Three Shops, One Story
The faces behind Davidson’s Honeysuckle Home, The Rumor Mill & Gigi’s Gelato
Take a walk through Davidson, and you’ll quickly notice that some places feel like more than just shops—they feel like stories unfolding. Behind three of the town’s most beloved spots—Honeysuckle Home, The Rumor Mill, and Gigi’s Gelato—are Janie and Scot Slusarick, a duo whose journey began long before their storefronts ever opened.
The two first met during a Davidson Community Players production of Rumors held at the college theatre—he was acting, she was stage managing. What started as a “showmance” eventually became a life and business built together. When they opened their first store, they named it The Rumor Mill, a nod to that very play (and fittingly, the name of the oldest cotton mill in the county). To this day, they’ll still joke, “What’s the latest rumor?”
Over a decade later, their businesses have grown, but each holds its own personality. The Rumor Mill leans into furniture, art, and timeless home décor, while Honeysuckle Home, named after Janie’s favorite scent native to North Carolina, blooms with florals, gifts and thoughtfully arranged pieces she often designs herself. And then there’s Gigi’s Gelato, their newest venture, where Scot crafts small-batch gelato that tastes like it came straight from Italy but is made right here in Davidson.
What’s kept them going all these years isn’t just what they sell, it’s what they create: community, connection, and a place where memories take root. Janie recalls a moment that has stayed with her. A child once told her while visiting her store, “I just remember every year that you have the best free lemonade with the funny names.” For Janie, it was a reminder of just how special it is to get to be a good memory in someone’s childhood.
Janie also recalled an “aha” moment, a memory of herself as a young child running a make-believe shop on her grandmother’s porch. She didn’t realize it then, but being a business owner was already part of who she was, a calling she would come to successfully fulfill over and over again with her husband by her side decades later.