Like a hug in a mug, this one will perk you up. Whether or not you know the backstory of famed feel-good Gabi’s Grounds (nee 2017), it’s worth a re-brew. After being met with “no” in her relentless job search, namesake Gabi Angelini started her eponymous coffee company. A Raleigh resident with Down syndrome, Gabi had always aspired to own her own concept—so, with a “just brew it” attitude, she partnered with local coffee roaster Larry’s Coffee—and the rest, as they say, is history.
Ever since, Gabi’s Grounds has skyrocketed—not only as favorite buys online and at pop-up events—but Gabi has also spoken at several countrywide special-needs conferences, and was even a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show (!).
Thus, the brand has served as not just a passion project, but a platform, allowing Gabi and her mom, Mary Angelini, to fulfill their mission to employ as many individuals with special abilities in the Raleigh area as possible. “Our operations are focused on providing meaningful employment and workplace training for these individuals so they can become self-reliant and self-supporting,” says Mary. “I am so thankful for our 30 employees—they are amazing! They are truly the hardest working people I have ever met.”
And since a cup full of coffee is a cup full of happiness, gifting Gabi’s Grounds this holiday season is akin to spreading euphoria. This season, the brand is brewing up several gift box sets, including the Morning, Noon & Night Gift Box (a dark roast, medium roast and decaf) and the Coffee & Chocolate Gift Box (your choice of coffee, coffee raspberry chocolate and a koozie). Or, spread the love a latte by snagging your loved ones a monthly Gabi’s Coffee Subscription. So you can spread holiday cheer, keep your loved ones caffeinated and support a great cause. Clearly, today’s good mood is sponsored by coffee. gabisgrounds.com
Three creatives are leaving their mark all over town (and beyond).
It must be a sign. A trio of creatives is branding Raleigh—literally—and beyond via signage for many of-the-moment and iconic spaces. And while these creatives tend to fly under the radar as the news of these hot spots drops, it’s their signs that are emblematic of these rising Raleigh places—and what first draws to mind.
From left to right: Paul Tuorto, Joseph Giampino (PC Oak City Productions), Brian Chiarizia (PC Tyler Northrup)
While the buzz for budding spaces typically centers on the chefs, bartenders and architects—“rightly so,” says Tuorto—it’s this design trifecta who’s working behind the scenes to bring the visual concept to fruition. “That’s really important, and I don’t think a lot of people notice that,” adds Giampino.
Tuorto credits Raleigh designer Josh Gajownik (famed for branding Ashley Christensen’s Death & Taxes and Sunny Gerhart’s St. Roch, among others) for building the city’s aesthetic—and paving the way for future designers (Exhibit A: this unstoppable trio).
And you don’t have to be a graphic designer or art aficionado to realize how crazy-cool this team’s designs are. Typically, when attacking a project together, Tuorto will draw up the branding and logo; Chiarizia will fabricate whatever the design is being placed on (a sign, etc.); and Giampino will handpaint it—though there’s typically some back-and-forth between them, as well as the client.
Though each does solo projects as well, Chiarizia says they work very well together, and “we have this trust in each other—we know each of us is going to deliver 100% of the time,” he says. He adds that they work with each other as much as they can, recommending each other to clients for projects they’re involved in. “It’s definitely not something that any of us take lightly. We’re all humbled by and proud of what we do,” adds Chiarizia.
As such, Chiarizia can name 20-plus places he’s worked on with Tuorto and Giampino, but one of Tuorto’s favorite undertakings as a trio was the branding for Alimentari at Left Bank in Transfer Co. Food Hall. Tuorto says the project melded together their cultural familiarity—they’re all Italian! Tuorto drew up the look of the signage and menu board and designed their content; Chiarizia built everything; Giampino painted it all.
“So it was just this fantastic little team putting together something we all knew we’d love,” adds Tuorto, “and all of us were incredibly biased because we were waiting for a shop like that for a long time.”
The true beauty of their work, says Giampino, is that it isn’t trendy—it’s timeless. Adds Chiarizia: “In the end, I think we are all just doing something that we are incredibly passionate about, and take pride in, and we just happened to be in the same place at the same time. Lucky, I guess.”
And as the Triangle continues to grow at warp speed, “there’s a free license to do anything here,” maintains Tuorto. And Chiarizia says he doesn’t see the partnership ending anytime soon. Especially when the branding is coming from a talented design team such as this one, you know the end product is going to be inspired—and inspiring.
“It feels good to leave a mark in the city,” says Giampino. “It’s nice to work with two other people who also take a lot of pride and care about the product that they’re making.” And for that, we think they deserve all the attention in the world.
How small is affordable in Raleigh? A new law regarding tiny homes could address Raleigh’s affordable housing shortage.
Big houses are big business right now with nary a home to spare—and the housing market is setting price records monthly. Enter the potential game changer: tiny living.
Now, joining the popular pocket-size living craze, the City of Oaks may be seeing more tiny houses, thanks to recommended zoning rule changes that would allow for the construction of tiny homes—meaning sub-600 square feet. (City Council will hear public input on Dec. 7.)
So are tiny homes the future of Raleigh real estate? Well, as these residences are typically half the cost of a standard house—if not more—it would certainly come as good news for those struggling to afford a home in Raleigh’s current market, providing locals with a cheaper (albeit smaller) option when it comes to housing.
