Pull out your stretchy pants and wind your way through participating DTR restos offering specials and prix-fixe menus. Stay hungry, Raleigh! downtownraleigh.org
10/10 Meet the Candidates
Join Raleigh Magazine at East Bower Cider Co. to meet and mingle with the 2024 Raleigh City Council and mayoral candidates. The more you know! midtownraleighalliance.org
10/10 Movie Night Under the Stars
Grab the best seat outside of the house for an evening of family-friendly cinema under the stars in support of Comfort Zone, a nonprofit bereavement organization for children who have lost a parent. czc.comfortzonecamp.org
10/10 Peter Lamb and the Wolves
This jazz band is a whole different animal, tackling everything from 1920s New Orleans jazz to 1980s pop to Eastern European brass. Pull up on the lawn for some easy listening. exploretock.com
10/11 Canes vs. Lightning
Lightning is back for another Carolina storm. pncarena.com
10/11–12 American Misfits
Misfits aren’t misfits among other misfits—and comedians Joe Devito, Dave Landau and Michael Loftus believe being regular has never made for a good stand-up routine. improv.com
10/11–12 The Music of John Williams
Classic cinema junkies, rejoice. Score (!) your way into the worlds of Star Wars, E.T. and Harry Potter as the legendary Oscar-winning composer takes the stage. martinmariettacenter.com
10/12 Fall For Five Points Festival
Go head over heels for Raleigh’s quaint yet popular district at this neighborhood street party boasting live music, vendors, food, drinks and more. It’s sure to be a five-star experience. fallforfivepoints.com
10/12 Men Are From Mars – Women Are From Venus LIVE
Bring your boo—and maybe call them out a time or two—at this blend of theater and stand-up navigating dating, marriage, the bedroom and any other place Mars and Venus collide. martinmariettacenter.com
10/12 NC Local Music’s Annual Benefit for InterAct
The ones who rule the world are the ones who show up… so show up to Tap Yard for live music, food trucks, art, craft vendors and more to support victims and survivors of domestic violence. nclocalmusic.com
10/12 NCSU vs. Syracuse
The Wolfpack slices, dices and peels through the orangemen. gopack.com
10/13 Camp Bow Wow
Furry friends await at the grand opening of this doggy day care and boarding facility. Adopt a pet or simply enjoy an afternoon of seasonal fun with food trucks, face painting, pumpkin-themed games and more. campbowwow.com
10/13 Marcus D. Wiley
Hustle with the fashion-savvy and culturally conscious funny guy who’s best bits check off the comedic needs of Gen X, Y and Z (!)—but can still melt the matriarch’s heart with nostalgic stories. improv.com
10/15 Canes vs. Devils
Cause Chaos! Time to send the devils back underground. pncarena.com
10/15 Elixirs and Illusions
Sip on an enchanting cocktail and prepare to be spell-bound by renowned magician Kevin Reylocks blend of sleight-of-hand, comedy and mind reading. exploretock.com
10/15 Stephen Sanchez
He would never fall in love unless it’s Raleigh he falls into. Venture back in time to the ’50s with the smooth and romantic rhythms of this up-and-coming singer-songwriter. redhatamphitheater.com
10/16 Jungle
Take a trip back on 74 for an organic yet trippy dance party thrown by the London-based duo of music producers. … Trust, you’ll keep coming back for more. redhatamphitheater.com
Elm Partners is investing in building up Raleigh by putting good people in good places.
When Humble Pie announced last fall it was closing its doors after 33 years of business, Raleighites were heartbroken—and left posturing what could possibly take its place. But there was always a plan for the building. … Enter Elm Partners, a local full-service commercial real estate firm founded on the simple goal of “making Raleigh better.”
One such instance—and a full-circle moment—Ashley Christensen approached Elm to assist Poole’s then-chef de cuisine David Ellis in opening his own restaurant. At about the same time, Jim Beriau reached out with the sale of Humble Pie, where Christensen incidentally got her first industry job working as a prep cook.
“We raised a bunch of money through friends and family, structured a payback model for Dave, and it worked,” says Elm Managing Partner Nick Wilson, who ultimately helped secure the serendipitous space and assembled the design and construction team for a new concept Raleigh has already rallied behind. “We’re really just trying to put good people in good places. That’s the most important thing to us—and Figulina is the perfect example of that.”
“We feel quite fortunate to have found Nick Wilson and the Elm Partners group at the beginning of our restaurateur journey. What sets Elm Partners apart is not just their ability to find spaces, it’s their genuine investment in the success of their clients and their impact on the community. They didn’t just hand us the keys to a new location; they opened doors to endless possibilities, offering invaluable insights and support every step of the way.”
David Ellis, chef/owner, Figulina
The deal also perfectly encompasses his and partner David Meeker’s inspiration for starting Elm Partners in the first place—just a pair of pals/neighbors “helping friends get better real estate deals.” Clearly tapping into a need, business blossomed, and now the duo represents buyers, tenants and development properties across Raleigh and Durham—mostly by word-of-mouth thanks to their vast Rolodex of connections in the local food and bev world.
“Folks like Ashley Christensen, Caroline Morrison of Fiction Kitchen, Kim Hammer of Bittersweet and Andrew Cash of Jubala got behind us early on, and that allowed other folks to trust us,” reflects Meeker. “We can’t thank them enough for their early belief in us.”
Unlike your standard brokerage firm, Wilson approaches deals from a consumer POV, thinking long and hard about good fits for each client. “All those food and beverage people, they’re kind of like artists—they’re really creative—and it has to feel right to them,” he says.
