Shop, sweat, swap and self-care your way through Raleigh’s latest openings.
Tone Yoga Club
Holy fit. Mixing the best of both workout worlds, the brand-new Seaboard Station studio Tone Yoga Club combines weightlifting, cardio and yoga for a one-of-a-kind high-intensity burn. @toneyogaclub
Pattern and personality take center stage in Mary George Design’s new custom rug collection inspired by the bright, bold pieces she envisioned for her own home. It’s a colorful life, indeed. @marygeorgedesign
Swap it like it’s hot! A new creative legacy begins with plum, taking over DTR’s Lump Gallery building with workshops, art + live shows, artists talks, and craft nights. @plumraleigh
Be the Yoncé you wish to see and make your body the best outfit you own with a little self-care at North Raleigh’s new float therapy Float Spa. @floatsparaleighnorth
Get ~zapped~ at StayZapped’s new home at Crabtree Valley Mall, where you can build your own permanent jewelry from a range of chains, charms and designs. Stay stacked! @stayzapped
Running on cuddles and cuteness is hard work—and deserves to be dressed for the job. Enter Lafayette Village’s new mod baby boutique Drool & Co., with premium baby gear and stylish essentials for Raleigh’s hardest-working little humans. @droolandco
Explore the best dog-friendly restaurants and bars, parks, and hangouts in the City of Oaks.
Who let the dogs out… You should—because your four-legged bestie deserves to have a good doggone day out too. Plan an ~ulti-mutt~ experience with your pooch in and around Downtown Raleigh via our list of some of the best dog-friendly hot spots for those looking to get out of the doghouse.
Pet-Friendly Restaurants & Bars
Bowstring Bowstring’s outdoor grassy area is the perf post for all your furry friends—they may even try to get in on a game of cornhole or sneak a bite of pizza (!). You can also bring ’em inside or on the covered patio while you grab a drink, play a game or tune into live tunes.
House of Hops Whether it’s outside playing cornhole and cooling off with an ice cold beer or tucking inside to escape the heat (also with a beer, of course!), you and your four-legged friend(s) are always welcome at this House.
Raleigh Beer Garden Hungry dog 🤝 RBG’s Hungry Dawgs menu. Feed Fido his pick of pup-tizers—from carrots and bacon to burgers—while you have your fill of your own hooman snacks paired with over 350 beers on tap.
State of Beer Put your fur-baby in a great state with an outing at either SOB location (The Bend locale also offers a covered back patio and spacious backyard for roaming!). And those cult-fave sandos are reason enough to leave the house any time.
Tap Yard Raleigh’s 1-acre beer garden is a hot spot for kids, families, lovers and doggos—think of it like an inclusive playground for all. Tap Yard also hosts trivia, live music, food trucks and other events to keep everyone entertained.
Vault Craft Beer Raise the “woof”—literally—at this unique brew haven situated in a historic building formerly home to Raleigh’s first drive-thru bank. And for man’s best friend, they can cash in on the free dog treat box while hanging inside or out.
West Street Dog Let your pup get out the zoomies and socialize with other canines while you enjoy some bevys at this indoor off-leash dog park with a full bar, also offering daycare, boarding and grooming services—plus Monday trivia.
Wolfe & Porter More like *woof* and porter, are we right?! Post up on the patio or back deck to catch a game, listen to live music, or simply relax with your pal sitting happily at your feet.
Wye Hill The only view better than the one at Wye Hill is of your happy pup enjoying a dog biscuit by your side as you enjoy the sun-soaked patio and sip on a brew or two. Not to mention it’s the perf perch to take a ’Gram snap for your pooch’s profile.
City Market Dogs are welcome at most establishments at this historic hub in DTR. Fetch a good deal at cute shops, lap up a latte at Blackbird Books & Coffee, or lean into culture at an art gallery.
Dix Park Dog Park For an un(fur)gettable day, look no further than one of Raleigh’s largest and most popular park. Its size-specific play space lets your dog play safely—so no worrying about your smaller pooches getting ruffed up by a bigger-boned fella.
Moore Square Pause and reflect at Moore Square, surrounded by some of Raleigh’s best restaurants, bars, coffee shops and boutiques to fill up an outing. Order takeout and throw down a blanket for a chill hang, or head over to the fully-fenced dog park for some social time.
NCMA Rover’s gonna love rovin’ the art museum’s Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park. Whether roaming the trails, propping up near the pond, sniffin’ the sculptures or basking in the sun on the Ellipse lawn, your pup’ll no doubt have the time of his/her life.
Oakwood Dog Park Doggos of all shapes and sizes are welcome to run through the trees at this popular Historic Oakwood destination also featuring shade from the sun, a picnic shelter and softball fields.
Unleashed Dogs need retail therapy too! Find all your pet needs—from treats and food to toys and accessories—to make your canine the envy of all. unleashedmutt.com/city-market
Back to Your Roots: New luxe elixir looks to restore your confidence one follicle at a time.
Shedding strands can be a real confidence killer. And with doomscrolling spewing seemingly endless suggestions, quick fixes and remedies ad nauseam all vying for your attention, the struggle is real.
It’s a struggle with which Chastity Sullivan is deeply familiar. After a bout with COVID, the Raleighite was met with her perimenopause era and those luscious locks started clocking out—giving her pillow “stranded” fur coat vibes and rendering her shower drain a never-ending hair trap.
