. In fact, there are branches of three banks on that block of commercial property. The shopping center was one of several places in Garner that I stopped at on a recent afternoon; I'll present images from the other stops in subsequent posts.

Age notwithstanding, there is a striking mix of shops at Forest Hills. The shopping center is anchored by Food Lion, one of the largest grocery chains in the area. Next to Food Lion is a Rite Aid drugstore, a popular pharmacy chain in this area. Three churches make their home at various spots in the shopping center or in separate out buildings. There are a couple ethnic eateries -- Chinese and Mexican restaurants and a pizzeria -- as well as a Latino grocery, a driver's license branch, a Cricket wireless phone service shop, a tobacco products shop ... and a beer shop.

The Beerded Lady Bottle Shop is the second store I've come across since moving here that specializes in the sales of packaged beers and wines, but also maintains several brews on draft that visitors can sample and enjoy whenever they stop in.

In its name, the Beerded Lady (shown in the photo leading off the post) calls itself a "bottle" shop, and while pictures I've seen of the interior indicate it indeed sells bottled craft beers, it also carries canned brews. Many craft brewing companies are trending toward canned versions of their brews, although the current trade war in which the U.S. is boosting tariffs on imported aluminum might give many breweries pause about that.

I did not stop into the Beerded Lady when I made my shoot of the shopping center when I was in Garner the other day, but I made a mental note to check it out some day. It's not nearly as close to home as the Elevated Grain, the other similar shop I've come across -- and one I've visited on several occasions since its opening last fall.

As usual, to pull up a larger, sharper version of an image, simply click on the picture. This is particularly important if you access the blog from a mobile device. To see a full gallery of images from my visit to Forest Hills Shopping Center, follow the link in this sentence.

Photo geek stuff: I shot all these pictures with my Canon 6D and Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD lens equipped with a polarizing filter. I made three exposures of each composition for later melding into one frame using Photomatix high-dynamic range (HDR) software.

One of the churches in a stand-alone building (above) and another (below) with a storefront presence in the main shopping center.

Above: When Lee Ann and I were still living in Indiana, we went to a Maximized Living family chiropractic clinic in Carmel. It was pricey, but we each felt we benefited from the attention to proper spinal and skeletal health. We are thinking about checking out this Maximized Living clinic in Forest Hills.  

Above: Wells Fargo, one of the banks on the shopping center grounds.

Above: Rather than show a rather drab storefront to illustrate Food Lion's presence, I thought these crowded grocery cart stalls would be a more innovative approach. 

The Latino grocery (above) and the Mexican restaurant (below) are almost right next to each other. The Chinese eatery (second below) is a couple doors down from the grocery and is adjacent to a hair salon, a florist and an income tax preparation shop. A thrift store (third below) takes up a large portion of the center's backside.