Friday, September 17, 2010. Doors open at 7:30pm. Social hour provided by Natty Green, heavy appetizers will be served by Johnny B and The Lumpsters begin at 9
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Downtown is getting a FACELIFT!!!
Downtown Burlington ready for a facelift
July 20, 2010 5:05 PM
Michael D. Abernethy / Times-News
Downtown Burlington’s sidewalks are getting ready for a facelift.
A series of planters, sidewalk extensions and a gussied up depot lawn are planned by Oct. 1. Most of the work will happen on Front Street, but painted mast arms, light poles and banners will cover a 14-block area downtown.
The work will cost about $350,000, with close to $300,000 being covered by Burlington’s share of federal street improvement stimulus funding. The New Leaf Society, a private group that landscapes Burlington thoroughfares, has pledged $50,000 toward the project.
The Burlington City Council gave the go-ahead for the Burlington Downtown Corporation’s landscaping plans Monday. The plans first began as part of the BDC’s 2008 master plan for redeveloping the city’s downtown district.
BDC Executive Director Anne Morris revealed plans that show 19 large planters and 38 small planters placed on Front Street between Lexington Avenue and South Church Street. The plans also show three areas where the sidewalk will be extended for gathering areas with benches and possibly picnic tables in front of the depot, the Paramount Theater and the Company Shops Market.
The gathering areas would remove two or three parking spaces each — the most controversial aspect of the plans. The depot gathering area wouldn’t affect on-street parking, because parking isn’t allowed there now. Morris had spoken to business owners about the plans and said they were initially concerned about losing parking but saw the value of adding areas for pedestrians to congregate near downtown attractions.
The depot lawn, which faces Webb Avenue, will also be re-landscaped to include a fence, planters and small trees. The lawn will also be graded to encourage public gatherings. The caboose there will become the backdrop of a stage, eliminating the bulky ramp that currently leads into the caboose. The ramp is required for handicap accessibility, which the stage will provide when it is complete, Morris said.
Though the council approved of the plans, they want to see the entire downtown landscaped.
“What about Maple Avenue to Webb Avenue on Church Street? It’s kind of barren through there and those are two of the most heavily traveled roads in the city,” Councilman Celo Faucette said. “I want businesses on Church Street to feel a part of what’s going on.”
Morris indicated she would apply for state grants that would help pay to install planters elsewhere downtown. City Manager Harold Owen said the city has about $800,000 available that it could spend on downtown street improvements.
Future phases of downtown landscaping could include curb extensions at each intersection, enlarging and repaving sidewalks and adding trees and underground irrigation downtown.
Most of the work on Front Street needs to be completed by Oct. 1 to qualify for stimulus funding under the city’s road construction contracts.
July 20, 2010 5:05 PM
Michael D. Abernethy / Times-News
Downtown Burlington’s sidewalks are getting ready for a facelift.
A series of planters, sidewalk extensions and a gussied up depot lawn are planned by Oct. 1. Most of the work will happen on Front Street, but painted mast arms, light poles and banners will cover a 14-block area downtown.
The work will cost about $350,000, with close to $300,000 being covered by Burlington’s share of federal street improvement stimulus funding. The New Leaf Society, a private group that landscapes Burlington thoroughfares, has pledged $50,000 toward the project.
The Burlington City Council gave the go-ahead for the Burlington Downtown Corporation’s landscaping plans Monday. The plans first began as part of the BDC’s 2008 master plan for redeveloping the city’s downtown district.
BDC Executive Director Anne Morris revealed plans that show 19 large planters and 38 small planters placed on Front Street between Lexington Avenue and South Church Street. The plans also show three areas where the sidewalk will be extended for gathering areas with benches and possibly picnic tables in front of the depot, the Paramount Theater and the Company Shops Market.
The gathering areas would remove two or three parking spaces each — the most controversial aspect of the plans. The depot gathering area wouldn’t affect on-street parking, because parking isn’t allowed there now. Morris had spoken to business owners about the plans and said they were initially concerned about losing parking but saw the value of adding areas for pedestrians to congregate near downtown attractions.
The depot lawn, which faces Webb Avenue, will also be re-landscaped to include a fence, planters and small trees. The lawn will also be graded to encourage public gatherings. The caboose there will become the backdrop of a stage, eliminating the bulky ramp that currently leads into the caboose. The ramp is required for handicap accessibility, which the stage will provide when it is complete, Morris said.
