Greensboro Daily Photo

Springtime, Almost

It really feels like spring, even though the change of seasons is a month away. Yesterday, at the corner of Lawndale and Pisgah Church Road, an unidentified worker is changing the signage for The Natural Dog pet store. Indeed, spring rain brings muddy paws. 

Natural Dog opened a few years ago in the space formerly occupied by Fresh Market. It is a giant store, dedicated to providing consumers with anything and everything they need related to canines. Natural Dog, with locations in Greensboro and Winston, boasts over 50 kinds of dog food; something for every dog regardless of nutrition needs. They also have products for cats and small animals. Regardless of whether you have pets or children in your life, Natural Dog is right, spring rain brings mud! Enjoy your almost-spring days.

Huffman's Barber Shop

The above photo features Huffman's Barbershop late one night at Irving Park Plaza. All was quiet and the shop was shiny clean, waiting for customers the next day. The iconic Huffman's was featured in 2012 in Our State Magazine, where the author Michael Graff writes that Pet Huffman, the man who started the shop, survived as a Japanese prisoner of war for four years during World War II. Huffman's is a traditional barber shop, focusing on haircuts for men. In previous centuries, barbers treated diseases, practiced blood letting, and performed other services that are under the guise of medical doctors today. 

National chains, the ones that cut hair for men and women and make appointments online, are gaining in popularity. However, when you want to know what is going on in a community, need advice about life, hope to establish a long term relationship with someone who will be there as your hair thins as you age, nothing beats a good old-fashioned barber. Huffman's, on the western edge of Old Irving Park,  is one of those places that has been around for decades. Let's hope it is there for at least a few more. If those walls could talk....

Westover Terrace at Green Valley

Today's photo features the lot where IHOP was formerly located. If you haven't been to the Westover Terrace, Green Valley Road area lately, you might not know that IHOP has relocated in the plaza with Outback Steak House, citing a need for a larger location. The old building has been torn down and workers are on site preparing the lot for new construction.

CoreLife, billed as a healthy restaurant, will move on to the .64 acre lot, owned by Kotis Holdings LLC. According to their website, CoreLife has clean, healthy foods without sacrificing taste. All items are GMO free, trans fat, artificial color, sweetener, and additive free. The chain began in Syracuse, NY three years ago and this location will make their 10th state. The business is growing quickly.  It will be interesting to see how the restaurant builds on the corner lot, on the northern end of the Midtown footpring.

Silent Meditation Sunset

 

Usually on Sundays at GDP, we present something religious or at least spiritual. There is so much to reflect on this week, as the nation ponders the tragic school shooting in Florida. Temple Emanuel held a special gathering this past week to bring the community together to grieve and find a way to address the issue of gun violence and mass shootings. Other groups have also held vigils and conversations, especially for their teenagers.

 

Also today, we are mindful of the Greensboro Mural Project’s “Tough Love Mural”  that will be celebrated today. Head to East Washington Street at Church Street this afternoon, if you want to celebrate the community mural before it is dismantled. The loss of this mural does not equate to the loss of lives in Florida; however, it does remind us of the importance of community when it comes to working through grief and change.

 

We leave you today with a Greensboro sunset from late December. It was one of those days when the sunset was glorious. This photo was taken looking across the golf course on Carlson Dairy Road in Northwest Greensboro. May we all pause for a moment of silent meditation. There is nothing more beautiful than nature.

 

Our post of the Mural Project is at the following link

 

http://www.greensborodailyphoto.com/2018/01/greensboro-mural-project.html

 

East Greensboro at Church and Market Streets

The above photo was taken on Church Street, near East Market Street. The zoom lens compresses the street scene, but also captures the bright, colorful look of this part of town.  Entrepreneurs are moving in to this area. The area up near the Central Library and the Children's Museum have been popular for the last 15 years. The Children's Museum is the lime green and melon building in the background. However, the area in the foreground, closer to the train depot, is also gaining momentum.

If you haven't been to East Greensboro lately, you owe it to yourself to drive around and see the changes. If you have made it this far downtown, head to the Interactive Resource Center and make a donation. Have a great Saturday, wherever you are and whatever you decide to do.

 

Press Play Recording Studio

Press Play is a studio that helps clients podcast, engineer, and broadcast.  They help clients by offering studio time, consulting, and stretegies to distribute media globally. Located is the Cultural Arts on Davie Street, Press Play is a reasonably priced place to go for mentoring and recording.*

At the above studio, you can book podcast studio rental time online, a 15 minute studio tour or a 30 minute meeting. The studio is located right across the hallway form Cafe Europa where you could head for a meal time after your studio session. It is amazing how easy it is to establish a media presence these days. Greensboro is lucky to have this resource. That photo and seating area sets the tone for the positive energy of the employees that will become readily apparent when you step through the door.

 

* reference and more information, here.

