Madre team opening new bar, Neighborhood, at Smoky Hollow June 28.
“Madre is sexy. This one is cozy”… And exactly what this area has been missing—until now. Bringing another fire concept to the burgeoning Smoky Hollow district, the trio behind Madre is adding Neighborhood, a “good time bar” to their roster.
Already deeply familiar with hip Hollow hangs from their always-packed perch, the masterminds behind Madre see the, ahem, neighborhood watering hole as an opportunity to fill that void—and really hone in on the casual bar the area, and Raleigh, so desperately needs. And, in so doing, really attracting and catering to that 30- and-up demo (vinyl and wine nights, anyone?). Read: All ages are welcome—but if you’re 35 or 45 or 65+ or feeling aged out by Glenwood South, this is also with you in mind.
Sliding into and leveling up the space first occupied by New Anthem, the bar, like sister concept Madre, was intentionally reenvisioned by Master Lead Designer Bryan Costello. So you know it’s gonna be a vibe.
“We’re going for upbeat yet relaxed,” says co-owner Tyler Helikson, “similar to what we’ve seen at some of our favorite spots in East Austin and Brooklyn.” Think music, plants, art, cards, games and even game day (hey, new TVs)… the kind of place you post up for a day-hang with your people or your pet bestie, solo, or with old friends or ones you just met—because naturally it’ll be a space for serendipitous friendmaking.
Of course, what’s a bar without spirits? Think frosty beers, crispy wine, well-crafted spins on your fave ’tails straight from the tap (if you’ve sipped at Madre, then you know these folks know spirits). And honing in on its chill hangout MO, there’s no fuss over food here (though, yes, there will be snacks—and Smoky Hollow’s tasty tenants at the ready to sate your appetite to boot). But, most importantly, it’s just a hip neighborhood bar concept from folks known for bringing good to life where you can roll up to for any reason or no reason at all. We’ll see you there.
Village District ups its game as day-to-night destination district.
Fun fact: Postino is Italian for postman—which is fitting, given upcoming Postino WineCafé promises to absolutely deliver. If your mind goes to brunching and lunching around some intermittent retail therapy when you think of Village District—think again. Beyond the uproarious addition of Goodnights that catapulted the destination for shoppers and diners into a good-night-out spot, the DTR-adjacent district continues to elevate its nighttime appeal.
Now, the Arizona-born dynamic, market-first “industrial winecafé” we first teased last spring is set to uncork in the former Cafe Carolina space this spring—and promises to serve as a welcoming respite for Raleighites frequenting the neighborhood, which is celebrating 75 years of “tradition and taste” this month.
“We take a lot of pride in this property,” says Regency VP/Market Office Nate Smith, “and being able to bring fresh experiences to the market reflects our team’s passion. Postino is one of the most sought-after restaurant concepts in the country, and we’re thrilled they’ll be joining our fantastic tenant mix at Village District”—NTM bringing VD to 99% leased.
With an MO of “making people feel good” and intentionally built as a space for connection, the WineCafé’s iterations serve as odes to the communities that house them—its welcoming vibes synonymous with thego-to spot for happy hour, date night, GNO and beyond.
Midcentury-mod furnishings sourced from local vintage shops and alluring art installations invite, while custom walnut wine walls, rollup garage doors and vibey playlists serve up a kicked-back spot to sip back and relax. Meanwhile, palate-pleasing potables and pairings promise to keep you sated across an ever-changing cast of boutique wines, craft brews and specialty cocktails, alongside a decked-out menu of bruschetta, panini, salads and a lineup of craveworthy charcuterie boards and shareables. Sharing is caring, after all.
Ultimately answering the call for innumerable requests to pull Postino to NC, “when we found this location in Village District that’s been somewhat of a historic landmark in the community, we had to jump,” says Lauren Bailey, CEO and co-founder of Upward Projects. “We can’t wait to join the Raleigh community.”
Echoes Village District GM Brooke Conn: “Postino is in the perfect location to accommodate our community’s desire for a brunch and daytime spot that effortlessly becomes a nighttime destination.” So, clearly, the whole package.
There’s no question about it—events and experiences are having a moment in the spotlight. From sports games and comedy shows to theater performances and big-name artists, people are springing on tickets in droves. Case in point: Live Nation, which also owns Ticketmaster, boasted its biggest year yet in 2023 for audience attendance and ticket sales—marking a whopping 20% increase compared to 2022.