But Tiny Homes Raleigh owner Dexter Tillet isn’t convinced. “I don’t think it’s going to be the future,” he says, “but I think there’s going to be space for it. A lot of people really value it. I think it’s just gonna give Raleigh citizens more options, and that’s what we really want.” Tillet adds that, if you look at cities across the country with similar growth as Raleigh—like Portland, Oregon, where he lived for about a year—almost every house has a tiny house addition. It’s just one way in which city officials can handle the density and growth that Raleigh is facing.
Besides price, smaller spaces are also attractive in that many people aren’t looking for huge living spaces right now. During the pandemic, we saw people make a mass exodus for the burbs and bigger spaces—because quarantine and WFH—but since the world has reopened again (pause for applause), we’ve seen a rapid rewind, if not reversal, in that cultural shift. Now sick of their four walls, people want to mix and mingle… and just want a place to lay their heads—and spend their dollars on experiences.
But when it comes to tiny homes, functionality and outdoor space aren’t a compromise—in fact, it’s the most attractive aspect, according to Tillet. These small residences offer a little front yard, a backyard, plumbing and their own HVAC unit. “I think tiny homes give a really good option—especially for multifamily—for a different type of living,” he says.
And tiny living isn’t confined to tiny houses. Take Midtown’s newest development, Raleigh Iron Works, which is offering 430- to 865-square-foot micro, studio and one-bedroom units in its multifamily rental building that put an emphasis on amenities and location rather than square footage—providing yet another option for cheaper, smaller living. The developers say their goal in the design of these efficient floor plans is to provide right-size living to fit the needs of today’s renters.
So what’s next? If City Council approves the tiny homes changes, it would allow these petite pads to be built as standalone buildings or in tiny-home communities with shared open space. “So just like a housing development you would have for a subdivision for a neighborhood, it’s the same thing, but just a smaller footprint and more density,” explains Tillet. “It’s just a lot more people utilizing that land. So I think that’s what we have to do as a growing city, and one of the benefits of living in a tiny home is knowing what you want, knowing what you don’t want and kind of just simplifying your life.” After all, a simple life is a happy life.
$398,500 Median sales price of Wake County real estate
$209 million+ October real estate sales (of transactions worth $30+ million) in Wake County
17th Highest millennial homeownership rate in U.S.
$52,000 Average cost of a tiny home nationally in August
“Do you not care about my hot dog?!” Depends on who you ask… Raleigh City Council voted 7–1 for pushcarts in Downtown Raleigh to shut down earlier at 1:15am (effective Dec. 16), instead of the longtime approved 3am. From Council’s majority standpoint, the measure is an effort to keep hungry bargoers from lining up and congesting already-busy sidewalks at closing time—particularly in the boisterous Glenwood South district—and thereby also helping to avoid the additional issues that may come from folks lingering in the area and filtering into surrounding communities (see our November story on Glenwood South safety measures).
Why? Because “apparently if people can’t buy hot dogs, they won’t congregate on sidewalks after leaving the bar,” says one rather infuriated bargoer to whom we spoke. But does pushing out pushcarts solve the problem? According to dissenting Council member Jonathan Melton, the answer is no. “Where are those people going to go if the pushcarts are not there?” he asked. Which is a great question considering there are no eateries on Glenwood South open after 2am—what with Snoopy’s now closed and Armadillo Grill not reupping its late-night hours post-pandemic. And for the pushcart owners, considering almost all of their sales are post-1:30am: “Any change of the hours of operation will permanently and instantly kill our business and cause many of us to lose our income,” said one local pushcart owner during the City Council meeting.
Clearly, quite the pickle. “I will tell you that one of the reasons we kept these open till 3 o’clock was so people could get food,” said Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, “so they wouldn’t just get in their cars and drive somewhere. It was seen as a different type of safety measure. But, at the same time, that was before Uber, Lyft, rideshares and whatnot. That’s how long these rules have been in effect.” Obviously, there’s no easy answer… short of a stop at Cook Out on your way home for now—if you can convince your Uber driver.
Holiday shopping is in full force, and Downtown Raleigh Alliance, StartUp at Wake Tech and LM Restaurants are making it easier than ever for you to shop local via Pop-Up Shops at Martin Street. Check everyone off your list via such select tenants as as Chance’s RDU vintage and secondhand, and TrêsLife natural hair and body. Happy giving! 17 E. Martin St.
Chance’s RDU
Well this is tee-rific news: Topgolf is opening a new three-level, 102-bay venue at the Park on Page development near RTP late summer 2022, tapping in as Topgolf’s third NC location. Putter late than never! topgolf.com
The Zen is in at Cary’s new Kuantum Life—focused on transforming through harmony of the body, mind and spirit via a wide range of transformative selects—from books, jewelry and gifts to crystals, apparel, and even its own line of locally made aromatherapy oils. 115-A W. Chatham St., Cary
A true “rags to riches” American Dream triumph, Tanzanian immigrant Lilian Danieli’s just-opened DTR Nashona brick-and-mortar (the premiere location is in Goldsboro) houses must-don colorful, showstopping dresses, tops, skirts and accessories handcrafted with vibrant African fabrics. 21 W. Hargett St.
Extreme Makeover meets curated art as the NCMA gets a collection redesign with new major works loaned from state, national and international museums in honor of the 75th anniversary of the NC legislature designating state funding to create the People’s Collection at the NCMA (aka its free permanent collection) next year. 2110 Blue Ridge Road
