An antiques-and-lunch afternoon on the Ellijay square, with the addresses that check out

An afternoon in downtown Ellijay can be as simple as this: a few antique shops, a long lunch, a sweet on the way back to the car. The hard part is the addresses. Several online guides put the wrong shop at the wrong number, call a renamed café by its old name, or list restaurants as “on the square” that are in another town.

This route uses only places with a published address, and says where each one came from. The Gilmer County Chamber’s Shop page is our first source. Where only the downtownellijay.com directory lists a place, we say so. That site is a directory, not an official city or merchants’ site, so call ahead.

Before you start

• Hours aren’t published for most of the shops below. Call before you go, especially early in the week.
• Parking. Neither the city nor the Downtown Development Authority publishes a downtown parking page. During the Apple Festival the Chamber lists a paid shuttle lot on Hipp Street, but we can’t tell you the everyday rules.
• Walking distances between stops aren’t measured in any source we found, so we don’t give them.

Stop 1: the square

Start on Northside Square. Ellijay Antiques is at 12 Northside Square, on the square itself (706-273-1904), according to the Chamber. Also on Northside Square is Bavarian Chocolatier and Fudge Shop at 4 Northside Square, which the Chamber describes as “right on the square” (706-610-2010), with fudge, chocolates, popcorn and jerky. Save it for the end.

Stop 2: North Main Street

Antiques on North Main is at 44 North Main St. (706-698-1950). The Chamber lists English furniture, porcelain, majolica, flow blue, stained glass, bottles, coins, tools and estate jewelry.

A correction worth knowing: some guides put “Main Street Antiques and Collectibles” at 44 North Main. Both the Chamber and the downtownellijay.com directory list 44 as Antiques on North Main. The downtownellijay.com shopping directory lists Main Street Antiques & Collectibles at 66 N. Main St. (706-635-8567). That’s a directory listing only, so confirm it before you plan around it.

Also on North Main is Hemlock Bazaar at 131 N. Main St., which Explore Georgia lists as “formerly Ellijay Coffeehouse.” It calls itself an Appalachian marketplace, with coffee and light bites, and is open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ((706) 635-5565). If a guide sends you to “Ellijay Coffeehouse at 131 North Main,” this is the place.

Stop 3: River Street

The downtownellijay.com directory lists two neighbors on River Street:

• Outback Antiques, 58 River St.
• Hometown Florist & Yesterday’s Décor, 56 River St., a store of more than 4,200 square feet selling flowers, furniture, antiques and décor, new and vintage.

Both are directory listings, not confirmed by the businesses.

Lunch: on the square and nearby streets

All of these come from the downtownellijay.com dining directory. Back Porch Bistro and Cantaberry are the two on the square. The directory lists hours for both, but we couldn’t confirm them, and Back Porch Bistro’s listing shows it closed on Wednesdays. Call first: Back Porch Bistro at 706-636-1111, Cantaberry at 706-636-6166 (a second listing gives 706-636-4663).

For dinner after a late browse, The Roof Ellijay at 16 River St. is a rooftop kitchen and bar, and The Butcher and Bottle at 24 River St. serves upscale American food, according to a cabin-rental company’s guide. Some guides say The Roof takes walk-ins only; no official source says that, and one directory recommends reservations.

Dessert on the way out

Back on the square, the fudge shop at 4 Northside Square closes the loop. Abby’s Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt is often described as being on the square, but the directory gives its address as 24 S. Main St., Ste. E (706-408-1119).

Places that aren’t where some guides say

• Pizza King appears on downtown dining lists, but the directory’s own address for it is 200 Old Orchard Square, East Ellijay. East Ellijay is a separate city, not downtown Ellijay.
• Ellijay Coffeehouse at 131 N. Main is now Hemlock Bazaar.
• La Catrina Tacos & Margaritas is listed at 101 S. Main St. by one directory and at an address in Jasper by another. We’ve left it off the route until the current location is confirmed.
• An “antiques trail of more than 30 dealers.” You’ll see this claim online. We found no source that gives a dealer count, including the Chamber page it’s usually credited to.

If you have more time

Two non-shopping stops fit an afternoon. The Gilmer County Historical Society’s Tabor House History Museum at 138 Spring Street, one block off the square, is open mid-March through mid-December, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and the first four Saturdays of each month. And Gilmer Arts runs the Gilmer Arts Gallery at 207 Dalton St., with hours listed as Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ((706) 635-5605).

For the full list, see our restaurants and shops page and our guide to the square.

Questions people ask

Written by the Downtown Ellijay Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.

Dates, hours and fees change. For anything official, the city has the final word: City of Ellijay official site