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Triangle Downtowner Magazine

Retail Grows on Person Street

Jul 02, 2015 01:23PM ● By Parker Martin

The North Person Street Business District, just a short walk east from downtown Raleigh, once housed boarded-up storefronts and struggling businesses. This last year has seen a trans-formation into a vibrant community. Newcomers to the existing urban Raleigh City Farm, Pie Bird and The Station restaurants, Yellow Dog Bakery, Person Street Bar, The Wine Authorities and others have been added to this trendy neighborhood. The latest additions include:

Lumina. Timeless clothing for men  Paul Connor and Barton Strain, friends since childhood, began their sartorial experience designing ties. Today, Lumina, recently relocated from Martin Street, carries top-quality American-made men’s basic clothing, Redwing boots, Topo luggage, and other hard goods and sundries. The refined casual, timeless style is age-resistant and Lumina boasts an active clientele from 16 to 80 who appreciate the hard-to-find half sizes and custom tailoring that are offered.

Lumina shares a common customer base with their neighbors. These evolved customers are now versed on not just how a garment is made, but that they’re also made responsibly and reflect a well-fitted integrity. Paul and Barton’s future plans are to expand into wholesaling and eventually grow the Lumina line to other stores in other cities. 919.334.3916 • www.luminaclothing.com • 215-120 E Franklin St.

Edge of Urge. making a handmade fashion statement  Stocked with local labels and edgy looks by emerging designers and small national brands as well as jewelry and clever hand-made gift items, Edge of Urge makes shopping fun and will satisfy anyone’s urge for the unique.

Specializing in handmade and independent designer clothing, if you are looking for a fashion statement, you will find many at Edge of Urge.

In addition, Edge of Urge is working on a concept called The Mama Bear Project, which will provide a network of creative professionals of er-ing their skills and experience to aspiring entrepre-neurs in building their own brands. “It’s exciting to be surrounded by people who want to add to the creativity and beauty in the world,” says owner Jessie Williams. We couldn’t agree more. 919.827.4000 • www.edgeofurge.com • 215-110 E. Franklin St.

City Vet. An Urban Animal Hospital  City Vet has joined this retail mix and is now open for business servicing the downtown, Mordecai and Oakwood areas. Dr. Patrick McCrory heads a top-notch veterinary team caring for dogs, cats and select small critters. He invites patrons to see veterinary services in a new light by encouraging them to be an active part of the care, treatment and maintenance of their pets.

The team practices preventative veterinary medicine, provides soft tissue, surgical oncology and orthopedic surgery from simple spay/neuter to advanced procedures that can be watched from an observation window. City Vet also provides oral exams and complete dental disease treatments. 919.307.8843 • www.cityvetraleigh.com • 619 N Person St.

So & So Books. An interactive, independent bookstore A grand experiment is happening on Person Street. Chris Tonelli and Charles Wilkes bring their extensive backgrounds in the writing, publishing, curating and retail sales to the reading world. So&So Books, an intimate, independent bookstore, is dedicated to the pursuit of elevating the reading experience by offering an array of services not easily found and an environment that encourages the elevation of exposure and appreciation of books. Chris and Charles want to see if it works!

The inventory is divided pretty evenly between poetry, fiction, non-fiction, kids and young adults, and brings an always-informed discussion and recommendation from Charles and Chris.

But this is not your ordinary bookstore. The array of special services include poetry readings at both the storefront and CAM Art Museum where you can find regularly scheduled readings or drop-by’s from local and traveling poets and authors for “Open Mic” events. Discussion groups, a book club and a new writing workshop are all pushed into a small, intimate and very personal space that they share with young, eager architects at the firm in-situ studio. Read on! Open Mon 9-5, Tues-T urs 9-8, Fri & Sat 9-5, Sun 1-5. 919.426.9502 • twitter.com/SoandSoBooks • 704 N. Person St.

in-situ studio. environmentally-aware architecture & design  in-situ studio is a design firm with capabilities in architecture, planning, interiors and graphics that are contemporary and sustainable. As remodeling contractors, this woman-owned firm is compelled by a responsibility to the environment and has won many awards for this stewardship. in-situ’s team consists of Erin Lewis, Matthew Griffith, Mary Conley, and Jeremy Leonard. 919.397.3949 • www.insitustudio.us • 704 N. Person St.

Linda Kramer has been an award-winning writer, copywriter and photographer for 25 years. She has written for ArtForum, ArtNews, NC Art & Architecture, and Artsee magazines as well as most of the NC regional publications covering the art scene in the Triangle and Western Mountains.