Meet your beauty, body and boutique goals via new spots around town.
Extra, extra! Forthcoming The Newsagent’s—a reinvention and expansion of the traditional corner newsstand—is set to unfurl this summer in the Mahler Building on Fayetteville Street, offering secondhand and vintage media paired with your morning cup of coffee. @thenewsagentsshop
Recently bowed retail boutique and studio A Lil’ R & R is bringing the ~pawty~ to NHID’s Makers Alley with one-of-a-kind gifts for both you and your furry friends. @alilrnr.shop
Catch mentions of Raleigh Magazine—in addition to other Raleigh and Sunset Beach nods—in local author Camille Harwood’s debut novel, Carolina Girls, a lighthearted look into the lives of four inseparable friends. @camilleharwoodbooks
Throwing shade in the best way possible, Shibumi is dropping limited-edition colors of its uber- popular beach shade all summer— think sky blue and magenta, red and navy, orange and blue, and the like. @shibumishade
The brainchild of a Ukrainian escape room designer, City With No Sun is unleashing at NERD Escape Room. Operated entirely in the dark, the inclusive game is accessible for those both blind and sighted. @nerdescapes
With confidence at the core, fit-for- all JETSET Pilates is ~reforming~ the base of Park Central in North Hills this fall via full-body flex workouts. Get ready to get bendy. @jetsetpilates
Prepare to up your beauty game! Sephora is set to join a wave of new retailers giving the Main District a makeover, filling two storefronts near Regal North Hills. @sephora
Need a wardrobe refresh? Combining Southern swagger with urban edge, accessory and apparel pop- up boutique Maison Neue is serving sleek, minimalist selects on Fayetteville Street. @shopmaisonneue
CityPlat plans to transform the former Kmart department store into a live, work, play concept.
The eyesore that has long plagued West Raleigh is finally getting new life—and, as such, all the recent surrounding urban development can finally start to come together. After sitting empty since 2018, the locally loathed former Kmart building on Western Boulevard that grates on eyes as far as from the Beltline has been scooped up by CityPlat, with plans for a live, work, play concept—think similar to Kane Realty’s mixed-use North Hills Main District.
Photo courtesy of WRAL
“This is a legacy project for us,” says CityPlat investment leader G Patel of the last major site left on the Beltline. “This is a very large undertaking for our firm. We’ve had our eyes on this site for many years, and it finally aligned to where we can take this project on and feel comfortable with it.”
The prominent location of the site will lend itself to the project becoming a family-forward flagship destination, with the firm “being cognizant about how to make the impact and the changes the site needs.” Building out the 12.08-acre property in phases, CityPlat plans to upgrade the property from the ground up—exterior, landscaping, utilities, parking—to repurpose the existing 117,000-square-foot structure.
Rendering by Redline Design Group, courtesy of CityPlat
Rendering by Redline Design Group, courtesy of CityPlat
And—as Beltline regulars may have noticed—construction is already well underway. After officially breaking ground in January, the dated Kmart building was completely gutted. Now, CityPlat is whiteboxing spaces for future tenants. Taking notice of where Raleighites want to be and what they want to be doing, the firm aims their focus on fitness facilities, sports and recreation concepts (hey, pickleball courts!), and entertainment spaces to activate a fam-friendly lifestyle.
Upping the accessibility factor, the development will flow seamlessly with public transit via easy access to a future bus rapid transit line—a major perk once living spaces round out the mixed-use ecosystem. “That is years down the road,” notes Patel. “It’s definitely a BRT overlay, so having density there would be ideal for the site.”
Garnering residents and visitors to the complex will eventually link local districts and even suburbs. “It’s a great connector—you have the university right there, you have Lenovo’s resurgence and the Blue Ridge Corridor, and then the connectivity between Cary and Raleigh,” emphasizes Patel, who has been heading local entrepreneurship endeavors since 2006. “It’s just such a great hub to activate that.” And West Raleigh is poised for a new destination.
Where to sip, savor and explore new flavors outside of Raleigh.
