Brighten your winter with vibrant clothing, great reads and more.
Bookend your weekend—literally—with a great read and a brewski at Beow’s Books and Brews, a bar/independent bookstore combo inspired by great conversation and The Inklings, aka CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Dorothy Sayers and more. Happy reading! @beowsbooks
Photo by Chris Blakenship
If your abode’s in need of some rejuvenation, look no further than Fenton’s recently bowed Rejuvenation, offering heirloom-quality lighting, sleek furniture and spunky rugs bright enough to beat the winter blues—plus a focus on superior craftsmanship that’ll class up any home aesthetic. @rejuvenation
Pardon our French (bulldog merch). If you’re a fan of Frenchies, stop byJ & J Frenchies to stock up on bulldog-themed candles and wax melts to bring some puppy love (and a sweet aroma!) into your home. No bull! @jandjfrenchies
You can never have too many bags. Crabtree Valley Mall’s forthcoming Brahmin takes luxury leather goods to the next level via an array of totes that’ll elevate any outfit—from trendy metallic mini bags to timeless black totes. Time to purse shop till you drop!@brahmin
Built for bookworms on a budget, North Raleigh’s new bookstore, Wanderlust Books, marks all its used reads for a mere $5, so guests can dive into untapped tales and knowledge without breaking the bank—NTM stock up on local art and goods. How lit. @wanderlustbooksnc
Picture this: Caitlin Cary’s curated and constantly changing selection of art Pocket Gallery is sliding over to City Market to continue to display local Raleigh artists and artisans. Talk about a perfect image! @pocketgallery_raleigh
Photo by Caitlin Cary
The ’70s are so back. Dress to the nines—and feel like a dancing queen!—in Fenton’s recently opened Johnny Was’ bold and chic boho floral-inspired ’fits perfect for the “sophisticated and free-spirited.” Free and fashionable, indeed! @johnnywas
As part of the ongoing implementation of sustainable efforts across the country, the grant gives local sustainable transportation a leg up, allowing Raleigh to plug in and push toward a future of clean energy.
The e-bike incentive program will provide accessible zero-emissions transportation for low-to-moderate income residents, while the charging station will help the city gain intel on implementing future public charging sites and development. So if you’ve been thinking about recharging your commute—electric (or pedal) style—consider this your sign.
“I think reducing car dependency and increasing efforts to make sure the cars still on the road are sustainable are two important, complementary goals,” says City Council Member Jonathan Melton following the announcement.
And Raleigh is keeping up with these sustainability efforts in stride. In 2022, North Carolina saw a 47% percent increase in registered electric vehicles in comparison to 2021, with last year’s data revealing electric vehicles registered in all 100 counties (s/o to the highest concentrations in the Triangle and Charlotte-metro areas!). To boot, Wake County reached a milestone of 208 registered EV vehicles per 10,000 registrations last fall. Way to plug, Raleighites!
Continuing to go green, Ral-E-Bike, another incentivized program announced last year, will begin accepting applications this spring, according to Melton. Looks like sustainable transportation innovations are here to stay—and Raleigh is riding the high.
Whether you’re planning to take your travel plans to new heights this year or your epic vacay moves are up in the air, allow us to blow some wind beneath your wings via a host of new direct flights soon taking off from RDU.
“RDU has regular conversations with airlines about opportunities to match the right destination with the right airline to better connect Triangle-area travelers with the places they most want to visit,” says RDU Director of Media Relations Stephanie Hawco.
Here, the bird’s-eye view of what’s coming down the runway in 2024. Plans: booked. Bags: packed. Airplane mode: activated. Let’s fly.
International Frankfurt (FRA) via Lufthansa | June 2024 Mexico City (MEX) via Aeromexico | July 2024 Bonus: Soaring soon? RDU is currently in talks with Irish airline Aer Lingus about launching flight service between RDU and Dublin.
Domestic Akron, Ohio (CAK) via Breeze | February 2024 San Diego (SAN) via Breeze | April 30 Westchester (HPN) via Breeze | May 3
Expansions Paris (CDG) via Air France | Rolling out daily service starting March 31 Reykjavik, Iceland (KEF) | Expanding to daily, year-round service in May
Sip happily into Dry January with these local zero-proof cocktails.
