Greensboro Daily Photo

Spring Has Spring on Oak Street

Yesterday, we were out along Oak Street in the Glenwood neighborhood of Greensboro. We noticed the bulbs planned at the house on the corner of Oak and McCormick. The flowers are healthy, having  weathered the recent cold weather. Blooming flowers are such a part of Greensboro landscapes in spring. 

The house in the background is a 2 bedroom 1 bath house built in 1915. This 108 year old house on the corner lot has so much yesteryear charm. The porch is inviting, the windows look like the original, and the bulbs are a simple row that look like they could have been there since the beginning. Remember if you get any pots of bulbs you can plant them and keep enjoying their beauty, year after year. This cooler weather we have had in Greensboro is actually good for bulbs. According to Dutch Grown, tulips will last for 1-2 weeks if the weather is between 45-55 degrees. However, if the weather is warmer, they will only last for a few days. We'll stop back and have a look after Friday, when the temperature is expected to be in the 80s. In the meantime, if you want to see them at peak, head over today!

Happy Thursday!

901 Spring Garden Street: High on a Hill in College Hill

901 Spring Garden Street looked absolutely spectacular on Sunday afternoon when the air was cold but the sunshine was glorious. If you have been around for a while, you likely remember the days in the early 1990s when Mary Garvey had her shop here (The Clothesline). Mary had a talent for finding clothing for college students and faculty. You never knew what you would find there, or who you would find shopping there. Next, Adelaide's Vintage was there- with more emphasis on home goods.

Fast forward to now and Vanderveen Photographers have a studio there.  As they say on their website, "Becky and Bert Vanderveen have been together in life and photography since 1999, capturing art, beautiful moments and dynamic events along the way." Both have degrees from UNCG and their studio is only a block from the Weatherspoon Art Gallery. It seems like 901 Spring Garden would be perfect for a studio: good lighting, conveniently located, and off street parking. We hope to get to interview them sometime and to get a peek inside and see exactly how they have transformed the space. Just look at how well appointed that corner view is and how that white brick and fence sparkle of spring's sunshine. Does anyone know the original use of this building, built in 1961?

Happy Wednesday!

Temptations "Ain't Too Proud" Show at Tanger Center for the Performing Arts

Today's photo features a truck at the Tanger Center this past weekend, one of two used for loading in the "Ain't Too Proud" show about the Temptations and the Four Tops. Just as we stepped back to take a photo, a group of theatre-goers walked by. We took several more photos, but this one was the best; an action shot, showing movement in front of the "Classic 5" lineup of the Temptations:  Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, David Ruffin, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams. The people in the foreground are a little Abbey Road-esque. The music and show about the Temptations were fabulous. The Tanger is a fabulous venue, too. 

The weather in Greensboro has been sunny, but cold over the last few days. The lows have been in the 20s and the highs somewhere in the 50s. It is officially spring now. We hope you have a happy Tuesday and, if you haven't been to the Tanger yet, we hope you have an opportunity to get there soon.

 

College Hill Sundries

College Hill Sundries is located at 900 Spring Garden Street at South Mendenhall. Most people know the corner establishment from the iconic Pepsi sign painted on the South Mendenhall side. See our post from 2009 (HERE- 14 years ago!!!), and you will see the Pepsi sign. We like this photo from yesterday because it shows what a dynamic place this neighborhood bar is. First, you see the "WILD FREE" hand-painted sign on the wooden, corner door. We believe that that is from the artists' pop up held there yesterday. On the left, you see one of the artists showing his work. Above his head, you see the "bike lane" sign, an important features for a college neighborhood. On the right, is a masseuse giving a massage at the special event. Finally, the sun was very bright yesterday and formed an arc over the middle of the photo. To the very right, you can see someone sitting at the bar. The place was hopping. From patrons to bartenders to vendors, everyone seemed in a cheerful mood. 

It took a little internet sleuthing and a some math to figure out when College Hill Sundries opened as a bar. In a News & Record article from 12/12/2001, we saw a reference to the King family who turned the location from a drugstore to a bar "19 years ago", which, since the article was written in 2001, would mean the bar opened in 1982, making it 41 years old this December! College Hill Sundries had its years as a dive bar with bathrooms that were barely tolerable. As explained in the 2001 article and verified by us yesterday, the bathrooms have been upgraded and  the beer selections modernized. From that same era (2001), the magazine "Men's Journal" listed College Hill  as one of the 50 best bars in America. The only bar in North Carolina to receive recognition in the publication. Oh the things one can happen upon, merely driving around town. 

We hope to see an add for the next pop up. If you are a vendor, you may want to inquire within to see about getting a spot.

Happy Monday!