“They really care about us as owners/operators and want us to succeed on a personal level, knowing that a rising tide lifts all boats,” says Mala Pata’s Marshall Davis of their partnership with the brokerage. “It feels good to work with folks who share some history with me as a native and see the city’s potential in a healthy way. They understand our vision—and that gives me confidence.”
So while some people may see the closing of iconic Raleigh havens like Humble Pie as a sign Raleigh is “dying” or “losing its soul,” Wilson sees them as openings of opportunity for a new wave of talent.
“It’s important to me to backfill these spaces that are important to people in Raleigh,” says Wilson. “There’s a lot of creative people out there who want to do cool things, and they’re gonna do them—it’s just about: How do we make them happen?”
A committed crew, Meeker and Wilson—along with Elm VP Jeremy Deckelbaum (who represented Dose and YogaSix’s Bloc[83] location, and was Elm’s first employee) and associates Blaine Smith, Matt Tomasulo and Paul Siler—already have a ton of new deals and projects in the works for this year and beyond (Wilson hints they’re currently in talks with Jubala, Benchwarmers, Trophy Brewing and others).
“We believe in Downtown Raleigh when a lot of people are hesitant,” emphasizes Meeker. And Raleighites are certainly benefiting from that belief. As Wilson says, chalk it up to “another one by Elm Partners.” elm.partners
Raleigh’s first cidery will open this spring. And Raleigh Magazine gets the exclusive look inside.
Raleigh is finally getting its first cidery. It’s about time, right?!
When East Bower Cider Co. (originally known as Shady Grove) opens inside the new East End Market near Atlantic Avenue and Capitol Boulevard late this spring, it will seize on a growing market for hard cider in the Oak City. Co-owner Oliver Koch saw that rising demand firsthand last year while managing State of Beer.
“When we put cider on draft, more people were willing to try it than I’d ever seen before,” he told Raleigh Mag in an exclusive interview.
Koch, who’s spent 15 years in the craft beer industry, quit his job at Terrapin Beer two years after Miller acquired it. Craft beer used to feel punk rock, he said, but it’s lost some of its edge. That’s partly why, when he quit, he planned to open a cidery. The pandemic froze that plan, and Trophy Brewing Co. offered him a soft landing until he could work out the details.
“They’ve been instrumental in every way with helping me launch this,” said Koch. “Trophy is the reason that East Bower Cider is going to exist.”
After another major setback—a potential legal battle that forced him to scuttle the planned “Shady Grove” name he’d been using for years—Koch is set to open East Bower Cider Co. in May or June.
But Raleigh may not be ready for a standalone cidery. That’s why East Bower will feature a full bar with beer, wine and liquor, in addition to making up to 60 barrels of cider at a time. Expect frozen cider drinks to cool off with in the summer, cider-based cocktails and some snack options as well.
As patrons enter the taproom, they’ll see the cidery’s production tanks through glass windows on the left, and the space will be practically littered in plants, a nod to “bower,” which means a shady area of a garden. Half of East Bower’s footprint is dedicated to its 3,000-square-foot patio, much of it covered, while the inside will feel relatively cozy, said Koch.
East Bower will fall somewhere between Bull City Cider’s more straightforward commercial operation and Botanist & Barrel’s experimental and wild-fermented approach. Koch wants to focus on “dry, easy-drinking ciders” derived from apples in western North Carolina and parts of nearby Virginia.
“When we talk about craft beer, a lot of the time the word that comes up is ‘local,’ but the ingredients are mostly coming from the West Coast or Europe,” said Koch. “With cider and us being in North Carolina, there are over 400 different varieties of cider apples. This will truly be a representation of our state and our agriculture.”
Like hard seltzer, cider is a growing segment of the beverage industry. There are only about a dozen cideries in the North Carolina Cider Association, but with clusters in Charlotte and Asheville, and more consumers realizing that cider can be much more than a Woodchuck sugar bomb, no doubt East Bower will soon have company. Koch certainly hopes so. “The more people drinking cider, the better for me,” he said.
Get excited! Raleigh Magazine’s April issue drops April 1—and will be on stands around town and delivered to your doors and mailboxes! If you can’t wait until then, here’s a quick look at some of the stories we have in store. (Subscribe now or by April 5 to have the April issue delivered straight to your mailbox—with a peel-off label to boot… for a steal of just $10/year!)
Hot Tickets
Brewgaloo | Photo by RL Photography
If we learned anything in the last two years, it’s that life’s short (and unexpected)—so buy the damn tickets. If you thought 2021 was gonna be Raleigh gone wild before pandemic part II spoiled our plans… just wait for ’22. Events are back for real now—and bigger and better and cooler than ever. And people are amped up and willing to drop all the dollars. We give you a preview of your “hot ticket” year ahead. So get ready, Raleigh… it’s about to be lights out.
Give Peace a Chance
Raleigh Magazine gets the exclusive release on what’s coming to the intersection of Peace and Glenwood. … Dubbed The Yard, this hip new social hub (think shipping containers filled with bars and unique food concepts spread among abundant outdoor space with fire pits, games and the like) is bound to be your new fave DTR hangout spot.
How ‘bout Them Apples
Raleigh’s first cidery is opening this spring (!) and Raleigh Magazine got the exclusive first look inside. East Bower Cider Co.—opening inside the new East End Market and so named for its greenery-filled taproom—will fall somewhere between Bull City Cider’s more straightforward commercial operation and Botanist & Barrel’s experimental and wild-fermented approach.
Under the Gin-fluence
Libations 317
Not all gin & tonics are created equal. To fete National Gin & Tonic Day April 9, gin-lover and RM Publisher Gina Stephens gives the inside scoop on the top 5 gin & tonic twists in Raleigh you should be sipping now—with a bonus gin pick to boot. We’re calling it now: gin and tonics are going to be the drink of the summer!