Jan-Ru Wan at Green Hill Gallery

Today's photo features Jan-Ru Wan, as she was installing her art for the Green Hill Gallery at the Cultural Arts Center on Davie Street. The mixed-media art of Jan-Ru Wan is part of an exhibit, Slow Art, that encourages the viewer to slow down, view and reflect on the exhibit in a meditative mode. Wu has taught at East Carolina University and North Carolina State University.

Wan, born in Taiwan,* understands that culture plays a role in how we perceive things; but, it is the commonalities among people that drive her research and art work. The installation above features string and skateboards in a circular form. It almost looks as if Jan-Ru Wan is pausing to meditate as she works on the installation. The multi-artist exhibit will be on view until April 15th. Try to get to Green Hill to enjoy this art.

 

*reference and learn more about the artist, here.

Cafe Europa

Today is Valentines Day and Cape Europa would be a great place to take a loved one to dinner downtown. It has been a local favorite since it opened in 2000 and Wednesdays have traditionally been a busy night for them.  Cafe Europa, located at 200 Davie Street, has been much in the news lately. The issues is related to the amount of rent that the restaurant pays and the fact that it is about 1/3 a of what the location could rent for now. Ironically, Cafe Europa is precisely one of the reasons that that part of downtown is so successful at attracting customers.

Now that Tanger Center for Performing Arts is under construction downtown and LeBauer Park is a popular neighbor, Cafe Europa is at risk of losing its lease. On the one hand, the city is responsible to the Greensboro community and should generate as much revenue as possible. On the other hand, Cafe Europa has been a community service, of sorts, for nearly two decades. As seen in the above photo, the restaurant exudes the feel of Old Europe, full of wood and plenty of outdoor seating, perfect for people watching. What do you think should happen to the restaurant?

Interactive Resource Center

The Interactive Resource Center- Greensboro Day Center (IRC)  is Greensboro's go-to place for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Here, people with an insecure home situation can take a shower, do laundry,use a computer,  even have a surface mail address. The IRC also helps with medical and mental health care, with employment and more. Many of the staff members have had personal or family experiences with homelessness and understand the importance of being treated with dignity, having someone to talk to, and being offered a cup of coffee. For the time guests are at the IRC, they have a brief respite from their big life struggles.

The IRC is located on East Washington Street, a block east of the J. Gaylon Douglass Depot. According to the IRC's website, 900 people in Greensboro are homeless, 200 people a day come to the IRC for help, and they have helped over 11,000 people since opening in 2009. The above photo shows a sitting area to the left of the entrance, just above one of Greensboro's murals. Taken across the street from the entrance, the photo shows a person resting before heading back out on the street. If you are looking for a place to donate time and resorces, IRC provides an invaluable community service for Greensboro. You can be guaranteed that every bottle of shampoo you give, every dollar you donate or every hour of time you contribute will help make a difference in somebody's quality of life. 

Fog Along Oakland Avenue

Oakland Avenue starts at South Mendenhall Street in College Hill and continues all the way to South Holden Road, just south of where it meets up with Spring Garden Street. Oakland Avenue, approximately five miles long,  parallels the railroad tracks on the opposite side of  Gate City Boulevard. Therefore, Oakland Avenue only has development on one side of the street. Near UNCG, Oakland Avenue is home to much-coveted free parking spaces. Students and staff who arrive early are privy to great parking.

The above photo was taken late Saturday afternoon on the portion of Oakland that is behind Hops Burger Bar, Sherwin-Williams, the Rolane Factory, and closer to Holden Road. The street was deserted, quiet, and eerie. The fog decreased visibility significantly, making the area appear a bit ghostly. From the Moral March to many events for artists and musicians, to sporting events- including a gymnastics competition at the Coliseum- Greensboro was a pretty busy place this weekend. These pockets of quietness leave one with a sense of solitude and calmness- at least until a train comes clanging and honking along.

In a month or so, the trees on Oakland will begin to leaf out and winter will be behind us. Let's put on our fog lights and not look back!

Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church- Enveloped in Fog

With the fog, Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church, located on busy Pisgah Church Road, looks as if it is on a country road in rural Guilford County. In reality, it is right across the street from Lowe's Home Improvement Center at Battleground Avenue. The church, with a congregation of over 1,200 people, dates back to the mid-1800's in Greensboro; back in the early years of our city and in a time when this area was, indeed, rural.

You may recognize them as the church with the vibrant orange pumpkin patch in the fall. They were one of the first, if not THE first church to feature the now-ubiquitous, October pumpkin patch. Just to the right of this photo is a graveyard, somewhat hidden by a fence. Behind the church property is Lewis Recreation Center,  J. Spencer Love Tennis Center, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Jaycee Park, and Country Park. This is a corner of Greensboro with so much history and so much to do, literally from cradle to grave.

Happy Sunday, we hope you have a great day.