Locally, soaring fan demand continues to sell out shows in record numbers (see: David Sedaris and P!nk each adding dates to their respective appearances). With so much (literal) fanfare, one could argue venues have the luxury of sitting tight and watching the revenue roll in. Instead, a lineup of local spots have stepped up their game—and a trend is emerging that taps into that deep desire for experiences. Through add-on options, attendees have the op to elevate their event endeavors and keep the good vibes going beyond a typical ticket.
For starters, take Martin Marietta Center’s just-launched add-on pre-show experience, The Lounge. Easily mistaken for the interior of Cinderella Castle, the lushly decorated hangout offers light bites and boujee (read: top-shelf) spirits accessed via an exclusive entrance—all at an inclusive price of $35 due to the center’s goal for all ticket purchasers to enjoy the lush atmosphere.
“We are always trying to come up with ideas that will open a fresh new experience for guests when visiting Martin Marietta Center,” notes Marketing Manager Sarah McAlister. “We wanted to make space for any ticket holder, whether they are a season ticket holder of the ballet, symphony—or visiting us to enjoy a comedy or concert. We want to provide a warm, inviting space for our guests while they are spending time with us—and The Lounge will not disappoint.”
For the big ballers, fans seeking better seats at PNC Arena can opt for a premium viewing experience feat. chef-prepared fare, VIP parking, leather seats and flat-screen TVs in suite seating. And music enthusiasts heading to The Ritz can spend a smidge more moolah for access to the lush and red-ily decorated Jupiter Lounge for priority access, raised platform views and pre-show imbibes.
Not to be left out—and a pro at the upgrades—Dreamville is launching its latest level-up this year: the Hall of Fame Suites, which showcase high-rise views, free parking (say less), an open bar and dinner buffet. Clearly, the internationally renowned fest has a draw that can’t be denied (hey, Nicki Minaj and SZA!).
Yet, the dreamy fest is known for continually enhancing the attendee experience each year—from the “Fam” hangout area offering snacks and bevvies to JV, Varsity and MVP ticket ops to, now, the Hall of Fame oasis.
And eventgoers have proven they’re willing to sacrifice more coin for an elevated experience. As with Taylor Swift’s concerts, which have shown a new upswing in traveling for the sole purpose of attending one of her shows. According to Skyscanner, a whopping 44% countrywide “are willing to fly short-haul to see their favorite artists,” with a solid 18% saying they would even hop on a longer flight for a concert.
With so many fans investing time, effort and cash for what’s oft an hourslong occurrence, it tracks that they’d jump on an add-on elevated experience too. After all, don’t we all want to feel like VIPs?
Elevating local spaces with sustainable wood creations
These days it seems like the impeccable craftsmanship of Raleigh Reclaimed can be spotted just about anywhere, from the sleek sycamore dining tables at Brewery Bhavana to the chic railway-inspired accents inside The Line Downtown Apartments (a custom oak flipboard cabinet to welcome residents? Genius).
The family-run furniture business has quite literally helped our city rediscover its roots by repurposing local trees into thoughtfully designed creations for a wide range of residential and commercial clients.
What started by reclaiming wood from old structures such as tobacco barns and textile mills has evolved over time to include reclaiming freshly sawn or fallen trees, especially as co-owners Billy Keck and Melody Ray learned more about what was happening to many of the large trees in our area.
“We incorporated this idea of urban salvage back in 2013,” explains the business-savvy Ray, whose background as a business litigation attorney perfectly complements Keck’s engineering experience and heart for craftsmanship. “We invested in a sawmill, as well as kilns, and began diverting trees that were otherwise going to end up in local landfills to our facility, where we would cut them and dry them and take them all the way to finished furniture.”
Today, urban salvage makes up the bulk of Raleigh Reclaimed’s projects and has cemented its reputation as a champion of local sustainable design. But beyond being environmentally friendly, urban salvage lumber also tells a story.
“I think, for us, it really is about helping folks have a tie to their sense of place or to the land,” says Ray. “We have clients who, on the residential side, will have an individual tree that came down in their yard that we’re putting back into their home.” She adds that their team “tracks every tree that comes in and follows it through its process with us,” noting doing so provides clients with a connection to a truly unique piece.
Although Raleigh Reclaimed celebrates the traditions and techniques of the past, the innovative business is very much focused on the future and showcasing the breadth of what can be made using urban salvage. “There’s so much need for it,” says Keck of their bespoke character-rich pieces. “To have a space like this where you have 50 employees building nothing but custom projects every single day… that didn’t really exist before us inside the city limits of Raleigh.”
With projects in the pipeline at North Hills, Raleigh Iron Works, Dix Park and more, it’s clear there’s no shortage of clients interested in collaborating with the design-forward duo and their team.