Though the council approved of the plans, they want to see the entire downtown landscaped.
“What about Maple Avenue to Webb Avenue on Church Street? It’s kind of barren through there and those are two of the most heavily traveled roads in the city,” Councilman Celo Faucette said. “I want businesses on Church Street to feel a part of what’s going on.”
Morris indicated she would apply for state grants that would help pay to install planters elsewhere downtown. City Manager Harold Owen said the city has about $800,000 available that it could spend on downtown street improvements.
Future phases of downtown landscaping could include curb extensions at each intersection, enlarging and repaving sidewalks and adding trees and underground irrigation downtown.
Most of the work on Front Street needs to be completed by Oct. 1 to qualify for stimulus funding under the city’s road construction contracts.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Best Name Brands Ever
Bella's House has the best inventory that we have ever seen in the history of our nearly five years. Baker, Henkel Harris, Bernhardt, Thomasville, Broyhill and much, much more!!! You can't afford not to shop at Bella's House right now. Bedroom suites and Dining Room Suites are at unbelievable prices. And the store looks amazing. Lisa and Krista have jumped right into their roles as new owners and have done a fabulous job making the store look better than ever!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Big "Beautiful" News at Bella's House
It's so exciting that I cannot wait another minute to share the news with you. You, the family, friends, customers, blog followers, and facebook fans that have shared the last four and a half years with me. To all of you that have been loyal and faithful I am sure you have heard me say..."I want to do ... and I want to add... and I want to be...but there is only one of me...AND I CAN'T DO IT ALL BY MYSELF!!! Well...here we go...no longer will I be able to complain that same complaint...I have found two (very much like me) partners that will join me in the adventure of consignment furniture & more!!!
Join me in welcoming...Lisa McDaniel and Krista Hunt to ownership of Bella's House Consignment Furniture & More...
All the great things will stay the same but Lisa and Krista are coming on board to make Bella's House even bigger and better!!!
Celebrations to come. For now, join me in welcoming the additional new owners on your next visit or by email.
Lisa@bellashouse.com and Krista@bellashouse.com
Join me in welcoming...Lisa McDaniel and Krista Hunt to ownership of Bella's House Consignment Furniture & More...
All the great things will stay the same but Lisa and Krista are coming on board to make Bella's House even bigger and better!!!
Celebrations to come. For now, join me in welcoming the additional new owners on your next visit or by email.
Lisa@bellashouse.com and Krista@bellashouse.com
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Fridays on Front and the CSM
You're Invited!
Have plans for Friday night? How does sitting in a lawnchair in downtown Burlington on a Friday evening sipping something cool, while listening to the Lizzy Ross Band sound to you? Wonderful? We thought so.
When and where? Burlington Downtown Depot area (Front Street & Main Street) at 7:00pm this Friday night, June 25th. Fridays on Front is brought to you by the Alamance Arts Council and the Burlington Recreation & Parks Dept. Be sure to come down and support the efforts of the Arts Council, the City, and your market to bring summer fun and entertainment to our community and especially our downtown.CSM will have a pre-concert potluck get together at the Company Shops Market building parking lot at 6:00pm. Bring your lawn chair, something to eat and drink (we'll have coolers, cups, plates, etc.) and then stroll down to the concert. Hope to you see you there!
Who is Lizzy Ross?
The Times News wrote an article on Lizzy Ross last month, which can be found here. Visit Lizzy Ross's website for a taste of her music.
Have plans for Friday night? How does sitting in a lawnchair in downtown Burlington on a Friday evening sipping something cool, while listening to the Lizzy Ross Band sound to you? Wonderful? We thought so.
When and where? Burlington Downtown Depot area (Front Street & Main Street) at 7:00pm this Friday night, June 25th. Fridays on Front is brought to you by the Alamance Arts Council and the Burlington Recreation & Parks Dept. Be sure to come down and support the efforts of the Arts Council, the City, and your market to bring summer fun and entertainment to our community and especially our downtown.CSM will have a pre-concert potluck get together at the Company Shops Market building parking lot at 6:00pm. Bring your lawn chair, something to eat and drink (we'll have coolers, cups, plates, etc.) and then stroll down to the concert. Hope to you see you there!
