Nick Wisner and Ashley Greenleaf of Triangle Cellular Repair

nick ashley.jpeg

Nick Wisner, owner of TCR: Triangle Cellular Repair, and Ashley Greenleaf, the company’s Director of Operations, manage staff at six different locations throughout the Triangle. Still, they particularly love their cozy location on Ninth Street. For one thing, they’re right next door to a great cup of coffee at Triangle Coffee House and for another, these two are true Durham originals – born and raised in Durham and graduates of Durham Academy. Ashley attended Duke University while Nick attended Jacksonville University, where he earned a degree in Investment Finance. 

It was during Nick’s college years that the idea for his business started to gain momentum. While kayaking on Florida’s intracoastal waterway, Nick’s kayak was hit by a wave that soaked both him and his Blackberry. AT&T was able to replace his phone, but by then his friends had convinced him to get an iPhone instead. He sold the new Blackberry online for enough money to buy the new iPhone model (and then some). This kayaking mishap turned out to be the catalyst for a business model that would eventually become Triangle Cellular Repair.

Nick started buying damaged phones from local retailers and selling them online. Eventually, he met wholesalers in Florida and started expanding into a business that provided contract refurbishing for insurance companies. He found himself fixing thousands of phones, but was doing it all out of a small apartment in Florida. His bedroom was filled with cell phones and cell phone repair equipment – not exactly an ideal warehouse! Soon, he moved back to North Carolina and started looking for a space to do his refurbishing. Though he only needed the space to function as a warehouse, the space he found in Olde Raleigh Village was zoned for retail, which meant that he needed a real sign in the window and regular business hours. Only after people started coming in with broken phones did the business become retail-oriented. The repair business grew quickly through word of mouth. Nick brought Ashley on in 2013 and the two of them worked seven days a week for several months until they could open their warehouse and hire more people to help them. Now, TCR employs thirty people.

In a sense, Nick’s childhood prepared him well for his business success. Prior to buying and selling phones, Nick bought and sold stamps, a practice inspired by his grandfather, who gave eleven-year-old Nick his first stamp collection.  A childhood steeped in model airplanes and model trains also gave Nick a tinkering talent that helped him learn to fix phones himself, rather than pay other people to do it for him. 

cell phone guy .JPG

And it’s not just the tinkering side of the repairs that Nick enjoys. Extracting important voicemails or vacation photos from a broken phone can be quite rewarding, both for clients and for the staff at Triangle Cellular Repair. They’ve seen phones damaged by all manner of liquids: wine, coffee, tea, even potpourri wax.  They’ve seen phones chewed up by dogs and phones bent in to the shape of it’s owner’s palm (yes, really). One client cut his phone in half while leaning over a table saw. His phone was ruined, but Triangle Cellular Repair was able to retrieve all of his data.  According to Nick and Ashley, the very best part of the business is the customer interaction – getting to know the people who walk in to their stores. In that spirit, Triangle Cellular Repair partners with local organizations like Durham Public Schools, Ronald McDonald House, or Activate Good, a non-profit that organizes community service opportunities throughout the area. Whether they’re donating a device for an auction, providing a free charging station, or giving discounts to employees, Triangle Cellular Repair loves giving back to the communities that support them.

Nick and Ashley love running TCR and they love Ninth Street. Here are a few other things they think are great:

Nick loves fine dining at Nana’s, but for everyday grub, he’s a die-hard Cosmic Cantina fan.

Ashley has two favorite movies, Fight Club and Finding Nemo. Who doesn’t love a complicated woman?

Tools of the trade they can’t live without?

For Nick, it’s a trio of screwdrivers (tri-wing, Phillips, and pentalobe, to be exact) and the Protein Bowl at Happy + Hale.

For Ashley, it’s her laptop and, of course, her hardworking team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Larry and Lea Wood of Ninth Street Flowers

Bells of Ireland, Protea, Silver Dollar Eucalyptus, Autumn Hibiscus, Orchids, and American Beauty Berries. Sounds like a poem, doesn’t it? It’s actually a list of flowers artfully displayed in a centerpiece created by Ninth Street Flowers for Piedmont Restaurant. And it is every bit as beautiful as it sounds.

Lea and Larry Wood .jpg

Ninth Street Flowers has been in the same location on Ninth Street since the 1970’s, but Lea and Larry Wood made it their own in 2003. In fact, they own the entire building that houses their shop and two other iconic Ninth Street business, Ninth Street Dance and The Playhouse Toy Store.  Along with a matching grant from the City of Durham, they commissioned the colorful mural that graces the brick wall at the corner of Ninth and Perry.

