LOCAL: LA FARM BAKERY & GATHER STUDIO

On my day off work, I like to spend quality time doing absolutely nothing, and occasionally mix in treating myself to brunch & coffee not made by my keurig. This week I took myself on a day date to my favorite French bakery, La Farm, and followed it with a stop into a new local artisan shop/coworking space/coffee shop, Gather. And when taking yourself out, a dress & heels & feeling pretty enough for a grainy mirror selfie are sort of necessities...in my opinion, anyway.

La Farm has the most amazing bread & lattes & French macaroons. Everything else is yummy too, but for me, these are the defining perfections. The owner is from France, and everything is fresh made & delicious. There's outdoor seating and a cat who has decided to call the sidewalk out front his home - they've even put out food dishes for him. I had a BLT minus the T and sat next to the flirtiest 10 month old baby, which made my day that much better, my recent venture into life as a non-nanny having left a baby-sized void.

Since I was in Cary, I decided to stop back into Gather. I had gone to their grand opening last weekend, and while it was fun and beautiful, it was so very crowded & I wanted a second chance to look around & learn more about it. It's a pretty amazing space - retail, coffee & local creative entrepreneurs coexisting in a store front with a remarkably comfy & home-like atmosphere. I decided another latte was a must, and chatted for a while with Casey, the sweet lady behind Gather's in house coffee shop, Grounds. She uses beans from Raleigh Coffee Co., and also owns Undergrounds, a coffee shop inside the NC Museum of History in downtown Raleigh. It felt like sitting at your favorite quite bar & talking with your bartender, something I've never experienced in a coffee shop. And the latte was perfect.

I was also fortunate enough to talk with Michelle, the owner of the space, for a bit & hear her mission behind Gather. As well as being an amazing artist herself, featured in places such as Anthropologie, Real Simple & West Elm , she's also the brains behind The Rock & Shop Market, held annually in Durham. She spoke about her passion for helping budding creative entrepreneurs towards success, and creating a network of local like-minded people as well as a place for those people to come together, meet & collaborate, and empower & encourage one another and their work. There are leased studio spaces in the shop, and also a co-working program that sounds like such a wonderful opportunity.

I think my favorite part is the classes offered - as their website says, "Gather’s line-up of classes covers DIY, gardening, food and business and promotion intensives geared towards niche artisan entrepreneurs." I signed up for a handlettering class this month with the talented Joel & Ashely Selby of This Paper Ship! I love the idea of local artists & creative business owners hosting these unique community learning classes. I'm eyeing a few more in the line up, including Buttercream Basics: the Art of the Layer Cake with Sweet Melissa Cakes & Branding and Packaging with the Dapper Paper Co.

The shop part of the space features a few local artists at a time, and everything available right now is beautiful. My wishlist is quite long, but I did go ahead and pick up a couple prints, made by Jordan Grace Owens who I met at the grand opening and makes simply adorable things. Gather has definitely been added to my list of local places I love, and I can't wait stop in again.

Of course I brought macaroons home from La Farm, and might've had a little bed picnic whilst admiring my new prints. It was a day well spent, one that left me feeling inspired and refreshed as a good day off should. 

LOCAL: LOCOPOPS & LUCKY STRIKE VINTGE

Hillsborough Street is one of those classic Raleigh spots that has no lack of dining, shopping, or entertainment. But be warned--Hillsborough Street is the main drag of the NC State campus. The traffic during school hours is horrendous, so go late or on a weekend (or better yet go during the summer when the students are all at home). On a steamy day last week, we chose to hit up an old favorite, Locopops, and explore a new-to-Raleigh shop, Lucky Strike Vintage.

If you dig creative popsicle flavors and bright colors, you must visit Locopops. They have a few staple flavors plus rotating specials. Our favorites include the Mango Chile, Rasberry Hibiscus, and Cookies & Cream flavors. This trip we opted for Mighty Mojito (it's very lime-y, but yummy if you like that) and Mexican Chocolate.

For your (awkward) amusement, here are a few accidental "Oh, You Were Taking A Picture? I Was Eating This Popsicle" pictures:

Second stop on our Hillsborough Street romp was the new Lucky Strike Vintage shop. This location opened fairly recently, and we'd heard good things about the Winston Salem shop. They had tons of cowboy boots, vintage hats, and a lot of vinyl among their offerings. We had some fun trying on an awkwardly tiny 70's wedding dress and an obscenely peach bridesmaid's dress (sorry, we won't bless you with photo evidence...although..it does exist). The owner of the shop was able to fit tons of things into a small space in a fun way, and I'm certain that if anyone dug long enough, they'd find pieces worth purchasing. Sarah found a pair of Steve Madden oxfords that she would have snapped up in a heartbeat, but alas!, they weren't her size. Sigh. We're looking forward to going back occasionally for records & neat wardrobe finds.

