Food Lion
I really like this Food Lion. It's across the street from my apartment complex and while many people are prejudiced agains the Food Lions of the world, I'm quite fond of it for more than just location. The people who work at my neighborhood Food Lion are very friendly and chatty and very patient with the bags I bring with me, not irritated that I'm messing with the status quo as some people seem to be. The prices are fine, it's clean inside, but the staff are definitely my favorite part of the Jones Ferry Food Lion! They've also got some nice shopping carts with Carolina blue handles and small baskets, so they're easy to "drive."
Community Church-Chapel Hill
I'm interested in the tenets of the Unitarian Universalist but I was not pleased with my visit to the UU church in Chapel Hill. I would have appreciated a warning prior to being told that all visitors should stand and introduce themselves to the congregation (a bit intimidating). During announcements, a man stood and ranted for several minutes about how immigrant famlies are destroying the environment, which I found quite offensive. The service was quite disorganized and individuals made complaints without being checked. I was not impressed with this church.
Organized Living
I was excited to visit Organized Living because of the discounts on their signs about town. While the organization products were very snazzy looking and the store was being essentially torn apart so you can't blame the mess, I found the closeout prices still far above my price range. I could get items that are almost identical cheaper at a real discount store. Additionally, the store smelled like a carload of travellers who haven't bathed in a few moons.
Adam & Eve
I'm sure people think of Adam and Eve as less than wholesome when they see the products sold there, but I found it to be quite tasteful, with good prices and minimal sleaze appeal. The staff are friendly and happy to answer questions, and joked with my friends and I when an electrical storm knocked out the business' power for a few seconds. It was a fine experience.
Nested
Located across from Weaver St. Market, Nested is my favorite shop to browse and buy thank you, birthday, Christmas and thinking of you gifts and cards. From lovely art to oddities, there's a unique item that is bound to amuse your friends and family. My favorites include little wooden people on suction cups designed for hanging a hand towel or holding a toothbrush. The little hooks come in bubbles and definitely giggle.
I'm also partial to the unconventional party games, 3D art cards, homemade soaps and other art gifts. Definitely put some time aside to browse Nested and take home some fun items. If you're buying a gift, ask for it to be wrapped, as the wrapping jobs are beautifully artistic!
Brian Beatty, PT
I took my first yoga class from Balanced Movement at a festival in the cold. The instructor's voice and instruction made for a meditative experience. She used a bell to help us "harmonize" energy, and use all of our senses to engage breathing.
The studio is in the heart of Carrboro, near Weaver St. Market and the Farmer's Market, and has somewhat limited parking. The prices are typical for other yoga studios in the area, but I would recommend sampling different classes before joining one. The instruction techniques differ somewhat from class to class.
Vacuum Cleaner Hospital
Vacuums can be very expensive to fix and this is no exception at the Vacuum Cleaner Hospital. But you can be sure that they will warn you ahead of time about the cost for repairing your appliance and do their best to give you an accurate idea of what's going on under the cover. Their services range from maintenance to full resuscitation for any kind of vacuum cleaner. I was very impressed by the vacuum repairman who took time out to examine my vacuum and give me an estimate. Others, less dishonest repairmen, would let you leave your machine and charge you for havign looked at it, while he immediately told me it wasn't worth the price of fixing it for what the machine is worth. Next time I need maintenance or vacuum repair I'll go to the vacuum cleaner hospital.
Carrboro Yoga Co
Carrboro Yoga Company has a huge variety of yoga classes for people of all ages and yoga experience levels. I took a donations class at the CYCO studio where they welcomed any kind of funds you had to offer and while only two people showed up to participate, the yoga instructor went ahead and led the class for the two of us. It turned out to be like an individual session where she helped us through the poses one-on-one. The flow yoga was a wonderful workout and very refreshing although I was definitely sore afterwards.
The parking situation is pretty straightforward, as CYCO is upstairs in Carr Mill Mall. The atmosphere is soothing with hard wood floors and yogawear for sale in the lobby. You can join for a few months worth of classes or pay per class as a drop-in student. Or you can just wait until their next donations class and give whatever you've got for a fantastic hour of yoga.
New Hope Animal Hospital
If my roommate and I could choose a new doctor we'd choose our dog's vet at New Hope Animal Hospital. I'm not exaggerating. Not only do we trust the vets at New Hope with our dog Maxx, we'd trust them with our lives. These people REALLY care about their clients and have a superb bedside manner. They're not any more expensive than any other animal clinic and they go out of their way to make sure you as a pet owner are very well informed about your best friend's health. They're even patient with phone calls. "My dog's stomach sounds like a video game right now. I'm worried he might be sick..." They understand what it's like to have a furry family member and will do everything they can to care for your pet and reassure you of your capabilities as its companion.
Weathervane Restaurant
It seems like a lovely idea to pop into the restaurant attached to a Southern Season, after being a bit tired from shopping in the large food store. Do be aware that despite the fanciness and diversity of the fare at the store, the actual restaurant is somewhat less impressive. It took a very long time to be seated in the restaurant area and while our waitress was clearly a hard worker, she was given too many assignments and couldn't help each individual table sufficiently.
For the price, the food wasn't terribly exciting and the tables were crowded. It looked as though the bar/coffee area would have been an improvement. The bar area looks like it was stolen from a nice area of France and plopped into Chapel Hill and the coffees are presented beautifully.
The food was alright but not in the least memorable. The desserts though, looked beautiful. Perhaps it would be ideal to stop in just for coffee and dessert at the Southern Season restaurant.