Who is Lizzy Ross?
The Times News wrote an article on Lizzy Ross last month, which can be found here. Visit Lizzy Ross's website for a taste of her music.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
"Best in Town"
Vote for Bella's House...under Other..."Best Consignment Home Furnishings"
http://www.thetimesnews.com/sections/readers-choice/
http://www.thetimesnews.com/sections/readers-choice/
Thank you Madison Taylor...Hope is in the air Downtown Burlington
Dreaming of what downtown could beComments 0 Recommend 0
June 20, 2010 12:00 AM
It’s 8:40 p.m. a week ago Thursday. I’m strolling through downtown Burlington.
All is well.
I’m taking a constitutional after a quick feed at Zack’s, which is packed with customers at just before 8:30 on a summer night when the humidity is only a mildly giving wall instead of the oppressive fortress it will become in July and August. Still, there isn’t much air to breathe. A scuba-diving tank might help. But not much.
Walking, by the way, is what I do in downtown. It’s how I get exercise, move away from the desk at the Times-News and see what needs to be seen. Usually I move pretty fast. That’s not the case on this night. You can’t pound the pavement hard on a stomach full of hot dogs, slaw and chili.
Trust me.
Usually, I walk in the daytime and try to picture what downtown is becoming. Often, I circle Fifth and Morehead Streets, looking over the terrain left by the closure of McPherson’s Hardware. A guy who heard it from a guy who got it from somewhere else told me that it would be perfect place to put a baseball stadium just like the ones in Durham, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. There’s no plan to do it, mind you. It’s just a perfect place.
I can picture it. A stadium across the road from the newspaper. Sidewalks teeming with game-night fans, maybe a sports bar or restaurant nearby. Then I think of the folks who live quietly on Fifth Street and what they might think of a booming P.A. announcer’s voice in the formerly still night air: “Now batting for the Royals, Biff Portabella!” or “Please open your program to page 37 and look for the car wash ad!”
All would not be well, I imagine.
And then there’s the cost. Folks on Fifth Street don’t need to worry. It’ll never happen.
But on this Thursday night walk plenty of things are happening. Signs of life are everywhere. People say downtown is deader than fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. People say it’ll never be back. People who say those things need to see the cars in every parking space on Front Street tonight.
Well, almost every one.
And they need to see the workers at Danny’s Café on Front Street cleaning up after a day that began with breakfast or the folks milling around inside the lobby of the Paramount Theater. A few brave the heat and talk outside. I don’t take time to check what’s playing at the renovated landmark. I just know people are there.
I wish a few would bop into Anna’s Thai Café for at least a drink. I want this place to succeed desperately. Take my advice, check it out.
Across the street, kids are kneeling before a sensei at an old storefront where karate and its variations are now taught. Downtown is becoming a mixed-martial arts heaven. A kung fu movie waiting to happen. There’s one on Front Street and two more on Main. We’re raising a generation of kids that’ll definitely kick some serious butt. If only Bruce Lee lived to see it.
I walk by the consignment shops – the Gingham Daisy and Bella’s and make a mental note to come back when those places are open in the daytime. I promised my wife that I’ll find us a kitchen table in downtown.
I mean to do it.
I turn a corner and see the right spot for a book store. Not a big one. Maybe even a book exchange. A place to get coffee and read a little.
There really should be a book store and news stand here already.
On Davis Street, young people have small tables and a couple of chairs on the sidewalk in front of Wicked Needlez, the tattoo and body piercing place next to H&K Bootery. They’re a quiet bunch but manage a wave to an older guy walking for no apparent reason. One appears to be a regular customer with more than a few frequent flier miles to prove it. He’s an apparition from a 1990s Nirvana video. He’s given himself a rather extreme makeover.
I guess all is well.
The new restaurants that are alive in the daytime fade into the background at night. Perk-O-Later promises smoothies and frappes and the newly styled Lyall’s Pizza Corner is dark. In the distance I hear a rock band getting in some licks. It’s after 9 and their sound wraps around the outside of city hall, bounces off some buildings owned by LabCorp, and moves down the street until it just wears out. I trace the source to a brick building behind Alamance Dental Associates.
I stop and listen for a few minutes. Not bad.
