An NC State grad won a renowned cheese-rolling race in England, and now she’s coming back to the Carolinas as an international celebrity.
This summer, recent NC State grad Abby Lampe rolled into 15 minutes (or more?!) of fame after taking the W in the annual Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling race across the pond in Gloucestershire, England—for which she had to literally roll (read: Rough and tumble) down a hill chasing a 7-pound round of cheese that whoever gets first wins! And now, as the first American woman to claim the crown, this cheese queen is rolling back to the U.S. to howling applause.
With a mantra to “be the cheese,” Lampe strategized and trained at Dorothea Dix Park before leaving the country. While she determined pre-race that it was best to go headfirst, she failed to factor in the steepness of Cooper’s Hill and the lack of control she’d have as she plummeted down the hill.
Since her cheesy triumph, Lampe has traveled to six countries around Europe, experiencing new cultures and eating lots of food, especially dishes featuring cheese (natch). Here at home, Lampe’s fame has spread—from recognition from her alma mater (Go Pack!) to a nod from Gov. Roy Cooper to spotlights in various prominent publications like Southern Living and Sports Illustrated.
Beyond being all over the news, Lampe has been working with Wolfpack Outfitters, among other apparel outlets, to drop specialty merch with her face emblazoned on the front. The clothing is fun and whimsical with clever captions like “Cheese Queen” and “This is how the Wolfpack rolls.”
But it gets cheddar. Lampe will be donating 100% of the proceeds she receives from her T-shirt sales through IconicHeroes and 75% of the sales through Wolfpack Outfitters to the V Foundation for Cancer Research founded by Jimmy Valvano “in support of the head coach who led us to a natty championship,” she says. As of publication, donations are estimated to be at a little over $500. … Talk about a grate cause!
So, where is Lampe’s famous cheese trophy now? In her parents’ upstairs fridge, of course. “My dad goes to look at it every day,” laughs Lampe. “And when I get home, I want to look at my cheese and give it a big hug.”
Once she returns to North Carolina, Lampe’s first order of business is to go to the dentist for her chipped tooth (a small price to pay for her victory), and then she plans to host a charcuterie board night with her friends and family featuring her cheese as the main dish (!).
“This has been so surreal—the amount of support I’ve been given is insane,” says the cheese queen. “I am so grateful for the experience, and I just feel really blessed to represent NC State—and that this can bring the community together.”
Make sure to snag some of Lampe’s merch, and catch her as the guest of honor at Packapalooza and at NC State’s first home football game against Charleston Southern on Sept. 10. No doubt, heads will roll… shop.ncsu.edu/cheese-rolling-champion
Small business owner-slash-single mom Baily Rich ensures style is never stationary with her mobile retail shop.
“We stop, you shop.” So goes the saying for Baily’s Rolling Boutique, the cute, creative full-service boutique on wheels that’s always ready to roll with the punches—and the latest fashion.
A retail veteran, namesake owner Baily Rich first got the itch to do her own thing during the pandemic following a five-year stint as GM at a Raleigh boutique. Then, switching hats, if you will, she purchased a beat-up 1987 Chevy Stepvan on Craigslist in 2021 and worked with her boyfriend for seven months to transform it into a beautiful rolling shop, complete with skylight, heating and cooling capabilities, and a fitting room.
“I had a vision of what I wanted it to look like,” says Rich. “I wanted it to look like an upscale boutique, not a truck. We really just figured it out as we went.”
Bringing the goods straight to shoppers’ homes, neighborhoods and jobs, Baily’s Boutique offers a curated collection of clothing that you won’t find elsewhere in Raleigh, stemming from Rich’s vision to provide fashionable fits for women that strive to look stylish yet stay comfortable.
Aside from curating apparel, Rich’s favorite part of owning a mobile boutique is just that—it’s mobile. “It’s been really neat to get out in the community in a way that I would not have been able to if I didn’t have my mobile boutique,” she says. Mobility also means flexibility, which helps Rich balance both being a small business owner and a mom to a 10-year-old boy.
As she keeps on trucking, Rich has goals to partner with more small business owners and rack up miles beyond Raleigh. “I would love to do another truck with extended sizes,” says Rich. “It would also be cool to do men’s and kids’ [clothing].”
In true mobile fashion, Baily’s Boutique also pops up at markets around the Triangle, and Rich’s clothing can be found at Painted Tree Boutique in Cary and White Street Boutique in Wake Forest. You can even book the truck (for free!) for your next girls’ night, private party or event. Talk about fast-rolling fashion! shopbailys.com
In a literal cycle of life, Baldwin& Creative Director Bob Ranew breathes new life into classic motorcycles.
When he isn’t kicking creative ass illustrating, photographing, designing or tackling entrepreneurial endeavors, Baldwin& Creative Director Bob Ranew restores classic bikes to their former glory via his hobby-turned-company Redeemed Cycles (recognized as a top 50 custom motorcycle builder in the world by French motorcycle lifestyle magazine Moto Heroes!). Here, we chat up the creative director by day, bike builder by night on all things career, creative and more.
Bob Ranew / Redeemed Cycles
Where does your love of motos stem from? I loved motorcycles as a kid, but my parents would never let me ride them. Once I got married, we had a little extra money, so I got my first street bike, but I had to sell it when we had kids to buy furniture. Eventually I wanted a custom-built bike, so I started Googling photos and I found these crazy, Mad Max bare-metal raw motorcycles. Then I found this guy in Richmond named John Ryland who was building them and learned from watching John that he wasn’t doing everything himself—he found people to do it with (mechanics, etc.).
What motorcycle popped your restoration cherry? A friend (who has now passed away) had a motorcycle that he wanted to give me because he felt like I could give it a second life. I got it running and was able to turn it into a cafe racer in my garage. The rest is history.
