Playing up on Mother Nature, the laid-back haven transcends the ordinary via natural inspiration—think natural tones and materials. To wit, eclectic art and design subtly evoke science and nature to create a unique and inviting setting.
And the drinks, naturally, flow aplenty. The all-purpose bar offers a diverse selection of beer, wine and spirits, with a focus on classic and seasonal cocktails, rotating draft beers, and a thoughtful wine menu. Ops abound for your, ahem, area of study in the tranquil enclosed courtyard, within the intimate lounge, amid the buzz of the main bar, or in between games in the game room.
Cyrus sees Gateway Plaza as a natural fit for Natural Science, given his long-standing friendship with Henry Ward and Russ Jones of Loden Properties and shared commitment to thoughtful reuse and supporting local businesses. The new bar joins the emerging plaza’s thriving local gems Union Special, Miso Ramen Bar and Craft Habit, with exciting additions like Fiction Kitchen and Mala Pata coming soon. Clearly, Gateway is becoming a hub for food, beverage and retail spots to thrive, with its position just outside of Downtown making it all the more accessible to surrounding neighborhoods.
“I’m meeting people from neighborhoods like Hedingham, and that’s great,” says Cyrus. “We’re providing a space they don’t have over there.”
And it’s just the beginning for Cyrus’ bar venture. He sees 2024 as a year for further evolution—think a completed courtyard, enhanced outdoor areas, improved signage and more. Surely, if Bill Nye had a go-to bar, it would be this one.
Downtown Raleigh is really proving her resilience. Despite the recent rise in crime, business owners are buying in and continuing to establish roots—and doubling down on Downtown. It’s a welcome harbinger of hope, given that metropolitan downtowns (think San Francisco) typically experience a mass exodus in the face of “unsafe conditions.”
Instead, local entrepreneurs remain invested in Downtown—literally. One such business owner is Caitlin Cary, who is reopening her The Pocket Gallery in City Market in January. “I think the crime reflects some hard times we all can’t deny,” says the owner/founder. “I feel a lot of sympathy, and I also feel I’m a part of a business that is all about building community—I hope that good energy can help overcome.”
Pocket Art Gallery photo by Caitlin Cary
Building on that good energy, Cary—a working artist who specializes in fabric collage and recognizes the economic challenges of the city—plans to move her gallery from its former Oakwood digs into the City Market Artist Collective (CMAC), where she’ll join a community of 12 artists. There, she’ll continue to display her work along with the work of 30 artists on her roster.
And, not leaving the Oakwood space vacant, Cheryl Fraser, owner and founder of Galatea Boutique—which some may remember from Seaboard—jumped on the opportunity and will move into the vacant space in the new year after spending the last year-and-a-half operating out of a mobile boutique.
While the new business blood bodes well for DTR, having retailers committed to staying Downtown is also critical. Popular DTR home for houseplants Copperline Plant Co. owner Anna Grace FitzGerald is one such local who dug into City Market in 2022—and remains committed to the space she’s cultivated.
“When I was looking for a place to lay roots, I knew I wanted to be Downtown,” she says, “and in a place with character and history—because it aligns with the feeling we try to evoke in the shop: a feeling of a stable homebase for folks.”
Over the summer, a window was broken in at her business, but despite the incident, she remains unfazed. Nothing was stolen and no one was hurt, FitzGerald emphasized, and this is what mattered the most. “This is a product of more and more people moving to the Triangle… growing pains,” she adds.
FitzGerald welcomes the ebb and flow of new businesses moving into City Market and the Downtown area, viewing it as a healthy progression of the city. Despite recent challenges, the attractive and charming street—and our city core as a whole—continues to thrive with more businesses, opportunities and activities that not only attract Raleigh residents, but tourists as well. So, seeds of change now cultivating, if you will.
Nest in City Market’s newest nook by & for creatives.
Calling all creatives! Raleigh’s historic City Market hub is adding a new biz to its repertoire. Fluttering open its doors to the cobblestone streets this month, Blackbird Books & Coffee is bringing bevs, books and bunches of creativity to the DTR scene.
Behind the inventive outpost are sisters-in-law/besties Bre and Hannah Brunswick, whose own creative endeavors inspired their latest enterprise. And the two are over the moon about their new spot’s address.
“When we first thought of Blackbird, City Market’s cobblestone streets, historic nature and neighborhood feel really were hand-in-hand with what we are wanting to be,” says Hannah. “And we’ve been pretty overwhelmed by the support—from other businesses in the area checking in to say how excited they are to tons of support on social media. It proves there is such a need for something like this.”