A Rainy Saturday at the Apple Store

All week, Greensboro has been talking about the fact that it has been predicted to rain on Saturday, today. Thanks to all of those Apple watches and laptops, we can get hourly updates on weather, any and all information we need- and information we don't need. On any given Saturday, especially on rainy Saturdays, the Apple Store at Friendly Center is crowded with people of all ages. Everyone wants to know about the latest innovations in technology. The Apple Store does a great job of educating customers and helping them learn about their product, so that they feel comfortable purchasing the latest Apple products.

What will you be doing today? Where is your "go to" third space, that special gathering place other than home and work? If you are out in search of something to do, remember the Be My Valentine pop-up art event at 125 Bruce Street. If you pass on an Apple watch, consider heading over there to purchase a unique, hand-made piece of jewelry or art.

Valentine Art Pop Up at 125 Bruce Street

Yes, Greensboro there is a Bruce Street. It is a tiny street off Spring Garden, between Elam and Revolution Cycles. Anytime someone hears Bruce Street, they ask, "You mean Brice Street?" They are not too far from each other, but Bruce Street dead ends at the railroad tracks across from the Coliseum. Brice is closer to Walker Avenue. At any rate, at 125 Bruce Street, there is a tiny building that is just perfect for pop-up events.

Tomorrow, from 10:00 a.m., several artists will gather for a Be My Valentine Pop Up on Bruce. The items available will be just perfect for Valentine's Day, even if you are treating yourself. The above photo, taken at the building, features an unidentified shopper waiting patiently for the door to open. She plans to purchase a hand hammered heart necklace, a wind chime made from cutlery, and at least one brightly-painted metal yard flower. These handmade items and so much more will be available tomorrow. Stop by, for a look inside. Rain or shine, you will meet some great Greensboro artists.

Bardolph Building Candy Factory

 

T

The above building to the right, it not currently a candy factory. It was, indeed a candy factory at one time. Here, at 301 South Church Street, you will find the Dorothy Bardolph Human Services Center as well as private organizations that rent space here. The property is owned by developer Marty Kotis who wants to change the image of this east part of town. Kotis' strategy is to post the attractive, eye-catching art to attract people to an area that you hope to re-purpose.*  To the right (not visible) is the Douglas Gaylon Depot. 

Kotis plans to have retail, offices, and restaurants in the area. He wants Greensboro to be attractive and a place that entices young adults to want to be here. He has been recruiting artists to paint murals around town and the lollipop is one such mural. On the day we were on site, as a woman was leaving the building, we asked her if she worked at the "Candy Factory." She said, not exactly, explaining that she worked with people with addiction issues--and not to candy. The building exudes a Willy Wonka vibe. It will be interesting to see how it transforms and whether, indeed, the area becomes a destination for families with young children.

* reference and additional information, here.

Lowe's Foods

Lowes Foods, like Pepsi Cola and Vicks Salve, was born in North Carolina. Lowes began with a single store in North Wilkesboro in 1954 by Jim Lowe, the same man who co-owned Lowes Home Improvement Stores.  The above photo features the store at New Garden Crossing.  Recently, many of the 71 North Carolina stores got a makeover in response to customer interest in ready-to-eat, healthy, and local foods. Their produce sections feel and look more like a farmers market than a grocery store chain. 

Lowes is known for chicken prepared on site, pantry staples, a bakery, fresh produce, and more.  This supermarket chain actively seeks out local foods to sell. If you have a produce line or packaged product, Lowes just might consider carrying it. Additionally, the New Garden Crossing store now has a coffee bar and a craft beer bar. As an added, local bonus, their check out counters are named for Greensboro roads: Fleming Road, Battleground Avenue, Horse Pen Creek Road, and Bryan Boulevard. How nice to have a little hometown touch.

Edward McKay Bookstore

According to their website, McKay Books was founded in 1974. This was way back in the pre-computer, pre-Internet era. The owners had the vision that knowledge was empowering and people needed a place to go to purchase books that were reasonably priced and a way to sell them back when their owner no longer needed them. In Greensboro, the store is known as Edward McKay and it has diverged and reemerged with the parent company that has branches in Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville, Greensboro, and Winston Salem.

The above photo features the Greensboro store, located at 1607 Battleground Avenue. As you can see, it is a busy place. If you haven't been in a while, you need to go see the recently remodeled store. Be prepared to be overwhelmed. In addition to books, they have DVDs, games, game figures, action figures, albums, and so much more. It is heartwarming to know that a place based on reading and knowledge is staying so busy. Empire Books on Spring Garden Street has recently closed. It is nice that Barnes & Noble, Scuppernong Books, and Edward McKay are still here for our reading pleasure. What are you reading at the moment?

February Weather

Overheard in Greensboro recently, "There is a reason February is the shortest month of the year. It is so dreary." The above photo features a field just north of Greensboro near the Highway 220/Highway68 split. Local temperatures hovered in the low 30's. It was trying ver hard to freeze and the threat was significant enough to cancel many local church services. The scenery is rather beautiful, as long as you don't have to drive or, at the very least, have a reliable four wheel drive. The white of the slush brings the straw gold and pine greet to life on an otherwise dreary day. 