By Lauren Kruchten and Peyton Masilun
1. The Beach House by Tiki Brewing | Cary
Tropical ’tails—no plane ticket required. Yes, please! Sip away your responsibilities among The Beach House’s apropos beachy vibes—where every hour is happy hour, especially with a Blue Hawaiian (coconut rum, blue Curaçao, pineapple, agave), pineapple daiquiri or Tiki IPA in hand. Splayed out in a lawn chair on the patio promises to bring the salt-air-don’t-care energy—made all the more groovy with the hot spot’s regular bonfires and rotating on-site food trucks. Surf’s up!tikibrewing.com
Tea flights and Zen feelings—found. Owner and lifelong tea connoisseur Jarrah Passanisi has personally sourced artisan teas from farms and companies all over the globe, with each sip transporting you to the tranquil gardens of Japan or the misty mountains of Taiwan. The serene weekend lounge located within the My Muses Card Shop doubles as a cozy spot to dish tea with your pals, or take part in one of the ongoing events and workshops (tea sampling, dried flower arranging, etc.). So, double the tea if you will (!). flightteabarandlounge.com
This ain’t your standard Indian restaurant—in the best way. Bold flavors and energetic atmosphere sprinkled with cheeky Desi humor collide at this vibrant gem putting a fun modern spin on tradition—and serving up a mix of classic favorites and tantalizing contemporary takes that’ll take your senses on an adventure. Think rich Punjabi chicken curry, sizzling tandoori fish tikka and succulent lamb seekh kababs. An ample bar touting a lineup of colorful cocktails rounds out the experience—from a spicy Indian mojito to a tamarind margarita—altogether making for one spicy evening in stylish digs.urbanturbannc.com
Two-time James Beard semifinalist Oscar Diaz’s day-to-night dual-concept is a vibe—period. From the modern daytime cafe selects to the Tulum- and Tiki-inspired evening dining experience to an all-day Sunday “drunch” remix that “hits harder than your Saturday night” (!), the sip and sup destination delivers a full-court-press of fun flavors, high-energy ambiance, and oh-so-’Grammable eats and drinks. Pro tip: Get the viral BEC brekky sando and pork belly adobo—plus a colorful cocktail, natch.aaktun.info
If you’ve yet to experience the delight that is a Polish kielbasa, you’re in for a real treat. Inspired by street food the world over—from Chicago to New York to Poland and Germany—this European-inspired bistro/deli serves up bona fide classics that instantly elicit feelings of home. Go “on a roll” with a traditional Chicago hot dog (no ketchup!), bratwurst or Red Hot Carolina, or eat your fill of pierogies, stuffed with rotating flavors like potato mushroom, potato cheddar, or kraut and mushroom. A cold beer to pair is a borderline necessity. flyingpierogi.com
We’ve compiled a list of some of the city’s Black-owned restaurants, shops, fitness centers, arts studios and other businesses for you to shop, savor and support. Here’s to Raleigh’s Black community.
Bhavana nirvana—extended. DTR-based dim sum den Brewery Bhavana is now loading its first additional location, slated to unfold at Fenton April 18.
“Fenton was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up,” says Patrick Woodson, co-founder and now sole owner of Brewery Bhavana, which bowed in DTR in 2017 and quickly rose to national recognition—from being named one of Bon Appetit’s 10 Best New Restaurants to a James Beard semifinalist nod a year later, to name but a few. “And it’s going to have a different design and feel.” Less moody bibliotheque-meets-flower shop and more casual verdant and vibey, the sophomore space will send you almost quite literally to heaven as you slurp the standouts selects and dip your way through dim sum among utopian-like greenhouse vibes.
Awash in natural light, the space leans lush via abundant live greenery—anchored by a captivating, handpainted bar mural of the Garden of Eden and under a canopy of hanging plants that’ll feel like you’ve unearthed the uncanny experience of dining in the world-wonder Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Even the address of the panoramic glass-walled vibrant dim sum den is Lower Garden Lane—which, for situational awareness, is across from the Arhaus furniture store and adjacentto The Allison luxury apartments.
Extending the botanical energy into outdoor beer garden vibes—and taking advantage of the sip-and-stroll district—see the sprawling 60-seat patio space with bar. “Having [that] to help serve everyone in Fenton… is very exciting and different for us!” Woodson tells Raleigh Magazine in an exclusive preview chat of the program that will include a range of to-go brews (including exclusive limited-edition selects) and draft cocktails.
Or, for more Edenic reverie, the courtyard-adjacent alfresco affair makes for the perf perch to post up for dining or drinks—from its diverse cocktail program to fare from a menu that mimics the DTR darling dishes with a dose of lighter, healthier fare to boot. “We feel like this version of Brewery Bhavana is going to be a great fit for Fenton,” maintains Woodson. “While we’re still focused on offering a high-quality hospitality experience, we’re excited with how the Cary location will be different.” So, basically, all that and dim sum indeed.brewerybhavana.com
