March 14, 2012 · 11:37 am

Buy Local! Designer’s Downtown Market ~ March 17th

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Photo Courtesy of Designer's Downtown Market

The next Designers Downtown Market will be held this Saturday, March 17th from 9am – 3pm in the parking lot of Ornamentea on West Street in downtown Raleigh. The event features fine locally made arts and crafts with an outdoor big city feel.  Our vendors showcase some of the finest handcrafted arts and crafts in the area: jewelry, pottery, apparel, stained glass, paper crafts and more!  Every show is different, with new artists and craftspeople coming in every event. Browse the vendor list at www.designersdowntownmarket.com to see who will be at the upcoming Market.

In addition to locally made handcrafted arts and crafts the downtown market will feature amazing local food vendors including Klausie’s Pizza Truck, Crumb, Monster Cookies & Cakes, Latin Flavors, and Cheesecakes by Brian.

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Photo Courtesy of Designer's Downtown Market

Raindate:  Sunday, March 18th

Where: 509 N. West Street – Raleigh, NC  (Google Map)

When: 9am – 3pm

Website: www.designersdowntownmarket.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/designersdowntownmarket

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March 13, 2012 · 4:04 pm

Pictures of the Week ~ Electric Vehicle Spotted at North Raleigh Whole Foods

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I ran across my first electric vehicle in the Triangle yesterday. It was the 100% electric Nissan Leaf.  I noticed it parked at a charging station in the parking lot outside of the North Raleigh Whole Foods off Six Forks Road.

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There are two charging stations at this location. They are located on the side of the building next to the huge silver rainwater harvesting cistern.  At this time there is no fee for using these chargers. You may have noticed a second car is also parked by a charger. Unfortunately it was not an electric vehicle.  Just somebody too lazy to park in a regular parking spot.

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To view a map of all the publicly available the  charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) in and around Raleigh head on over to the  Raleigh Connoisseur blog and check out his “Raleigh EV Charging Station Central” site.

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March 10, 2012 · 6:49 am

Do you like Coffee and Chocolate? Help Cocoa Cinnamon Become A Reality in Durham!

The founders of the mobile business bikeCOFFEE are looking to raise money to help them launch a brick-and-mortar shop in Durham called Cocoa Cinnamon.  This wouln’t be your run of the mill coffee place. Cocoa Cinnamon will be a community space  built around coffee, chocolate, spices and teas.

The husband-and-wife team behind the business, Leon Grodski de Barrera and Areli Barrera de Grodski, have launched a Kickstarter fundraising campaign with a goal of raising $20,000. This money will be put towards purchasing equipment and plumbing & electrical work needed for their planned location at 420 Gear Street in downtown Durham around the corner from Fullsteam and Motorco.

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420 Geer Street Durham,NC ~ Future home of Cocoa Cinnamon

Cocoa Cinnamon will feature espresso drinks, drinking chocolates, and handmade chocolates in addition to the hot chocolate and coffees from local roasters that they currently offer through their mobile business bikeCOFFEE. Remember, while you  they work on opening their brick and mortart location you can still find bikeCOFFEE set up each Saturday at the Durham Farmers’ Market and Sundays at Motorco’s “Bloody Brunch”. They are also regular participants in food truck events and rodeos like the one happening this Sunday, March 10th at Durham Central Park.

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bikeCoffee at Durham Farmers' Market

To contribute to their Kickstarter campaing to make Cocoa Cinnamon a reality GO HERE. Be sure to check out the awesome rewards they are offering as a way to say “thank you” for helping them reach their goal.

More Information:

Cocoa Cinnamon Website: http://cocoacinnamon.com/

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/cocoacinnamon

Twitter: @cocoacinnamon

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March 5, 2012 · 10:23 pm

Free Burgers for a Year! Anniversary Golden Bull Search at Bull City Burger & Brewery in Durham

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Flight of Beer Samples ~ From left to right: Parrish Street Pale Ale, Pratt Pilsner, Bull's IPA, & Youngen Horny Barley Wine.

Bull City Burger & Brewery in Durham is celebrating its one year anniverary this month. To help them celebrate they are holding another “find the golden bull” contest like the one they did to mark their grand opening back in March 2011. The owner has hidden 5 small golden bull figures around Durham. Each day they post a clue about where they are hidden. If you find one of the golden bulls you win a free burger a week for the next year! You read the contest clues and rules here.

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The Bar at Bull Coty Burger & Brewery

Sadly, I have yet to eat one of their burgers but I hear they are fantastic. They use locally sourced meat that is hormone and antibiotic free. They also brew their own beer onsite and serve up some incredible “dirty” fries. I stopped in Bull City to sample some of their beers (pictured above). You can sample 3 or more of their beers for just $1 each and full pints are only $4.22.

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Seating at Bull City Burger & Brewery

Seasting consists of chairs at the bar and large community tables on the main floor where groups can sit together. You place your order at the counter and are given a number to display on your table and a server will bring you your food. Bull City Burger has been well received by the burger loving crowd and plays a strong role in the ongoing revitalization of downtown Durham. To learn more about the menu and beer offerings check out their website and facebook page. Check back here soon for a full review of their burgers as I plan to eat there early next month and get some additional photos!

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March 2, 2012 · 11:58 am

Marry Durham’s One Year Anniversary Celebration ~ March 17, 2012

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For those who tied the knot with Durham last spring the first anniversary is fast approaching.

Marry Durham‘s first anniversary will be celebrated on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.  Marry Durham is a family-friendly event featuring live music, food trucks, and revelry intended to promote citizen engagement in Durham, celebrate Durhamites’ love for their quirky little town, and raise funds for non-profits in the Durham community! 

WHEN: 2:30-5:30 pm • Saturday, March 17, 2012

WHERE: 700 Block of Rigsbee Avenue (between W. Geer & Corporation Streets)

This celebration will remind us of our vows to keep our streets clean and safe, protect our natural resources, shop locally, support the arts and local non-profit organizations, cherish diversity, and elect responsible leaders.

Food Trucks • Entertainment • Parade

Sponsored By: Motorco, The Bar, Surf Club, Lloyd’s Lounge

To review pictures from the inaugural Marry Durham Celebration check out this photo gallery from the Independent Weekly: Link

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