The end of the day, Greensboro was gifted a beautiful sunset. Let's see what today brings.... possibly a lot of people moving slowly and sluggish, post Super Bowl. Greensboro's sports bars had hefty crowds, in spite of the weather. Happy Monday, dear readers, in Greensboro and beyond.

In This House, We Believe...

Sometimes, it is best to let the sign speak for itself. And this one speaks volumes about the people who live at this address...

Many houses around Greensboro have signs with messages like the one above. If memory serves, this sign was spotted in a yard in Westerwood. Then again, signs with this type of inclusive message are often spotted in Fisher Park and in Lindley Park. How would it make you feel to have a sign like this one pop up in your neighbor's yard? As we do our Sunday musing, meditating, praying, or whatever we do to ponder the big spiritual, moral, and humanitarian questions, let us all think about what our own sign would say. To be sure, they are a window into the heart and soul. Happy Sunday! Happy reflecting to our friends in Greensboro and beyond!

Stanley House at 314 Isabel St.

The Stanley House at 314 Isabel Street, on the corner of North Church Street, is billed as a curious colonial revival style house. Built in about 1920, this house is distinctive because of the 2-story Corinthian portico. The stuccoed round arch also sets the house apart from everything else in the Fisher Park neighborhood. Actually, it sets it apart from about anything else in Greensboro. Over the nearly 100 years, it has been beautifully maintained. The landscape is very elegant, too.

The house is actually bigger than it looks. It is nearly 4,000 square ft. We featured it on GDP in 2009 and it still looks the same, except for the more mature landscaping. Historic properties like this one are very fun to seek out on weekends. If you have time today, check it out!

Maria Johnson, Freelance Journalist

Maria Johnson has been a local, North Carolina journalist since 1983. She worked for the News & Record for 23 years. In 2007, she became a freelancer and has written regularly for the O'Henry Magazine since it began in August of 2011. Maria writes well and her chatty, informal style puts interviewees at ease. She writes copious notes and has a special talent for taking often seemingly random bits of information and combining them into a coherent article. It is easy to see why Maria has won several awards for journalism, national as well as local.

Some stories that have been especially memorable to her include the one she wrote about streetscape artist Maggie Fickett for the November 2017 O'Henry Magazine. She also covered the resettlement of the Montagnard families from Vietnam to Greensboro in the mid-1980's. She has written about poverty in North Carolina, AIDS in Greensboro; and covered many authors and celebrities who have passed through Greensboro or who call Greensboro home. While Maria likes to tackle the difficult topics, she also enjoys the more lighthearted stories, like writing about the time she had to fish a kernel of popcorn out of her elementary school son's ear. She also met "the other" Maria Johnson, a Spanish immersion teacher in Greensboro and wrote about how much they had in common and laughed about the many ways people have confused them. 

When Maria is not investigating a new story, you can find her out walking her hound dog, cycling and hiking the local trails with her husband, spending time with her two sons, playing tennis, and just getting out and meeting people. In the above photo, Maria is on site at Toni Shaw's photography studio writing a story for O'Henry Magazine (Feb. 2018) about Greensboro Daily Photo. It was a perfect O'Henry twist for Maria to be interviewing me, while I was interviewing Toni Shaw for GDP. Toni and I were busy photographing each other as Maria was photographing and interviewing us. I couldn't let Maria get away that day without gathering material for a GDP post about her. It was a fun day for all. 

O'Henry Magazine Features Greensboro Daily Photo

Greensboro Daily Photo is honored to be featured in the current edition of O'Henry Magazine (February, 2018, p. 31). After nine years of being a largely-anonymous, amateur, street photographer, I was contacted for an interview by Maria Johnson. Maria is a freelance journalist who writes regularly for O'Henry Magazine. In the above photo, I (on the left wearing pink) am shown on location photographing Toni Shaw for GDP's January 30th post. 

The article is wonderful on so many levels. First, Maria Johnson needs to be commended for her superb journalism. In a couple of hours, she asked great questions and made astute observations, capturing so many aspects of our community blog- indeed a "labor of love." Maria's casual, chatty, personable demeanor, instantly puts her interviewees at ease. Second, Maria had the great idea to follow me on a photo shoot, thereby giving recognition to a local professional photographer, Toni Shaw, who is deserving of an article in her own right.  Finally, O'Henry Magazine is to be applauded for publishing such a high quality magazine about our great city. 

No interview for O'Henry Magazine would be complete without an O'Henry ending. William Sydney Porter (aka O'Henry), born in Greensboro in 1862, was known for endings with a twist. At the end of the  interview about Greensboro Daily Photo, Maria was surprised with a request to be featured on GDP. Stop back tomorrow to learn a little more about her. In the meantime, if you are local, we hope you have a chance to read the article.

