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.

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).

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.

An absolute yes for me. This is a fun co-op style store that offers a wide variety of unique and…read morefun pieces for just about any personality type. A fair amount is handmade pieces, so if you like one-of-a-kind options, this is your place. Staff was super friendly, greeting us as we entered and offering any assistance should we need it. They have signage throughout with prices and info on the makers and / or the pieces. I loved the jewelry and art in particular. Overall: A+ A must stop in the mall for one-of-a-kind pieces from unique makers.

This is such a great store if you are looking for a relaxing browse. This is a gem of a store in an…read moreunexpected location, the mall! This is the type of place you might expect to find in a small tourist beach walk area! What you can find here varies all the time, as there are a variety of items from local artisans. This is a great place to find small gifts or even gifts representing Raleigh! I bought a beautiful canvas tote, celebrating the city of oaks, a great bag to take to the farmers market or street fairs! I also bought a variety of inspirational stickers for my journal! This store is located on the upper floor of the mall at the end near Belk's. The great thing about this store is it has an outside entrance and an inside entrance so it is easy to pop in and out of!

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.