Raspberry Cat Presents a Purrfect Venue for the Arts

Plans are moving forward rapidly for Mary Ann Sauer's (aka The Frame Lady) Raspberry Cat Gallery & Gift Shop in Cross Creek Commons in Leland. On Thursday evening, October 23rd, approximately 35 artists and artisans from our region met to hear Mary Ann and guests speak about both the potential of the North Brunswick area centered in Leland and the reality of the great opportunity it presents today!

Rhonda Norris, Executive Director of the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce spoke about the many businesses opened and coming to our area. Bruce Brown, Managing Broker of the Leland office of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty (hey, that's me I'm writing about) started by assuring people that he is not and never was Henry Winkler and then talked about population growth, demographics, and "playing to win" as opposed to "playing not to lose". The final speaker, Decorator Theresa Sholey (in the photo above during her presentation), who is working with Mary Ann to design and decorate the display areas and pieces, talked about displaying gallery members' arts and works. Mary Ann followed up with a presentation of her vision of the gallery, the history of the the project, and the support she's already received from the artisan community. At the end of the evening there was a great deal of excitement about Raspberry Cat and an impressive number (I'm not telling because I don't want to jinx it) indicated their immediate willingness to sign on. We'll keep you posted on what promises to be a very cool custom gift shop in the heart of Leland's Route 17 shopping area. For more info, call Mary Ann Sauer at 910-383-1343.

Countdown to the HoeDown - 7 Days to Go!

OK, folks, get yer costume ready, slap on some monster makeup, and party on the river on Halloween Eve. October 31st, Riverfront Wilmington, North Carolina. It's called the Halloween HoeDown and part of the Downtown Sundown Concert Series. Featured groups include The BarnRaisers with Woodwork Roadshow. Special guest appearances by the Cape Fear River, lots of cool folks, and you! So you've got to be there, we're counting on you.

Produced and sponsored by the Downtown Business Alliance with a lot of help from a bunch of other folks. Here's the official list:

Sponsors of the 2008 Downtown Sundown Concert Series: Part 2 include Coors Beer, Waterford of the Carolinas, Dish Network, MADD, 106.7 The Penguin, encore, 103.7 The Bone, The Star News, Slice of Life, Loose Lucy's, Wilmington Downtown, Inc., and Blu Zeus Interactive Marketing. Support services provided by the City of Wilmington.

Costume prizes, door prizes (which since there's no door might be hard to win), and the chance to be silly and have fun in public.

The usual rules apply: no outside booze or beverages, no coolers, no pets, no pets in coolers, like that. You can bet everything but coolers and pets will be available for purchase, so don't let that stop you.

Questions? Call Katie Lucas of DBA Wilmington at 910-343-4114 or e-mail
katie@dbawilmington.com .

REALTOR Booty Call ! Steel Band Entertains at Stevens Fine Homes Design Center Grand Opening

Thursday afternoon 150-200 REALTORS gathered outside in the parking lot and inside Stevens Fine Homes Design Center on Oleander Drive in Wilmington, North Carolina. Entertained by Pantastic Steel, fueled by food and legal libations, and glued to the spot by near- continuous giveaways, including the big booty, a gorgeous blue topaz David Yurman ring, a great time was had by all. Stevens Fine Homes, with neighborhoods under development in Wilmington and Leland, now has a central facility at 5710 Oleander Drive, space formerly occupied by Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty.