by Allison Atkinson photographs by Brantley Atkinson Nancy Hight has been dressing a bronze chicken statue at the foot of her Raleigh driveway every morning for more than 10 years. She can’t tell you the date it all began, but she…
A CAROLINA SUMMER by Mimi Montgomery photograph by Greg Montgomery “We really are spoiled,” one of my North Carolina friends says. “The ancient curves of the Blue Ridge to the west, the blue-green rise and fall of the Atlantic to the…
text and photographs by Julie Williams Dixon Go around. Again and again. That’s what you do at a skating rink. At the Topsail Beach Skating Rink, locals and vacationers have been circling the wooden floor on sticky summer nights since…
About Time We Toasted the Queen City text and photographs by Dean McCord Charlotte, why do we disdain thee? Why do we Raleighites act like you’re our dreary, plodding, putting-on-airs cousin? We pick on your street names (Queens Road,…
The Wright Stuff by Jesma Reynolds photographs by Brooke Mayo A trip to the Outer Banks via Highway 158 will take you through the hamlet of Jarvisburg, on Currituck Sound. It’s known to beach travelers who drop by the landmark…
A Haven Reborn by Samantha Thompson Hatem You can see the temptation pulling at Kate Tillman Brown as she stands on the dock looking out over the glassy Pungo River. Years ago, she would have rounded up her friends, suited up,…
“We’re in the business of solving problems and helping people.” –Frank Papa, Phydeaux pet shop founder and owner by Jessie Ammons photograph by Elizabeth Galecke There was an aha moment about 15 years ago that motivated Frank Papa to leave…
The renowned High Point Market, the largest home furnishings trade show in the world, will draw as many as 80,000 attendees from 100 countries to High Point, N.C. April 22-26. Last year, our correspondent was among them for the first…
“I wanted it to be a fun place. The items make you happy and they’re just funny. I love it when I’m standing behind the counter and I can hear customers laughing.” –Mandy Becker, owner, Swagger by Jessie Ammons photograph…
by Jesma Reynolds photographs by Liz Condo Functional, simple, beautiful. Those are words longtime friends Michael Everhart, 31, and Will Stanley, 32, use to describe the furniture they build under the name Five Fork Studio in Chapel Hill. For the…
text and photographs by Julie Williams Dixon Springtime on the Roanoke River is a fisherman’s paradise. First come the hickory shad, sometimes as early as mid January. As the days stretch out and the water warms, large numbers of fish move…
“When you walk in … if we don’t know you, we get to know you.” –Jeff Hastings, co-owner of Burke Brothers Hardware by Jessie Ammons photograph by Travis Long Near the State Fairgrounds on Hillsborough Street, Burke Brothers Hardware stands out for…
by Mimi Montgomery photographs by Annie Cockrill A wall in Mike Anderson’s backyard woodshop is marked with descending lines, each bearing a small inscription. These aren’t childhood height-markers – they’re records of the trees Anderson has cut down over the years. Red maple,…
“More than anything, we’re here for the beignets.” –Arlton Cangelosi, Mr. A’s Beignets food truck owner by Mimi Montgomery photograph by Ray Black III If your February plans don’t include a trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, you can laissez les…