Tough Love, Weinfield, & the Greensboro Mural Project

Yesterday, Vera Weinfield was on location at the corner of East Washington and Church Streets, working on the Greensboro Mural Project's mural, entitled "Tough Love." Weinfield is the project leader on this endeavor that has involved at least 200 volunteers of all ages with varying levels of "love" for Greensboro. Wenfield, who is from Indiana and studied at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, moved to Greensboro about seven months ago to work on this project. The goal of the project is to turn letters about Greensboro into a mural. Some of the letters address what people love about the city and other letters address things they'd like to see change.

Weinfield, who has poured her heart into this project and made it her full-time job, had planned for this mural to be in place for a very long time. Unfortunately, she recently learned that the building will be torn down by the end of February. She is hurrying to finish the mural in time for the Greensboro Mural Project to host some kind of community event here, where all can enjoy, photograph, and be photographed in front of a great work of art. Paint can only be applied when the temperature is above 40ºF. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate so that "Tough Love" can be finished in time to be torn down. Ironically, naming the mural "Tough Love" has become a self-fulfilling prophecy; knowing that its days are numbered must make it tough for Weinfield to love this project. Stop by and see it in person and cheer Vera on!

Springlike Weather on Carlson Dairy

Yesterday in Greensboro, the temperature rose to 50 degrees. After a mostly-rainy Sunday, the sunny Monday afternoon felt like spring was giving our community a visit. The above photo was taken just off Carlson Dairy Road on the Farm Course of Greensboro Country Club. Nine years ago, this course had a six million dollar renovation. British golf course architect, Donald Steel, redesigned the par-72 course. It is the longest course in Greensboro and is said to be one of the longest in the state.

Over the last few decades, country clubs have evolved to emphasize being family friendly and having something for everyone in the family-- tennis, golf, swimming, social events, great meals, and more. Even if you don't play golf, or belong to one of Greensboro's local country clubs, you can walk the perimeter and enjoy the views. Greensboro's many golf courses provide expansive views and are a great way to appreciate nature's great beauty. Look at that blue sky that provides a great backdrop to that lovely field. Before we know it, indeed, spring will be here.

Cone Denim and Greensboro's Textile Industry

Going through our photo archives at GDP, we came across this photo taken late this past summer. There was an event at Revolution Mill and Cone Denim had a table set up, telling about their history and these unidentified women were selling t-shirts, left over from White Oak Mill's anniversary celebration a few years ago. Little did the community know that the mill was about to close its doors forever. 

We're hoping somebody is doing a photo shoot inside the White Oak Mill before it gets dismantled, or changed into whatever it is going to become. If they are looking for photographers to take photos inside the White Oak Plant, please encourage them to contact Greensboro Daily Photo. We've had requests to share this giant piece of Greensboro's history with the community. 

When we started Greensboro Daily Photo nine years ago, it wasn't our initial plan to photograph the changes in the community, but those changes have been coming fast and furiously. As for White Oak, it is hard to believe that memories, and silenced equipment are all we have left of an industry that was an integral part of Greensboro for over 100 years.

Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Virgin Mary is drenched in symbolism and, up until the 18th century, the was the single-most commonly depicted female figure. While there are many different ideas about her and her role in Christianity, she is Jesus' mother and in iconography is depicted with him. She is linked to human nature and the earthly aspect of Christianity.* In St. Luke's gospel, it is said that Mary kept all things in her heart to ponder them. 

The above photo is of a painting of Mary that was turned into a collage and recently for sale at a Greensboro thrift store. Last time we checked, she had been sold. Somebody in Greensboro has rescued her. It made us wish we'd left a business card taped to the back of the piece asking the person who purchased it to let us know what happens to her. We hope you have a great Sunday and, if you have time, look around and see the beauty around us. Mary would want that.

*reference and interesting article here.

Friday Evening in the Park in Greensboro

This cell phone photo of downtown is not the best quality, but something about the pixelated blurr of light evokes chromoluminarism, the innovative technique of Georges-Pierre Seurat. Seurat had a way of making a figure look like a person with a series of dots. The light, from Center City Park, is shining on people who  were downtown celebrating the Festival of Lights during the First Friday in December. The person in the center of the photo is on a bicycle. Curiously, all eyes appear to be on the cyclist.

Seurat believed that the use of color could evoke emotion, specifically that gaiety could be achieved through luminous hues. Balancing warm with cold colors, creating horizontal lines, and the using light and dark, combines to evoke a sense of calm. Do you sense the calm happiness of people enjoying a Friday Evening in the Park in Greensboro? Indeed, that was the feeling on December 1st.

This upcoming Friday is the first Friday in February. It won't be nearly as well attended or as elaborate;  nevertheless, it will be a way to usher in the last great month of winter. Besides, it will also be Groundhog Day. If it is not a good day, just like the movie, you can get up and live it all over again. Just kidding (kind of)...

Birch Management

Birch Management, located at 1118 Grecade Street in Midtown. They are a professional property management service in Greensboro. Birch opened in 1988 and their staff has been working to help clients make the most of their investment properties for over thirty years. Their staff of 15 is quite diverse, with most team members having been involved in the real estate industry for several years.