 

 

LOCAL: NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART

Last weekend we went to NCMA for a brief respite from the heat, and of course, added bonus of beautifully curated rooms to wander through. The museum is free, so if you haven't gotten a chance to check it out, you really should. The rooms are organized by century, ranging from modern pieces to ancient African art. We especially love the American collection. The staff is quite helpful - one of the security guards saw us taking photos & pointed out some interesting views and chatted away. I won't lie..one of my favorite things is the twig installation on the wall of the museum restaurant. Does that make me uncultured?! It's so interesting & fun. And we might have spent a generous portion of time in the gift shop. It has so many trinkets & local wares that we were both coveting. Perfect for birthday presents or stocking stuffers.
If you're of stronger constitution than we, and are willing to brave the August heat, you can also take the walking paths through the outdoor part of the museum. We prefer that portion in the fall & spring, but there are several really neat things on the paths (including a cloud room that looks like a hobbit house!).

LOCAL: FOOD TRUCK RODEO

     This Sunday, August 11th Daniel, Jack & I trooped downtown with a huge group of friends from church to hit up the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo. As Daniel pointed out, "This ain't our first Rodeo." We tried before back in May and all nearly died of heat stroke because that time it was a noon event. Hot, but nonetheless delicious. This go round the event was planned for the evening (very good call!). We walked from our house down to Fayetteville Street and hotly debated which truck to eat from. We definitely knew we wanted pork, so the Urban Street Grill looked promising (and very sleek, I might add). But we ended up agreeing upon The Humble Pig! I've seen this truck often parked around Fullsteam Brewery in Durham, and have always wanted to try their fare. Plus, their truck is incredibly cute! We ordered a pulled pork sandwich, a beef brisket sandwich, and the beer battered fries. Pro tip: find a spot in the shade to eat. We were able to stake out a shady spot on the steps of the Post Office on Fayetteville street. There are tables set up on the sidewalks as well, which are nice if you can snag one large enough to accommodate your group.

The next Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo is scheduled for October 13th from noon-5 pm, if you'd like to give it a try! The Humble Pig hogged the spotlight on this trip, so to be fair, here's a list of a few of our other favorite local food trucks. The best way to catch one of these guys is to follow their twitter accounts:

Pie Pushers for delectable pizza.

Porchetta (pronounced PORK-etta), for Tuscan pork sandwiches.

American Meltdown for gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. 

And for your listening pleasure ;) "This Ain't My First Rodeo" the 1990 hit by Vern Gosdin:

LOCAL: AFTER WORK DRINKS

Last Monday I (Danielle) began a new job, and we went out for drinks afterwards to celebrate/de-stress. Sometimes knowing that girl time + cocktails are on the agenda makes a day at the office go just a little bit better. It can be difficult to find time in our quite different but equally as busy schedules to hang out/catch up/plan blog things, but we try to carve out a bit of time once or twice a week, even if it's just to grab a cup of coffee. So we took full advantage of Monday evening, visiting three of our favorite downtown bars.

Our first stop was Raleigh Times for a snack (yummy cheese fries, to be exact) & some sidewalk people watching. The Times is sort of the "go to" Raleigh bar & restaurant, and is super busy around lunch and on weekend nights. With good reason - it boasts 4 bars, including one upstairs with a balcony patio, a comprehensive beer selection, and excellent food. And of course, like attached Morning Times, great sidewalk seating. We recommend basically the whole menu, but especially the burgers, pork pulled nachos, & spinach artichoke dip!

(Funny side story - they recently stopped selling PBR in an effort to moderate the clientele a bit...hipster turn down haha)

Our next stop was Foundation, an underground bar with speak-easy vibes. They specialize in local options, craft beers, and seasonal cocktails with fresh ingredients. It's dimly lit and quiet in the evenings, perfect for sipping & talking. Sarah went with whiskey - Old Fitzgerald 12, and I had a Southern 95 - a spin on a French 75, made with champagne, vodka, local honey, & peach bitters (good, but a tad on the sweet side for me).

We finished the evening at Landmark Tavern, my personal favorite Raleigh bar. We love the patio out back, and the bartenders are always funny and nice. On the weekends it gets pretty crowded, but during the week it's calm with a great atmosphere. (Sarah is a bit accustomed to fancier cocktails, and I love when she has to figure out what to order at a basic bar...gin & tonic is her safe bet.)

Where do you head after a long work day?