If you love local art, unique jewelry, cute stickers, and other handmade artsy items, you must…read morecheck out the local Raleigh gem, Curate on Hargett Street. I initially wandered in because the "Support Local Artists" sign caught my eye. I am an art lover so this store was 100 percent calling my name. The visual art caught my eye first (art lovers, you'll appreciate the vibe immediately), but I quickly realized this place has so much more. It's a small store but the carefully curated selection of handmade items makes a huge impact. The handmade jewelry selection is awesome. The statement pieces you will find here are super unique. Some of the rings were made from recycled vintage earrings. Definitely not the kind of stuff you see everywhere. They also had stickers galore for me and all the planner lovers, which made me happy. T-shirts, tote bags, bag charms, and on and on. And bonus: there's a great juice and smoothie bar right next door, which makes the whole stop even better. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, which always makes a shopping experience feel special. This store is 100% my vibe, and I already know I'll be back... probably to buy one of the art prints I can't stop thinking about.

What a unique boutique store at Crabtree!…read more While waiting to be seated at The Cheesecake Factory, we browsed this store. I liked it immediately. I found a pair of earrings that I knew would match a particular dress I like wearing. I held them in my hand, still looking around for other things to buy. The person at the register reminded me that the store closed in 15 min. It was 8:45 in the evening, and soon after, our table was ready. I bought those earrings. My one negative feeling was the pricing. Even the things I wanted were financially out of reach for me. We were about to spend over one hundred dollars at the restaurant, and these earrings were affordable. Other items weren't. Will I go again? I think I will. Lots of cool companies selling their homemade goods there. I understand marketing and price points. Everyone deserves a profit. If I come into some money, I'll try and spend it there.

Found this place by accident as I was setting up to catch a picture with the nutcracker in North…read moreHills I saw lights & smelled food. I walked over to inquire and found out a Miami FL. based business is testing the area for a potential venture in NC area. The Whitman is a NYC based restaurant that requires a reservation. I was here impromptu just charging my car so was able to enjoy wine and charcuterie snacks, but the restaurant was closed. Met 2 lovely women, Morgan a realtor & Jennifer an influencer out of Apex. Unika B. & Co.

The Dessertery is located in the back of the Martin Marietta Center in Kennedy Theatre. There is a…read morenearby street with street parking as an option or the normal parking lots and garages. You need a ticket for the event and are not let inside until 2 minutes beforehand. Then your ticket will be scanned and you are told what table to sit at. I thought it was nicely decorated inside but would have preferred less people in at a time as my table was near some of the food so that made it hard to get to my seat. So maybe next year, the tables can be arranged differently. Some of the desserts were good and others just so-so but with an all-you-can-eat, the best quality desserts likely are not an option. I'd be happier with less and better quality if there was a way to select two or three items instead. The hot chocolate was delicious but the toppings didn't all seem like they would work well in it. I tried peanut butter cup in it but it just sunk to the bottom and didn't melt. I did like that water was brought around at the end to help with the sweetness. They had water, tea and coffee in the lobby as well as popcorn. I enjoyed the outing.

Beautifully decorated room and dessert display! The dessertery is such a fun concept for a special…read moretreat around the holidays. You sign up for a specific day and hour time slot. Arrive on schedule and try to keep track of the time. We were distracted by all the options and took too much time taking pictures, waiting on refills, and chatting. If they announced the time, we didn't hear it since before we knew it they were ushering us out the door. A 15 minute warning would have been perfect. The desserts we had time to try were okay. Nothing fancy, but we didn't expect them to be since it was buffet style. They did have a fair variety and had vegan and gluten-free options. The hot cocoa bar was the most exciting part. The plentiful topping options wrapped around the large center table. Some of the toppings did not work well with hot cocoa, but we enjoyed those on the side as desired. It was so fun creating a unique cup of cocoa. Overall, we had a positive experience here.

Triangle Pop-Up has opened a new pop-up shop location in Park West Village in Morrisville! If you…read morecan't make it to a pop-up market, you can just visit their shop located here or their permanent location in DTR (Curate Raleigh). I spent so much time here just browsing all of the locally made goods. It's the perfect place for gifts. Support small!

The Rock & Shop Market is one of the Triangle's oldest, largest, and most comprehensive art and…read morecraft shows, featuring everything from locally-made baked goods to hand-crafted jewelry, hand-made textiles, original art, prints, pottery, and more! Local music is also part of the draw - though 'rock' may be in the name, featured musicians range from there to blues to hip-hop to the Durham Ukulele Orchestra. Variety is the draw, and Rock & Shop provides on every front! From the artists and craftspeople to the food trucks, there's something local for everyone to enjoy at every event.

Beautiful, sturdy handmade cat toys (pouncers, kickers, wand toys) in staple and seasonal fabrics…read morestuffed with crinkle and catnip/silvervine blend. Traci is a kind, creative soul who will also customize the toys if possible (my kitty is a scaredy cat, so no crinkle for her). Shop small and make your kitty very happy!

Do you love pop-up shops, locally made products, once-a-month special events, WOMEN,…read moreboutique-thrift items, recyclable goods, sustainable cleaning supplies, jewelry, BEER, letter-press cards and oh so much more?! Then let me know you, the Durham Patchwork mini-market is about to be your new best friend! I "secretly" took my boyfriend to Fullsteam on the first Saturday of the month so we could "grab a beer." Little did he know that there was a full-blow POP-UP shop within! My eyes got wide and he realized he'd been tricked, but man oh man was it worth it [and he got a beer out of it!]. This little market is any girls dream! While you sip on a brew you can wonder between vendors [the majority female entrepreneurs and artisans] and have conversations while they tell you about their products, which they are all very passionate about. The vendors change from month to month, but the covered [non air conditioned] space in Fullsteam is filled to the tippy top. This is a perfect spot to pick up presents for friends, yourself or stock up on Christmas supplies! You can support many local business in one stop AND in a chill but popping environment. Check out their facebook page [www.facebook.com/TheDurhamPatchworkMiniMarket] for the latest vendor news and updates. And now you know where to find me every FIRST Saturday from 12:00-4:00pm.

I found out about this pop up market just the day before, lucky me! Unlike other pop up shops,…read morethis one was free admission. The event went from 12-5. There were a variety of craft vendors that were local artists. I would rather buy a local artist print, mug, ring, etc than go to a mall. I wish there was more 'walking' room though, it was very packed (which is a good thing).

Wow oh wow - I cannot say enough great things about Lexy and her bakery. First of all: FLAVORS…read more This girl is a genius when it comes to combinations, the "just right" aspect, harmony and uniqueness too. Everything she makes (I've had her cookies, bread and cakes) have been heavenly, especially her lemon cookies. Second: professionalism, attitude and personality. She is such a star, and it really feels like dealing with a top pastry chef/smart business owner. Everything is packaged so professionally and makes a great gift too! You cannot go wrong with anything from Lexy's Bussin Baking!! Fan for life!

Customer service and how it started was inspiring. I brought 5 cookies at Moore Square park around…read more8pm, and they were delicious. Will buy again.

I've been going to Happy House since they first opened and it quickly became one of my favorite…read moredonuts shops in the Triangle. It's a minority woman owned business and she's mostly at the Raleigh Flea Market on Friday's and Saturday's. Her donuts aren't super sweet and they are very fluffy. Her signature donut is the banana donut and I could eat a whole dozen myself!! She has boba, horchata, and other drinks that are worth trying, especially on a hot summer day walking through the flea market. She's usually located towards the front of the market and it's hard to miss her because she is the only one with bright yellow tent!!