The street-view facade of the building is reminiscent of the nearby Jones Metal Work building given the plain brick, angled roof, and signage attached directly onto the roof area. The building punctuates the sky beautifully on a sunny winter day, when trees are bare and the building is maximally visible. The 7,560 square foot building was built in 1985; however Birch has only been in this location since December of 2007. With its great location- easy access to Wendover Avenue, Battleground, and Benjamin Boulevard-  likely, they will remain on Grecade for a very long time.

 

Greensboro's Southside Community

Southside is an area of Greensboro between East Lewis Street and MJK Drive. The above photo was taken one block off of Elm Street at Arlington Street. It is hard to believe that this majestic, mature tree and the magnolia behind it are on that large, undeveloped lot, right downtown. This urban neighborhood has a variety of architecture, from modern townhouses to Queen Anne mansions and bungalows.

The Southside area has been a vibrant community since the 1800's. In 1996, a Greensboro City Council bond package provided for the redevelopment of the neighborhood. Southside has benefitted from this intensive community planning and economic boost to renovate owner-occupied residences. The neighborhood continues to get stronger and expand. While the above photo was taken in the older part, it is still attractive.

Visual Merchandising and Product Presentation

Students in the Visual Merchandising and Product Presentation class at the University of North Carolina Greensboro spent part of yesterday afternoon speed styling at Reconsidered Goods on Patterson Street. They were on site with their professor, Anne Wood, who teaches in the Department of Consumer Apparel and Retail Studies. As they arrived at Reconsidered Goods, they were met by staff member Paige Cox who immediately put the crew to work moving the above Valentine's Day display from the back of the room to the front and relocating the display that was formerly in this spot. In the above photo, the display is nowhere near finished, but the crew was working quickly and efficiently making product placement issues in real time, working with goods donated to this non-profit, creative reuse center.

If you do not work in the field of education, you might not realize the emphasis placed on students having real-word, internship experiences as part of their academic training. Yesterday, the team's instructor masterfully balanced providing input and direction from the side with allowing the team to make decisions. These students will also have the opportunity to speed style at the Junior League's Bargain Box on Mill Street and the Target on Lawndale. How wonderful that university students provide a service to the community while gaining experience in their chosen profession.

A big thank you to the seven team members above, to their instructor Anne Wood, to Reconsidered Goods for providing artists with affordable supplies, and to the people who donate to this great venture. Each link in this chain is a vital part in building and sustaining a community.

Hair Shop of Lawndale

The above barber pole belongs to the Hair Shop of Lawndale, at the Irving Park Shops on Lawndale Avenue. The Hair Shop is one of those places that seems like it has been around forever. One online commenter said he'd been using the same barber there, Ed. for 25 years.

Over the centuries, barbers have served as dentists, surgeons, people capable of bloodletting, leeching, fire cupping, and (according to Wikipedia) even giving enemas. The helix of colored stripes on the barber pole above is a reference to the bloodletting and medical procedures performed in years past. While today's barbers focus more on haircuts, shaving, and trimming stray ear and nose hairs, barbers are proud of their history and are rather proprietary about the display of barber poles.

The Hair Shop end of the plaza is changing before our eyes. Walgreen's has left the end spot at Cornwallis and The William Mangum Gallery has moved to Smith Street downtown. Let's hope that some of the old-school businesses, like the Hair Shop, don't get displaced. A healthy mixture of old and new keeps a strip mall fresh and current, yet with continuity and a link to the community's past.

 

The Annual Guilford County Schools Choice Showcase

Guilford County Schools held their Schools Showcase this past Saturday. The showcase, held at the Coliseum in the event space, gives families an opportunity to explore school options. Children always have the right to attend their attendance zone school; however, Greensboro has 45 choice schools with 54 programs. While all schools teach the core basics (language arts, math, science, and social studies), the choice schools are themed, and focus on everything from S.T.E.M. to performing and visual arts to foreign language. 

The above photo shows the booth for the Spanish Immersion Program, which is houses at David D. Jones Elementary School, in the Warnersville neighborhood just south of town. Students in the Spanish Immersion Program learn their core content areas in Spanish. Imagine arriving to Kindergarten on Day 1 and not hearing your teacher speak a word of English. Imagine five year olds, after 180 days of school not even realizing that their teacher speaks English. Yet, through their fabulous teaching techniques, students learn to read and perform math problems in Spanish, often before they can do so in English.

The families of Greensboro, High Point, and the rest of Guilford County are lucky to have access to so many fabulous special programs. While there is a lottery system, the programs are free for the families using them.

Winter Night Sky

 With the recent blanket of white snow lingering and a couple of sunny days, it is easy to forget that we are still in the time with the longest nights of the year. The above photo is of this week's waxing crescent moon. Today, the sun rises at 7:27 a.m. and sets at 5:35 p.m., giving our lattitude about ten hours of daylight and fourteen hours of night.