Sorry (not sorry) for party rocking. … If the start of a new year means trading cocktails for mocktails and getting friendly with Dry January (aka NYE’s sober-curious sibling), then look no further. We’ve rounded up a slew of spirit-free sips across our city—and the best news of all is you don’t even need to ditch your fave bars. Sip, sip, hooray!
10th and Terrace Says cheers to the beginning of 2024 sans the spirits! Toast to a ream of NA ops, such as the Berried in Barbados, a fruity drink feat. strawberry and lime flavors; the Mule on Over, a tropical take on the mule; or the Mango Dream, a fruit-forward bev boasting a bit of fizz. How elevated!
Killjoy Zero proof doesn’t equal zero joy. Jumping on the Dry January bandwagon gives you a chance to test-drive some bold NA choices, like the Sweet Heat, a fiery little number starring housemade melon-serrano shrub; and the Old & Grey, a more cozy choice for the tea lovers. Choose your fighter!
Dram & Draught A dram at Dram doesn’t have to leave you feeling tipsy. Belly up for NA options like the Baby Aspirin, the perfect antidote for a fruit-forward bev sans alcohol; or perk up with the Wake Up Call feat. Lyre’s coffee originale, Lyre’s spiced cane, cold brew coffee, vanilla and walnut bitters.
Watts & Ward No need to keep it on the down-low—these booze-free bevs are just what the doctor ordered! Buzz on by to Watts & Ward for a noble experiment in NA sips, like the What’s Up Doc? feat. Seedlip Grove 42, lemon-herb honey, carrot and soda. Or if an apple a day is more up your alley, sip on the Green Thumb, made with Seedlip Garden 108, lemon, apple syrup and egg white.
Wye Hill Who needs booze when you’ve got views? Wye’s got dry NA drinks aplenty—NTM the best vistas of the city. Trade your usual cocktail for the And On and On, ready to sip and savor with a housemade blackberry reduction, fresh lemon, mint and bubbles. Ooh, la, la!
Whiskey Kitchen Straight up or on the rocks? More like served in a can or on ice in a glass… Ditch the whiskey during Dry Jan and instead opt for WK’s Lemon Shake Up, a housemade made-to-order lemonade; or a can of Kaya (a new craft bev feat. 3mg of THC delta-9) or Untitled Art Non Alcoholic Mango Dragonfruit Fruited Sour. Cheers to having options!
The Merchant Free-spirited life calling your name? Pinkies up to party with a tasty take on Thai tea, or buckle up for the ride of your life with the Red Light, Green Light, made with lemon, cherry, lavender, aloe and ginger beer.
The Mill Good news: The Mill’s got mocktails! Sip a Mill Mockarita feat. spirit-free tequila, agave syrup and lime juice; or a Mocktail Mule with zero proof gin, fresh lime juice, ginger beer and spiced cranberry syrup. #StayDry
The Willard Leave your worries downstairs, and get dry on life on the roof. Try tipsy-less twists on classic favorites like the cran-apple sangria complete with cranberry, spiced apple cider shrub, and San Pellegrino melograno and arancia; or the pineapple ginger mule with pineapple, lime, Fever-Tree ginger beer and candied ginger. What’s that we hear? Shouts of joy from the rooftop!
Fox Liquor Bar You can’t sip with us! Just kidding … All jokes aside, think outside the *fox* and try Scout’s Your Uncle with ginger, turmeric, coconut cream, lime and soda; or stay sprightly with the Tart-y for the Party feat. tart cherry, Seedlip Garden 108, cinnamon syrup, lemon and tonic. Who said you need alc to party anyway?!
The Haymaker Hay, you! Make your move toward a new kind of buzz and sip on a peachy keen mule concoction made with house peach cordial, lime and ginger beer. If bottled is more your style, crack open some wicked-good canned selects like a Groovewagon Cit-Hop Shandy or Crescent 9 THC seltzer. Cheers!