The cozy coffee/bookworm haven will feature nooks for readers to hide away, natural/wood colors—and some deep blue hues—with the coffee shop situated in the back. And for those looking to wet their beaks with a cuppa—Blackbird will be brewing up all your typical coffee choices, with some specialty flavors on the menu to boot (!). Plus, creative workshops are also slated for the space (think candle-making classes, macrame, painting, writing and more).
“The atmosphere will be very welcoming, somewhere you can express yourself and learn new skills,” says Hannah. “We are just aiming for an all-around-good-feeling kind of place.” Adds Bre: “And combining all these creative things is really unique to Raleigh.”
As City Market continues to be on the comeup for patrons and businesses alike, we’re excited to see what concepts continue to flock to the ubercute and underrated alcove. How tweet. @blackbirdbooksandcoffee
A few other spots worth strollin’ the cobblestone streets for…
Burrow on down to this new creative space and market.
“Just come down here once,” Julian Jacobs says of his newly opened mixed retail and entertainment space The Burrow. “We’re doing so much that there has to be one thing you like.”
Aptly named—given its location tucked under the former DTR House of Swank building on Hargett Street—The Burrow really does have a lot to offer. Think weekly Saturday and Sunday markets (plus some Fridays—and a holiday market Dec. 23) with upward of 18 local vendors, hot yoga classes every Wednesday morning with Oak City Yoga, and a house party every Thursday night dubbed Rabbit Whole & Friends featuring live DJs.
Not only does the hip new spot serve up a host of activities, The Burrow also doubles as a creative incubator—providing local makers, artists, etc. with a space to showcase their passions to the public. Jacobs himself is one of those creatives. A former chef/baker, he left the food and beverage world to start selling vintage clothing in 2020—and before bowing The Burrow also co-founded Unorthodox Vintage, a collab between his OG thrifting venture Sir Chance’s and She Thrifty Apparel.
When he thought of the idea for The Burrow—what Jacobs explains as a mashup of now-closed Neptune’s and Imurg, and NYC’s Artist & Fleas makers market—he already had multiple fellow business owners he knew would jump at the opportunity to be a part of the innovative concept.
Seeing a gap in Raleigh’s market, Jacobs bought the space in August and opened it two months later to much fanfare. “The community needed something new,” he says, “and I hope this gets the ball rolling for the next group of people who come to Raleigh.”
Having been in the pop-up biz himself (Sir Chance’s started out at the Pop-Up Shops at Martin Street), Jacobs admits he “hates pop-ups,” so one of the main features of The Burrow is more permanent space for vendors.
Currently, Frills Atelier, Ghost Gillz, Custom Bella Creations,Castelli Boutique, and Safe ‘N’ Sound Rugs serve as anchor tenants, while various other small businesses sell their goods at the markets, house parties and other events. Eventually, Jacobs also wants to host classes within the space (think art, drawing, candle- and soap-making classes) in which “local business owners can come down and show their trade,” he says.
“One of the big reasons I wanted to do this is because I really believe in entrepreneurship,” explains Jacobs. “I believe that if someone wants to leave their job and open their own business, I’m like, well come here and we’re gonna try to help you to do that.” Talk about giving local biz a leg up. theburrownc.square.site
Through the grant, DRA hopes to not only incentivize and attract new retail, restaurant and service businesses, but support pop-ups, and minority- and women-owned businesses; and encourage a good economic flow in DTR.
“We greatly admire the tenacity and creativity storefront business owners bring to Downtown,” says DRA VP of Economic Development Will Gaskins. “Their contribution brings tremendous value to our community, and we are thrilled to support them.”
In addition to that $32,500 grant, DRA has also awarded $60,000 in the last fiscal year to nine downtown storefront businesses in alignment with its mission to advance the vibrancy of Downtown Raleigh, as, after all, it takes a lot of cash to run a business. So, local businesses get a leg up, and we get another excuse to shop local!
“I have boot-strapped nearly everything about my business,” says Copperline owner Anna Grace FitzGerald. “Receiving the DRA Upfit Grant relieves some of the financial burden of starting the brick-and-mortar aspect of Copperline Plant Company and it affirms that my work is meaningful within Downtown Raleigh.”
The deadline to apply for DRA’s next round of funding through the Storefront Upfit Grant is Nov. 1—and a total of $57,500 in funding remains for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023. Now how’s that for some #LocalLove?!