As would anyone experiencing the slow-fade, Sullivan checked all the boxes for a reboot—from hormone doctors and supplements to serums and red light therapy in an effort to rejuvenate her hair growth. She was specifically on the hunt for a fix that would detox her scalp, spark regrowth and strengthen her hair follicles, but every oil and blend she tried came up short.
But as they say, adversity breeds invention. Enter her handbatched hair oil. “I started to do a little research and realized there were essential oils and different types of natural ways I can go about trying to fix the problem, as opposed to just covering it up,” says Sullivan.
Photo by Contone Media, courtesy of regener8
So, in typical DIY fashion, she combined her know-how with her husband’s entrepreneurial spirit, and, a few individual test runs and trials by friends and family later, regener8 was born. “I noticed a huge difference, just in the way my hair felt—the shedding in the hair—and then within a few months I started to notice the little hairs growing in the front where I was losing my hair,” reflects Sullivan.
Now, with a focus on keeping things local (though a shamp or conditioner down the line isn’t out of the question), she’s sharing the blend in hopes of helping others find a permanent solution to hair loss. The oil is a combination of high-quality natural and plant-based ingredients—think argan, turmeric, avocado, lavender, castor and tea tree—applied directly to the scalp.
While women are at the forefront of regener8’s mission, its benefits leave no head unturned. “I am here,” she shares. “I want to go on this journey with people because I’ve been there.” And looks like now, she’s rewriting the narrative—one drop at a time. Exclusively at ELLA Collective, regener8.co
Get ready to *ciao* down on new Italian faves in the City of Oaks. Chef Michael Bongiorno is slated to open an updated take on his Lafayette Village deli and Italian specialties market Bongiorno & Son at The Exchange Raleigh later this year, joining an ever-growing palatable menu of F&B outposts like now-open WRK by The Optimist and soon-bowing Peregrine.
The yet-to-be-named “deeply personal” concept for Bongiorno & Son, according to Bongiorno, will feat. a spacious market with grab-and-go salads, meals and pantry staples. Not to mention freshly prepared deli selections, pastries and elevated sammies at a classic counter—all complemented by dark wood accents and eye-catching graphics.
Taking things next level, the restaurant will also embrace the Italian-style afterwork aperitivo tradition of small plates and bevs—and stay tuned for seasonal osteria-style community dinners. “That legacy of bringing people together through food is something I’m proud to continue here in Raleigh,” says Bongiorno. We’ll salute to that!
A decade ago, Kesha Dozier asked herself what it was that she most wanted to do in her life. The answer: to open up a chocolate shop.
The New Jersey native moved to North Carolina to attend college at NC Central, where she studied biology with a focus in organic chemistry. She continued her graduate studies in physiology, worked as a medical examiner investigator at UNC and then specialized in the pharmaceutical industry—in which she still works full-time today. But chocolate, Dozier’s true passion, took her down a new path when she and her husband, Maurice, opened The Chocolate Boutique in Lafayette Village in 2011.
While working full-time, volunteering and being a mom, Dozier found time to travel the world—to Belgium, Spain, Italy and, of course, Hershey, Pennsylvania—to sample some of its best chocolates. Using the knowledge gleaned from her chocolate-tasting travels, Dozier’s boutique makes more than 70 percent of its own chocolate in house and Dozier has perfected a recipe for chocolate truffles.
Kesha Dozier
“It’s a lot of fun,” Dozier says. “You walk into the shop, put on your apron and it’s a happy and fun place to be. Everyone walks in the door and you see them take a deep breath in and they smile and their whole expression changes.”
Pre-COVID, Dozier opened up her space monthly for “Sweet Talk,” a local networking group she started to help market the store and reach the community. She also hosted chocolate and wine tasting events and founded the annual Lafayette Village Chocolate and Wine Festival.
While the pandemic has changed how Kesha defines success, she is confident that the boutique will succeed. Her sales were 95 percent brick and mortar before, but now, the boutique sells online, offers curbside pickup and ships to its customers.
“Control what you can control,” Dozier says. “If you can manage it, manage it and do it; if not, move onto something else.”
Dozier, a self-described extrovert and people lover, says she is proud to have been able to grow her dream into a shop that’s loved by many. But it wasn’t always an easy road and Dozier says she encountered plenty of obstacles that couldn’t be solved with a bottle of chocolate wine. She’s found that good planning tends to make the job easier.
“I love writing business plans,” Dozier says. “I will write a plan for everything, but what I didn’t account for nearly enough was the cost of overhead of a brick and mortar.”
With working full time, running a small business and everything else she’s juggling, it’s a wonder that Dozier finds time to do it all. Recently, she’s drawn inspiration from Richard Carlson’s best-selling book “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.”
“It has given me a new perspective on things and reminds me to just breathe and enjoy the time I have,” Dozier says. “Life moves so fast. Don’t forget to acknowledge it [as] tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us.”
The other way to move through a full life with a busy schedule, according to Dozier? Find balance.
“Balance is enjoying little bits at a time,” Dozier says. “I may only get five minutes here or there, five minutes for meditation, five minutes on The Knowledge App, or I may actually get eight hours of sleep. Whatever it is, I take it all in and just enjoy it.
In this series, Raleigh Magazine takes a look at some of the women in our city who are getting the job done.