A Bit of A Nonconventional Church

A church is a public place made available for worship. Today's "church" is a display set up in the middle of the Antique Marketplace on Burnt Poplar Road. Master interior decorator and room stager, Lori Gray, often stages the displays at the entrance of Antique Marketplace. Sometimes she brings in items to use. Other times, she just walks around the antique mall and takes items for sale at the different vendors' booths and assembles them in the middle of the store. The above photo is a scene, a church, she staged recently. The more you look at the display, the more references you will see. A fan on the altar for hot days, before there was air conditioning, shine brightly reflecting the light from the lamps. There are crosses on the doors- probably 20 feet tall.  The trumpets represent the music in church. Ladies Sunday-go-to-church hats are on the chairs beside purses, and a collection plate. In the middle is a painting of the Last Supper. 

This display is so creative. Have you ever seen one quite like it in an antique mall. As we walked the aisles, passing by the display a few times, by the end, we really did want to sit, rest, and have a little silent meditation. A church is a public place made available for worship. So, technically, last Tuesday night, we went to church. However, we need to get back and drop a few dollars in the collection plate. Remember church, synagogue, temple, or mosque is not about the physical space as much as what we do there.

Happy Sunday!

Tribe Thrift at "West End"

Trive Thrift has relocated its store from North Spring Street to 1607A West Friendly Avenue, the part of Friends being rebranded as West End. The Tribe is part thrift, part new, and part hand painted art. In the above photo, you see proprietor, Kandice Russell and her daughter who just happened to be at the store the night we visited. If we did the math correctly, it opened on March 1st. The store is heavily curated by Kandice; you have clothing at all price points and styes. One of the fun features Kandice offers is that you can do a shoppers night with friends. If you bring in 10 friends for a personalized, private after-hours event, you earn $100 in store credit. Kandice provides al the snacks and drinks; you provide the customers. It is a great way to bring your friends together in a cute space outside the home.

Kandice (Russell) is from Greensboro, and attended Grimsley High School. Her store is literally just a few blocks away from her alma mater. If you are looking for something to do this weekend, stop by and visit the Tribe and then have a look around "West End". While you are there, congratulate Kandice for getting the new shop set up. The clothing is really fashionable and at a good price point.

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2023

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Greensboro will be awash with all things green, especially green libations for adults interested in partaking.*  As for us, we are out with our trusty canine looking for leprechauns and pots of gold. So far, all we have only managed to find is a little green man on a manhole cover. He has been painted green by the utility company. Do you think that is a hint treasure is nearby?  We have written about manhole covers twice on Greensboro Daily Photo; once in 2012 when we dug into the history of the Pomona Foundry that used to be in Greensboro and made manhole covers (see here). If our research is correct, they were acquired by Acme Castings left and moved from Greensboro (Pomona area near West Market and Spring Garden Streets) in 1969.

The second time we featured manhole covers was just about a year ago, when we were navigating the During-COVID- Era (DCE?) and wrote about the manhole rubbings done by Vito Ciccone (see here). That is an interesting post, if you haven't read it already. There, you can see that the above manhole cover design says "City of Greensboro North Carolina 1808" and you will realize the man in the middle is General Nathanael Greene, not a leprechaun. Do you have any manhole covers near where you live or walk? If so, look at what they say on them. We're wondering if any new covers are still cast with "Greensboro" or "Pomona" on them. What do the new ones say? These manhole covers weigh from 90-250 pounds. Do you know why they are round? Because the circle shape prevents them from ever being able to collapse inside!

Enough about manhole covers. We think we'll head over to M'Coul's Public House on West McGee Street downtown and have one of their (what we call) Irish meal bites: Deep fried, wonton wrapped corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.

Happy Friday! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

* See here for these adult events.

Brick House at 6303 West Market Street

There was a time when driving to Captain Bill's Seafood House on West Market Street felt like being in the country and seemed almost as far as Kernersville; far and remote. Now, West Market has really built up. Captain Bill's at 6108 W. Market is still going strong and just a little west of the seafood restaurant is the above structure at 6303 West Market. The two story house was built in 1945. Now, it no longer listed as a home but class C office space on 1.75 acres.

Yesterday, we drove by and noticed that out of trees have been cut down and it doesn't appear to have any businesses located there at the moment. It appears to be in transition, on its way to becoming something else. We're wondering if they will keep the house or replace it with something bigger. If you find out anything about the house and what it will become, let us know and we'll report on it.

Yesterday was Ides of March and tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. As best we can tell, today is, well, just Thursday. While not specific to Greensboro, read  the "national" holiday calendar and you will learn that today is everything from National Panda Day to St. Urho's Day (see, here).