The Parlor at Heights House Fancy a quick trip to the Italian coast? Italian-inspired spirit-free drinks curated at The Parlor deliver a simple, sweet sans-alcohol solution—no plane ticket required. Try the Capri spritz for bright pomegranate, cranberry and lemongrass flavors, or keep it simple with a Limonata al Rosmarino, aka rosemary lemonade. Your taste buds (and your liver) will thank you (!).
Umbrella Dry Bar Little Ms. Sunshine, Raleigh, where you at? Come one, come all underneath the umbrella for a full-blown NA menu! Don’t sleep on the I Am Mr. McGregoroni feat. Free Spirits gin that will have you saying “no-groni” from now on. Pour it up!
TheMixx ~Mixx~ it up with high seltzers—NTM craft cannabis gummies!—while posting up on a cozy coach or sprawling out on the patio. Weekly events like live music keep the good times coming—no alc required!
Barcelona Wine Bar Buzz over to Barcelona for bevs that result in no buzz, like the zero-proof Bees & Bays, a sweet, spicy and citrusy sipper with lime, salted honey syrup and cardamom. Or, for those going the “Damp January” route, try the low-ABV Flor de Sal made with La Cigarrera Manzanilla, Alma de Trabanco cider apéritif, Luxardo maraschino, lime, lemon and black lava salt.
Local romance author Sarah Grunder Ruiz gives us the sweet deets on her newest release, Last Call at the Local.
Cuffing season 🤝 romance novels. Now that the holidays—and all the stress that comes with them—are over, it’s prime time to hibernate and escape the cold with a heated romance book.
Enter local luminary Sarah Grunder Ruiz’s third and latest contemporary romance novel, Last Call at the Local, which centers around the passions between a free-spirited American songwriter and a charming OCD Irish pub owner—and is available now. An NC State alum and writing professor, Ruiz originally came to Raleigh from South Florida to pursue the university’s MFA creative writing program. “As someone who writes stories that straddle the line between literary and commercial fiction, that really appealed to me.”
Three books later, her newest Ireland-based read promises to deliver steamy sessions for your daily skimming. Here, we get more hot intel from Raleigh’s Ruiz.
The book’s inspo? The hero of my second novel, Luck & Last Resorts, is Jack’s brother, Ollie. Jack is featured in exactly one scene toward the end, and as soon as I wrote it, I absolutely fell in love with him and decided I wanted to write a book about him.
If the loveable main characters of Last Call at the Local were based in Raleigh, where would they go for a romantic date? Jack and Raine would hit up a few different spots if they were to have a romantic date in Raleigh. Jack is an artist and a big reader, so I can see Raine kicking things off by taking him to wander around the North Carolina Museum of Art and then going to North Hills to browse the shelves at Quail Ridge Books. Raine would be very distracted by all the fun novelty socks and vinyl stickers at Quail Ridge and would definitely buy a few of each. Afterward, they’d go down a few storefronts to Vivace for a romantic meal, and then end the evening with a few pints at Saints & Scholars Pub, where Raine can get her groove on by joining in on an open jam session.
What drew you to write about characters that live and cope with ADHD + OCD? I was diagnosed with ADHD at 28, and it was a very transformative experience for me. When I was working on the initial pitch for the book, I realized the only thing better than having one neurodivergent main character is having two neurodivergent characters, and decided it would be interesting if Jack had OCD. I wanted to give readers a nuanced portrayal of living with these conditions—one that provides hope, joy, love and acceptance, while also being truthful about the challenges of being a neurodivergent person in a world not built for people like you.
Where in Raleigh do you head to work for a change of scenery if you hit writer’s block? I love writing in coffee shops! Luckily, there’s no shortage of wonderful coffee shops in Raleigh. My favorite writing spots in Raleigh are NoRa Cafe, Sola and Deja Brew!
When can we expect a Raleigh-centered book? I definitely anticipate writing a book set in North Carolina at some point because I love writing about places I know well. I’ve been toying with the idea of a hockey book, and as a huge Caniac, I can’t imagine setting it anywhere but Raleigh.
Book rec for our next recharging couch day? Nothing says cozy to me like reading a historical romance novel. I just spent a few days cozied up in front of my fireplace reading The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare and thoroughly enjoyed it.