Why “Redeemed Cycles”? It’s easy to make something look good. … I do that every day at the office, but giving something life again after it has been dead for decades is the greatest feeling ever. That’s why I named my business Redeemed Cycles. You take these discarded old bikes, worthless to most, and give them a new life that’s better than their first.
What kind of bikes do you redeem? Harley, BMW, Honda, Triumph, Ducati and Yamaha bikes for many first-time vintage owners.
How does your side hustle rev up your day job and vice versa? The two can be very similar. When working on an established brand, we have to peel back the onion and ask: Why did their business start? What were they trying to solve? Is the vision still clear today? How do we strip away all of the unnecessary junk that’s clouded their mission? Old bikes are the same. My first step when beginning a new build is stripping everything down to the bare frame, building using only what’s necessary, then making custom changes to make it cool and relevant to today—which is the same thing we do at work when we help a brand stay relevant.
Any advice for the road? If there is something that fascinates you, something you’re passionate about—even if you know nothing about whatever that passion is—you can figure it out and do it. Never let the unknown stop you. In advertising, we’re always trying to do something that’s never been done before, so I try to apply that boldness to my personal life as well. Sure, you’re going to mess up when you’re trying something new, but even that is a great learning process. redeemedcycles.com
This interview has been lightly edited for length.
Shop, sweat and spruce up your style and space with our retail picks for September.
Feel the burn at AKT’s new Brier Creek location, where you can bust out your best moves while breaking a sweat via choreographed classes featuring dance movements for cardio and strength. 8531 Brier Creek Parkway, Ste. 107
You’re gonna want to sit down for this (get it?). Globally inspired, heirloom-quality furniture brand Arhaus relocated from Crabtree Valley Mall to a new 17,974-square-foot location at Fenton. Time to redecorate? 300 Fenton Gateway
Peace out, cancer! Eight-year-old Harper (and close family friend of Duke’s Coach K) tackled her battle with leukemia and recently scanned cancer free (!). Now, she’s partnered with Custom Ink to design a Peace Out Cancer T-shirt—using 50% of the proceeds for her medical expenses and donating the rest to the V Foundation for Cancer Research. customink.com
You’re gonna wanna take note of The Flourish Market’s recently debuted private-label custom-dress collection, especially because every single one has pockets (!). Um, yes, please! 307 W. Martin St.
I beg your garden? Good Dirt Raleigh is opening a new location offering products derived from renewable plant-based components. OK, bloomer! 1500 Brookside Drive
We’re a sucker for Joe Jonas’ new brand partnership with XEOMIN, an FDA-approved anti-wrinkle injection by Merz Aesthetics, headquartered in Raleigh. xeominaesthetic.com
There’s nothing unorthodox about secondhand shopping, especially at Unorthodox Vintage, a cool new collab by Sir Chance’s and She Thrifty Apparel in DTR. Get ready to slayyy in your new vintage ’fit. 206 S. Wilmington St.
Nails done, lashes done, everything did. Pamper yourself with a visit to Reign Luxury Beauty Lounge, now open in City Market, which offers a variety of manis and pedis, lash lifts, and more. We fancy a trip, ASAP. 325 Blake St.
As National Chocolate Milkshake Day approaches Sept. 12, it’s time to shake things up with a quiz. Keep your cool and summon up all that sweet knowledge of the Triangle’s local scoop shops and milkshake connoisseurs to bring all the boys (and girls) to the yard…
1. Videri’s ice cream window… name a better summertime treat—we’ll wait. Which of these is one of the countries from which Videri sources cocoa nibs for its signature chocolate bars?
a. Tanzania
b. Taiwan
c. Vietnam
d. Columbia
2. MoJoe’s Burger Joint will have you flipping for more than just its freshly grilled patties. This Raleigh resto also spins up original, rich (and sometimes boozy!) shakes. What year did this (burger and) shake shack join the hoppin’ Glenwood South scene?
a. 2000
b. 2002
c. 1998
d. 2008
3. “Love people. Love ice cream. In that order.” So goes the MO for Two Roosters, which features both fan-fave forever flavors and rotating themed flavors. One of its standard scoops features doughnuts from what local shop?
a. Tepuy Donuts
b. Daylight Donuts
c. Bright Spot Donuts
d. Sola Coffee Cafe
4. Like ’em thick? Known for its dense and delectable handspun shakes (plus burgers and BBQ, natch), Cookout’s milkshakes are a must-have always—but especially late-night. About how many milkshake flavors are offered on this familiar fast-food joint’s menu to feed the crave?
a. 20
b. 40
c. 70
d. 100
5. Here’s the inside scoop: Howdy Homemade Ice Cream is on a mission to serve amazing ice cream while creating jobs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Outside the Triangle, in which additional North Carolina city can you find this ice cream chain?
a. Asheville
b. Wilmington
c. Greensboro
d. Charlotte
6. Talk about legen-dairy. NC State has an age-old tradition of allowing each chancellor to select a new ice cream flavor for its signature Howling Cow ice cream menu. What was Chancellor Randy Woodson’s pick?
a. Cherry Brick Road
b. Campfire Delight
c. Wolf Tracks
d. Peanut Butter Spin
7. Right down the road in Hillsborough, Maple View Farm offers the Triangle’s highest-quality farm-fresh milk and ice cream—plus milkshakes, of course. In what year did Maple View open its doors?
a. 1995
b. 2001
c. 2005
d. 2010
8. True to its name, FRESH Local Ice Cream handmakes its products fresh at each of its scoop shops. When FRESH is on the moo-ve in its ice cream truck, what color vehicle should potential patrons keep their eyes peeled for?