There are many references to darkness in the Bible, often referring to evil and taking the wrong path.  An example is Proverbs 4:19: But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over. A more lighthearted reference to darkness can be found in Psalm 104:19-20: He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set. You bring darkness and it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

Even though Greensboro is working its way out of a hard week of true winter and it was as if the whole city was at a standstill, as we consider Psalm 104, we are reminded that the light and dark are purposeful.  The waxing crescent moon is the prelude to 14 hours of darkness, merely a way of marking the seasons. Nothing says winter like single digit temperatures, nine inches of snow, and extra hours of darkness. 

Happy wintertime! Happy Sunday-  where the very word has embedded in it the moon's bright counterpart!

Greensboro City Vehicle Tags

At one time, cities and towns in North Carolina issued metal vehicle license tags to generate revenue. They were placed on the front of the vehicle and were about half the size of the state plates. There doesn't appear to be a lot of information available on the city plates; however, we know they were popular in the 1970's and we saw one from Ellerbe, NC from 1987. Some just had the city's name, and others, had a slogan. For example, in 1976, HIGH POINT dubbed itself "World Hosiery Capital" and BURLINGTON was known as "Bigger-Better." ERWIN, NC billed itself as World Denim Capital.* Erwin, NC, is located in Harnett County, and not too far from Raleigh-Durham-Carey. The Duke Family built a cotton mill there in 1904 that only closed in 2000. Still, we've always seen Greensboro as the Denim Capital of North Carolina, maybe even the world. With the Cone Denim White Oak Plant closed after 110 years, on December 31 (1905-2017), Greensboro will lose the tradition of making jeans. As a matter of fact, there don't appear to be any plants making jeans in North Carolina.

Cities learned they could still collect vehicle taxes without the cost of making the metal plates, and clothing companies realized they could decrease costs by producing jeans in other countries. So, if you find an old city license tag in the garage, or a pair of vintage, made-in-North-Carolina  jeans in the back of the closet, hold on to them. You have a piece of local history. 

*See an interesting collection of North Carolina city tags, here.

Sled Riding in Greensboro

Greensboro's big snow this week has been pretty fabulous for sled riding. Some parts of town received up to 9 inches of snow, much more than anticipated. It has been enough to shut the town down. You know it is bad when fast food restaurants (national chains) are closed. On Wednesday night, the Harris-Teeter parking lot was so empty, they appeared to be closed. Indeed, they were open. Perhaps customers filled their pantries with the requisite snow-pocalypse items on Tuesday night. Wednesday, Greensboro was a ghost town. Roads were treacherous, school was closed, not even teachers had to report to work. 

By Thursday, temperatures warmed significantly, the sun came out, and people were a little more adventurous. The city's sled riding spots were busy into the early evening. The above photo was taken in British Woods, off Battleground Avenue, a few years ago. However, the park at Downing Street was just as busy yesterday and, with the bright blue skies, sled riders were enjoying a free, low-tech, outdoor form of winter entertainment.

Today, while much of the snow has compacted and melted, and a little more dirt is peeking through on the hills, it is still a great day for sledding. Grab your sled, cafeteria tray from your college years (you know you have one), or some kind of inflatable, and head for the nearest snow covered hill. Whether you have children in your life, or not, we could all use a good dose of bringing out the inner child! Sometimes, it is nice to slow down and enjoy all that a snow day brings: family time, the quietness of nature, then laughter, snowmen, sledding, the crunching of snow, hot chocolate, and frozen toes and fingers warming after a day of playing. Have fun, while it lasts! Where is your favorite place to sled ride in Greensboro?

Snow Day

Yesterday morning, the predicted snow fell, and then some. Not only was school cancelled, it was not even an optional teacher workday. People were advised to stay put and Greensboro was silent. It seemed as if there were as many cancellations as places open. Uncharacteristically, even more snow fell than was predicted. Even with electricity and access to programs for binge watching and social media for posting snow photos, people have been hinting at cabin fever. 

Hopefully the bird bath in the above photo will not crack and the fig tree will weather the storm. Fig trees aren't supposed to be subjected to temperatures below 20 degrees. Somehow each year, the manage to grow again. How are you spending your time? Are your pantries stocked?

Dónde!? Where

Somewhere in Greensboro, earlier in the fall, a Ford Fiesta was seen driving around town with the above vanity tag, "DONDE!? or Spanish for "WHERE."  Of course, the tag begs the question, "Where, what?" When vanity tags are ordered, not only does the Division of Motor Vehicles need to make sure the requested tag doesn't mean something inappropriate in English, they need to be relatively sure there isn't an inappropriate meaning in another language.

