Don’t have to be tidy to be neat
An eclectic mix of vintage clothes, coffee, and music is right around the corner from campus at the Untidy Museum and the neighboring Ooh La Latté café. Both businesses are owned by partners Michelle Lee and Jennifer Donner. The Untidy Museum was originally a store that contained a plethora of vintage merchandise: ‘50s ties and cat-eye glasses, old comic books, Life magazines and a notable shoe collection as well as the trendy “Durham, love yourself” T-shirts that can be seen on many Duke students. Last year, Lee and Donner also opened an adjoining coffee shop that offers high quality coffee drinks and homemade pastries. The café also features performances by local musicians at night and serves as a low-key study environment during the day. The spacious Untidy Museum has pink, white and black walls and is filled with inviting animal print and paisley couches that give the café a retro feel. Wireless internet is also available in the café, making it a fun and practical alternative to the usual study spots.
Southern charm
The destination for fine wine, aged cheese and imported chocolate in the Triangle is A Southern Season, Chapel Hill’s gourmet food market. Located just 20 minutes from Duke, the store serves the needs of everyone from Cadbury enthusiasts to wine connoisseurs, from culinary dilletantes to hostesses who desire to own Nigella Lawson cookware. And that’s just the beginning.
Founded in 1975 by Michael Barefoot, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate, A Southern Season has expanded to a 59,000-square-foot store, featuring over 75,000 items divided into the categories of grocery, coffee & tea, wine, cheeses, deli, candy, housewares, floral and gifts. The sheer size of the location gives A Southern Season a supermarket feel, but the autonomy of each section creates the ambiance of a European street market.
Although Duke students might not have much use for hundreds of cooking gadgets and flatware patterns, anyone with a sweet tooth will appreciate the chocolate and confection area, which offers a grand tour of the world’s best candy. And although global in concept, the store also supports North Carolina merchants by featuring local grocery items. Plenty of delicious samples add to the fun of shopping.
A Southern Season is a perfect parents weekend destination, an ideal place to pick up classy gifts and a fabulous option for the gourmet guru in all of us to run wild.
The king of clubs
King’s Barcade in Raleigh is one part cold beer, one part arcade, and one part rockin’ music. Started by three, local, music aficionados, King’s is built around a live music atmosphere but is open even on non-concert nights as a private, full-service bar and game room. The barcade has trivia nights, movie screenings, and, of course, drink specials when it’s not showcasing local musical talent. Though big-name acts don’t frequently play the club, King’s unique appeal should soon make it a premiere venue in the area. The bar itself is respectable, with a nice, reasonably priced selection (including Pabst Blue Ribbon). Small sitting tables, random arcade games, and foosball and pool tables dot the floor of the lively main room. At the back of the barcade, in a great feat of feng shui, a cozy stage and standing area are set off from the drinking and Pac-man.
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