Wish they had somewhere to play in downtown before a few paying customers. Perhaps it’ll happen when the Company Shops Co-Op opens and the busy nights downtown like this one outnumber the eerie ones when there are no sounds at all.
Maybe one day.
Madison Taylor is editor of the Times-News. Contact him by email at mtaylor@thetimesnews.com or by calling 506-3030.
June 20, 2010 12:00 AM
It’s 8:40 p.m. a week ago Thursday. I’m strolling through downtown Burlington.
All is well.
I’m taking a constitutional after a quick feed at Zack’s, which is packed with customers at just before 8:30 on a summer night when the humidity is only a mildly giving wall instead of the oppressive fortress it will become in July and August. Still, there isn’t much air to breathe. A scuba-diving tank might help. But not much.
Walking, by the way, is what I do in downtown. It’s how I get exercise, move away from the desk at the Times-News and see what needs to be seen. Usually I move pretty fast. That’s not the case on this night. You can’t pound the pavement hard on a stomach full of hot dogs, slaw and chili.
Trust me.
Usually, I walk in the daytime and try to picture what downtown is becoming. Often, I circle Fifth and Morehead Streets, looking over the terrain left by the closure of McPherson’s Hardware. A guy who heard it from a guy who got it from somewhere else told me that it would be perfect place to put a baseball stadium just like the ones in Durham, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. There’s no plan to do it, mind you. It’s just a perfect place.
I can picture it. A stadium across the road from the newspaper. Sidewalks teeming with game-night fans, maybe a sports bar or restaurant nearby. Then I think of the folks who live quietly on Fifth Street and what they might think of a booming P.A. announcer’s voice in the formerly still night air: “Now batting for the Royals, Biff Portabella!” or “Please open your program to page 37 and look for the car wash ad!”
All would not be well, I imagine.
And then there’s the cost. Folks on Fifth Street don’t need to worry. It’ll never happen.
But on this Thursday night walk plenty of things are happening. Signs of life are everywhere. People say downtown is deader than fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. People say it’ll never be back. People who say those things need to see the cars in every parking space on Front Street tonight.
Well, almost every one.
And they need to see the workers at Danny’s Café on Front Street cleaning up after a day that began with breakfast or the folks milling around inside the lobby of the Paramount Theater. A few brave the heat and talk outside. I don’t take time to check what’s playing at the renovated landmark. I just know people are there.
I wish a few would bop into Anna’s Thai Café for at least a drink. I want this place to succeed desperately. Take my advice, check it out.
Across the street, kids are kneeling before a sensei at an old storefront where karate and its variations are now taught. Downtown is becoming a mixed-martial arts heaven. A kung fu movie waiting to happen. There’s one on Front Street and two more on Main. We’re raising a generation of kids that’ll definitely kick some serious butt. If only Bruce Lee lived to see it.
I walk by the consignment shops – the Gingham Daisy and Bella’s and make a mental note to come back when those places are open in the daytime. I promised my wife that I’ll find us a kitchen table in downtown.
I mean to do it.
I turn a corner and see the right spot for a book store. Not a big one. Maybe even a book exchange. A place to get coffee and read a little.
There really should be a book store and news stand here already.
On Davis Street, young people have small tables and a couple of chairs on the sidewalk in front of Wicked Needlez, the tattoo and body piercing place next to H&K Bootery. They’re a quiet bunch but manage a wave to an older guy walking for no apparent reason. One appears to be a regular customer with more than a few frequent flier miles to prove it. He’s an apparition from a 1990s Nirvana video. He’s given himself a rather extreme makeover.
I guess all is well.
The new restaurants that are alive in the daytime fade into the background at night. Perk-O-Later promises smoothies and frappes and the newly styled Lyall’s Pizza Corner is dark. In the distance I hear a rock band getting in some licks. It’s after 9 and their sound wraps around the outside of city hall, bounces off some buildings owned by LabCorp, and moves down the street until it just wears out. I trace the source to a brick building behind Alamance Dental Associates.
I stop and listen for a few minutes. Not bad.
Wish they had somewhere to play in downtown before a few paying customers. Perhaps it’ll happen when the Company Shops Co-Op opens and the busy nights downtown like this one outnumber the eerie ones when there are no sounds at all.
Maybe one day.
Madison Taylor is editor of the Times-News. Contact him by email at mtaylor@thetimesnews.com or by calling 506-3030.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