And, language changes so quickly. As an example, if you search a crowdsourced site like Urban Dictionary, for the word "thirsty" you will learn the connotations of the word. (seeking attention on social media by posting selfies to boost self esteem. "Thirsties" are groups of people trying to get the attention, admiration, or love of the opposite sex; or, someone fishing for compliments). Even those definitions are several years old. Those meanings could have already dropped out of usage or evolved into something else. At any rate, "thirsty" means so much more than wanting a drink of water. Before you even get started thinking of the special word you want on your vanity tag, you can peruse the 201 specialized plates in North Carolina. For example, in North Carolina you can get an Auburn University, 82nd Airborne, Lion's Club, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.,  Donate Life Organ Donor tag icon on the tag even before deciding on a word.*

If you are stuck in traffic, especially with children in the car, remember the license tag game. Unlike previous generations, this generation can snap photos of their best finds, and then set out to trace the meaning to its origin. Does anybody know the back-story on the North Carolina "DONDE!?" tag?

*see your options, here.

Barnes and Noble Bookstore at Friendly Center

Barnes and Noble Bookstore dates back to 1873 in Illinois, where Charles M. Barnes opened it out of his home. It is the bookseller with the largest number of retail sites in the United States. According to their website, they operate 720 bookstores, and are in all 50 states. Barnes and Noble offers special literary events, as well as opportunities for schools to have fundraisers and to showcase their performing and visual arts.

While it is always nice to support local, independent booksellers, one would like to think that more bookstores in a community correlates with more readers. As seen in the above photo, Barnes & Noble was pretty busy in the December/January timeframe.

If you are looking for a book to read, The Bright Hour, by Nina Riggs is one that is receiving national attention. Riggs, a Greensboro resident,  died last year of breast cancer, just as she finished her memoir. You can find a copy at either Barnes & Noble or Scuppernong. To be sure, it is better to purchase the book locally. And, just think, get it today and you will have something to read if this evening's predicted snow event lands in Greensboro.

Food Pantry at Backpack Beginnings

The "Impact Wall" of Backpack Beginnings was recently featured on Greensboro Daily Photo (here). Today's feature in the sorting table for the food pantry portion of the facility. Office Manager Michele Alvarino is explaining how a person stands in the foreground, selects donated food from a central palate, determines the expiration date on each can of food and slides them down on a given color strip. The color indicates type of food (vegetable, starch, protein, etc.) and remaining shelf life. The person in the background position, where Michele is standing, then puts the item on the appropriate shelf. Yet another person will pack a box of about 35 pounds of food, from a variety of categories, to send to schools with food pantries. About 200 volunteers regularly drive food to and from schools.

In 2014, the Food Research and Action Center, ranked Greensboro and High Point as Number 1 for people who had difficulties in securing food.* Hopefully, with programs like Backpack Beginnings, the situation is improving. 

As many people have a day off today, celebrating the Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, let us all remember that the day is intended to be one of community service. If you are looking for a way to help, consider holding a food drive, through any of your networks of friends and associates, and donate what you get to Backpack Beginnings. Access their website, here, or call 336-709- 9649 to arrange to drop off food. Finally, remember the words of Booker T. Washington, "The happiest people are those who do the most for others."  While Booker T. Washington died 14 years before Dr. King was born, they shared the common goal of uplifting and empowering African Americans and they would have loved each other. May we do our part to continue the work of these great humanitarians.

* reference.

College Park Baptist Church

Today's photo of College Park Baptist Church was taken in early December when Greensboro had its first snowfall of the year. Since the forecast is predicting snow again this week, the photo is timely. College Park Baptist is located at the southwest corner of Walker Avenue and Aycock Street- just across the street from UNCG.  

College Park Baptist, is known for being about as welcoming, inclusive, and liberal as a church can be. The church was founded in 1906 and originally called Forest Avenue Church. Given its close proximity to UNCG, college students have always been an important part of the congregation. The church was the first in Greensboro to have an ordained female minister. Over the years, twelve of their members have been ordained as ministers and they have sent nine missionaries to foreign countries.*  Whether you are actively seeking out a church, or just looking for a congregation to visit, one that will welcome you with open arms, step in and give CPBC a try. If you happen to get stuck in a snow storm and are in the neighborhood, we're betting someone at the church will lend a hand.

*reference and more church history, here.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Shabbat Service at Temple Emanuel

Last night was the 23rd annual Shabbat Service at Temple Emanuel, honoring the memory of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Also addressed was the issue of racism in society today. Rabbi Guttman went "off script" to address the topic, relating his message to recent events in the news.  The keynote speaker, UNCG's Chancellor Gilliam spoke about racism, the power of storytelling, and the need for social change.

Throughout the very special two hour service, Jewish prayers and rituals were combined with music- contempory, traditional, and religious. The service reminded the congregation and guests that there is much work to be done to have a more equal and just society. It was a memorable moment hearing Hank Brodt, a survivor of five Nazi concentration camps sang V'shamru. Another special moment came when everyone in the room sang a song that combined "America the Beautiful" and "We Shall Overcome." Politicians and religious leaders in the audience were recognized; quite a testimony to the diversity in the audience. At the end of the service, all religious leaders in attendance went up front to show solidarity and a common vision. It was a very memorable service, where all felt embraced and welcome.