Woodworking isn’t just a hobby for men and Tonya Gosby is here to prove it. With more than 40 years of experience under her belt, Gosby started her own woodworking business with her daughter in 2015 called From Her Workshop. Although the business has since dissolved, Gosby still constructs pieces for customers through her Facebook page, runs her own Youtube channel where she shares tutorials on different projects she’s working on in her home workshop and hosts a Women in Woodworking meetup for women artisans in the Triangle. Gosby’s interest in woodworking began when she was just 8 years old. She remembers following her dad around the house, helping him repair damages or doing DIY projects for her grandmother. In 1990, Gosby turned her garage into a wood shop and started making things for her children, including a bench to hold their toys, a treasure chest and toy cars. “That’s the most important room in the house,” she says. Now, Gosby creates desks, indoor and outdoor benches, shelves and other furniture; she typically barters for her goods instead of charging money. “I enjoy this because I know I can make something with my own two hands and I can make it like I want to. It just feels good,” Gosby says. “When I’m in the shop, it’s just me, my tools and the wood and I can think clearly. It gives me a great sense of pride.” After From Her Workshop closed, Gosby started the meetups as a way for women to come together and empower one another through woodworking. Members—who range from 19 to 75 years old—meet up to work on projects and volunteer in the community, typically through Habitat for Humanity. Gosby’s goal is for them to be able to help people in the local community who may not have the money or resources to hire someone to make repairs in their homes. And if one of the members needs assistance with their own home repair, the whole group is there to help. “I want women to know that the opportunities are out here and woodworking is no longer just a man’s profession or a man’s hobby,” Gosby says. “The meetups allow women to build a sense of community, make friends and build lasting relationships while knowing that they’re supported.”
We all need a little retail therapy every now and again. Spend your dimes in the most trendy of ways in one of these new and unique locally owned boutiques. They specialize in everything from funky North Carolina T-shirts to fancy men’s shoes to divine French soaps.
Voda Boutique Kayla Brewer Cheek, the owner of Voda (a Slavic word meaning “water”) strives to create a laid-back, casual shopping experience with on-trend and fashion-forward apparel and accessories including light, airy dresses, fun tops and dainty jewelry, as well as locally-made goods. Relax and let your mind be at ease in the boutique’s new, much larger space at North Hills. 4209 Lassiter Mill Road, (919) 706-5783, shopvoda.com
Ealdwine
Ealdwine Gentlemen, prepare to don your classiest outfits yet. Ealdwine, an Old English name that means “Old Friend,” is a new men’s store from Alden shoe aficionados Matt Gray and Jim Pietryka. The store features some of the finest men’s shoes, suits, ties, belts and other accessories available in all of Raleigh. 412 S McDowell Street, (984) 242-0025, ealdwineraleigh.com
Bella Vita Bella Vita is an earthy boutique in City Market with a minimalist philosophy offering global gifts and handcrafted home decor, including handmade jewelry, kitchen accessories, Raleigh-inspired T-shirts and furniture, as well as a unique French soap bar. 323 Blake Street, (919) 697-5033, facebook.com/bellavitaraleigh
Munjo Munjo This funky new pop-up shop downtown from a Raleigh-based design studio specializes in graphic tees, stickers, pins, coffee mugs, magnets and more. With its expressive merch, Munjo Munjo hopes to give life to inspiring artists’ work and facilitate a fun and creative environment for all those who refuse to grow up. 120 South Wilmington Street, Suite 103, munjomunjo.com
Dove & Olive Mercantile
Dove & Olive Mercantile This dreamy shop and coffee and tea lounge new to Five Points sells a rotating collection of goods, including both locally-sourced pieces and products inspired from owner Hannah Weisberg’s various travels. 233 Bickett Boulevard, doveandoliveraleigh.com
The Flourish Market
The Flourish Market Recently relocated to the Warehouse District, The Flourish Market features lovely, feminine clothes, shoes, accessories, home goods and gifts from 50 international and U.S. brands that provide jobs and fair wages to talented artisans in vulnerable communities. Owner Em Sexton’s expanded space also houses a coffee lounge and a co-working space for Triangle-based female entrepreneurs called The Locality, opening June 3.theflourishmarket.com
As much as I hate to do math, let’s do a little. If you shop local, more than 51 cents of every dollar stays in Raleigh, compared with 13 cents if you buy at a chain.
Nationally, we each spend close to $800 on gifts and food during the holidays, according to the National Retail Federation. So if I spent, let’s say, $600 in Raleigh this holiday season, more than $300 would stay here. If I spent it at a chain, only $78 would stay here.
Whaaat?
Jennifer Martin wants to show Raleigh the money. The money we’re giving away.
It’s Martin’s job to think about such things as the executive director for Shop Local Raleigh, formed in 2009, the brainchild of the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association. Membership has grown from 100 members to more than 500.
It’s all about distribution. If you buy from a chain, there are a lot of people who get a cut of your coin, including the CEO and a bunch of guys in the middle.
“Within the local community, the money goes to just one or two owners, maybe a few employees and then they’re usually renting space from a local place,” says Martin.
We all have to buy at the national stores for some things, though—like laundry detergent and Triscuits—and Martin gets that.
“We know it’s really hard to do everything all at once, but if each month we each shift just 10 percent, we’d add billions of dollars in tax revenue to our community each year,” she says. “Maybe it’s that cup of coffee every day or when you’re going out to dinner.”
Or buying gifts.
If you’ve ever wondered why the Raleigh Christmas Parade kicks off so early, it’s so independent businesses can kick off the holiday season. You rarely see chains in that parade, but you see a lot of locals, investing time and money in floats and freebies. Throughout the year, they donate to charities and schools with giveaways, their spaces and often their time.
They don’t just work here; they live here.
You can’t say the same for the big-box CEO and all those middlemen.
$20 on the 20th Means Big Savings and Local Rewards
Encourages shoppers to take $20 and spend it with a local merchant rather than a big box chain. Visitshoplocalraleigh.org/care-2/20-on-the-20thfor a list of SLR merchants offering extra savings on the 20th of the month when you mention Shop Local Raleigh.
Gosby’s interest in woodworking began when she was just 8 years old. She remembers following her dad around the house, helping him repair damages or doing DIY projects for her grandmother. In 1990, Gosby turned her garage into a wood shop and started making things for her children, including a bench to hold their toys, a treasure chest and toy cars. “That’s the most important room in the house,” she says. Now, Gosby creates desks, indoor and outdoor benches, shelves and other furniture; she typically barters for her goods instead of charging money. “I enjoy this because I know I can make something with my own two hands and I can make it like I want to. It just feels good,” Gosby says. 
“When I’m in the shop, it’s just me, my tools and the wood and I can think clearly. It gives me a great sense of pride.” After From Her Workshop closed, Gosby started the meetups as a way for women to come together and empower one another through woodworking. Members—who range from 19 to 75 years old—meet up to work on projects and volunteer in the community, typically through Habitat for Humanity. Gosby’s goal is for them to be able to help people in the local community who may not have the money or resources to hire someone to make repairs in their homes. And if one of the members needs assistance with their own home repair, the whole group is there to help. “I want women to know that the opportunities are out here and woodworking is no longer just a man’s profession or a man’s hobby,” Gosby says. “The meetups allow women to build a sense of community, make friends and build lasting relationships while knowing that they’re supported.”