“Anytime you can partner with skilled, passionate, local craftspeople working with real materials, your project is better for it,” says Kane Realty Corporation Director of Design Josie Reeves, who has worked closely with Keck and Ray on several developments, including the aforementioned The Line in Smoky Hollow and One North Hills. “The contributions of Raleigh Reclaimed across our projects have added soul, story, texture and patina,” which is a critical layer in working in new construction especially, she adds.
“To me, it’s so rewarding and fun and challenging too because each one of our clients has their own vision and our job is to help them execute that,” adds Ray. “And to take this incredibly talented, curated team of people we have and help execute a client’s vision, and have that be unique every time and every space, is what’s so exciting for me.” raleighreclaimed.com
AJR speaks on inspirations, album art and Raleigh.
After gaining the spotlight with their 2014 hit “I’m Ready,” AJR has evolved their sound via the release of five more albums—and continues to snag spots on the Billboard Hot 100.
We caught up with two-thirds of the trio, Jack and Ryan Met, ahead of their Raleigh show for the intel on which artists inspired their sound, album art inspo and thoughts about their first-ever stadium tour. Come hang out!
Welcome back to Raleigh! What can we expect from your upcoming performance?
Ryan: Our favorite thing about being a band is touring. Our goal is to put something onstage that you’ve never seen before. That’s been the thesis statement of this whole thing: How can we combine Broadway storytelling, magical illusions and cinematic CGI to create something that will make people go, ‘What did I just see?’ For a long time, we had a shoestring budget and not a lot to play with. … This is the first tour we’ve ever done where we can confidently say everything we wanted onstage will be there.
Feelings about four months on tour?
Jack: It’s a lot—especially in a show so choreographed and complex. You can’t go on autopilot; you have to think about it every step of the way. It makes it more stressful, but [also] more fun. It’s cool to have those stakes—it makes touring less boring and monotonous.
Other than Madison Square Garden, what stops are you getting hype about in particular?
Ryan: LA, The Kia Forum is going to be really fun—that’s just a really iconic venue. Denver and Salt Lake City are always great [too].
Jack: And don’t forget about Raleigh!
What are your favorite songs to perform live?
Ryan: The new songs are always the most fun. ‘World’s Smallest Violin’ blew up for us recently on TikTok. Now, the fact that it’s so big gave [it] a new meaning—and it’s really surreal to play a song that was meant to be a deep cut. It was more for us to write a Broadway wacky song and not the most popular one off the album, so it’s cool. Very unexpected.
Any least fave songs to perform?
Ryan: We don’t not like the song but we don’t play ‘I’m Ready’ anymore. That was really fun—but it’s not us anymore.
Apart from your debut album, all your cover art is pretty similar. What’s the scoop on your new look—and why the change?
Ryan: All we had was that successful song (‘I’m Ready’) and that [was] it. We didn’t know anything about being a big band. We went on tour and no one showed up. We realized we hadn’t thought through what the band was [beyond] making catchy songs. [People] want something to connect to—and no one thought that about ‘I’m Ready.’ It’s like a background party song.
We started finding our lyrical voice, and with that came the album and art styles of the weird versions of ourselves in the world we’ve created. We recreated the lyrics, albums and songs to make sure we were being entirely us—and then people started showing up to the shows.
Which artists are your biggest inspirations?
Ryan: [Our] first love was The Beach Boys. I think we fell in love with the harmonies, emotion and ability to write songs about surfing and deep love songs about falling out of love. We base a lot of our sound on them. In a more modern sense, fun. [They] are a really big influence in terms of how theatrical and uncool they could be, [with songs that are] Broadway meets hip-hop. Fun. taught us to be ourselves and do what we really wanna do.
Go-to snack or way to wind down post-performance?
Ryan: Usually sushi. If you walked into the dressing room after the show, there would just be total silence and the sound of us chewing. The adrenaline wears off. We think of parts we can change tomorrow. But it’s pretty silent.
Do you have any advice for new aspiring creatives?
Jack: We’re always aspiring.
Ryan: Figuring out what you can say that no one else can say is a really daunting idea, but if you can figure out exactly the types of words that fit with your voice, that’s the key. A good example is our line in ‘Bang!’: ‘Put quinoa in my fridge.’ I truly can’t think of any other voice that could sing that and have it be a hit on radio other than Jack’s voice. I think there are a lot of things Jack can’t sing about that [other artists] can. That was a big thing, figuring out exactly what our unique sound is. If you can get to that, you’ll be successful.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Ryan: See you in Raleigh! It will be a great show.
