Agent Spotlight: Laura Faria – Realtor, Small Business Owner & Wine Connoisseur
There are days in real estate when you unlock a door and show a house.
And then there are days when you unlock a door and discover a story.
This week we want to tip our Wolfpack red hats to Laura Faria, one of our own agents on The Lake James Team, who has done something that requires equal parts courage, community spirit, and a willingness to ignore the little voice that says you should probably sit down and be sensible.
Laura has officially stepped into ownership of Craft’d, the downtown wine shop and artisan boutique that many of us already considered our unofficial living room. If you have ever wandered in “just to look” and left with a bottle of wine and a handmade candle you did not know you needed, you already understand the magic.
Laura’s path to ownership was not flashy or rushed. It was organic, thoughtful, and deeply rooted in caring about people. She started as a part time associate, showed up when help was needed, and quietly became the kind of person a business leans on when things get tough. When the opportunity arose, she and her husband did what all good entrepreneurs do. They talked it through, slept on it, and then listened to that persistent inner voice that says if you do not do this now, you will always wonder why you did not.
Craft’d under Laura’s guidance is not about reinvention. It is about preservation with a spark. The charm stays. The welcoming feel stays. The sense that you can exhale the moment you walk through the door stays. What returns, thankfully, are wine tastings, community gatherings, and a few thoughtful additions like customer favorite selections and curated gift baskets that somehow make you look like a genius gift giver.
What we love most about this story is that Laura did not chase ownership for the sake of ownership. She did it because she believes in downtown. She believes in gathering places. She believes that community is built one conversation at a time, often over a glass of wine and a laugh that carries farther than planned.
That same belief is what makes her a wonderful real estate professional. Whether helping someone buy a home on Lake James or welcoming them into a shop on Main Street, Laura understands that place matters. Feeling matters. And people always come first.
We are proud to work alongside her. We are proud that The Lake James Team includes people who invest in this community with their time, their talent, and occasionally their sanity. And we are proud to watch someone we respect take a leap and land exactly where she belongs.
If you find yourself downtown, stop by Craft’d. You will likely find Laura doing what she does best, connecting people, building community, and reminding us that the best investments are not always measured in square footage.
Fletcher Edens and Bryan Jones have been selling real estate on Lake James since 2003.
Keller Williams Unified – The Lake James Team
www.lakejames.com
We are proud graduates of North Carolina State University and lifelong Wolfpack fans. Our feelings about the Tar Heels and Blue Devils remain unchanged.
Laura Faria
The Lake James Team
954 805 4299
Laura@lakejames.com
Source: The Paper, Business Section, May 10, 2025
#LakeJames, #TheLakeJamesTeam, #ShopLocalNC, #CommunityMatters, #DowntownMorganton, #WolfpackPride, #NCRealEstate, #SmallBusinessLove