IMG_4475.jpg

What do Lea and Larry love most about running a flower shop? The independence, for one thing. Initially, Larry landed on the idea of a retail florist shop through a national franchise, but ultimately decided that owning his own shop without all the encumbrances of a franchise was more appealing. Together Lea and Larry came to Durham with the desire to have their own business. Fourteen years later, their journey continues to evolve with the Ninth Street neighborhood. Being part of a lifestyle business has given them a sense of belonging and they appreciate how the shop has brought the Durham/Ninth Street community into their lives.

If you ask them about their favorite flowers, they’ll point you towards the lilies produced by Sarah & Michael’s Farm, just one of the local vendors with whom they partner. These lilies are huge and fragrant and come in an abundance of colors – bright white, rich magenta, and sunny yellow, to name a few. As big supporters of the farm-to-table movement that has enriched Durham’s food scene (though in this case it might be referred to as a “farm-to-vase” movement), the Woods are intentional in using local growers like Sarah & Michael’s whenever possible. They also buy from Spring Forth Farm of North Carolina and the Durham-based Flowers by the Bucket.

IMG_4466.jpg

Ninth Street Flowers feels fortunate in their employees – they have five, not counting themselves – and in their clientele, which includes some noteworthy names as far as Durham circles go. Some of these partners include Vin Rouge, Piedmont, and Parazade, as well as Hall Wynne Funeral Home, First Presbyterian Church, and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. They are proud to be the Official Florist for Duke Athletics, and they work extensively with other departments at Duke University as well, including the Fuqua School of Business and Duke Chapel. And of course, when Durham folks need flowers for weddings, bar mitzvahs, memorials, graduations, and all of life’s grand celebrations and transitions, they invite Ninth Street Flowers to help make these celebrations unforgettable.  In short, the Durham community has been good to Ninth Street Flowers, and, accordingly, the Woods make it a point to be good to the community.

IMG_2528.jpg

Whether it’s providing substantial discounts to local churches, donating to elementary school PTAs, or contributing to the Duke Durham Campaign, Ninth Street Flowers always makes an effort to give back. The support and loyalty of their Durham community has also allowed the Woods’ work to extend beyond Durham to places as far away as Bolivia, where they financially support the Centro Medico Internacional HOPE Clinic in La Paz. This clinic, which serves mainly international residents of Bolivia, uses its profits to fund a multitude of projects that help meet the basic needs of Bolivia’s poorest residents. Lea and Larry are hoping that they will have more opportunities in the future to build on the kind of work they have been doing in Bolivia.

While Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day are big events in any flower shop, Ninth Street is proud to say that its own flower shop caters to its clients all year. This is a little flower shop with a big heart, deeply rooted in the Durham spirit of giving back as you grow.

Carol Anderson of Vaguely Reminiscent

IMG_4196.jpg

The items you’ll find inside Carol Anderson’s shop on Ninth Street are as unique as the name of the shop itself, a reference to a song by singer songwriter Charlie King. Like many activists in the 1970’s, King was tired of political demonstrations and marches being delegitimized in the media as “vaguely reminiscent of the 60’s,” as if the 1970’s didn’t have real problems of its own that needed to be addressed. So, he wrote a song – “Vaguely Reminiscent of the 60’s” – to voice his resistance. As it turns out, Vaguely Reminiscent has much in common with its namesake song.

IMG_4202.jpg

 

Though the song is written about a serious topic, it’s actually quite funny. Anyone who has ever walked into Vaguely Reminiscent will tell you the same – this is a store with a sense of humor. Along with beautiful shoes, eclectic jewelry, and unique clothing, you’ll find packs of stick-on mustaches for the days of the week, baby onesies that read, “silently judging you,” and irreverent greeting cards that will make you laugh out loud.

Like its namesake song, the store also has a political history. In 1986, it served as a staging ground for the anti-recall effort of then mayor Wib Gulley’s anti-discrimination policy. Just last month, Anderson was traveling in New York when a rumored KKK rally led thousands to march in resistance in downtown Durham. She called Durham and told her employees to close the shop if they wanted to attend the protest. If they decided to go, she told them, it’d be paid time.

IMG_4203.jpg

Both this song from the 1970’s and Anderson’s shop, which opened on Ninth Street in 1982, are throwbacks to another time. When Vaguely Reminiscent opened, Erwin Mill was still in operation and the iconic McDonald’s Drug Store and soda fountain was still in business. Steadfastly remaining in its cozy spot in the middle of Ninth Street’s busiest block, Vaguely Reminiscent is one of this neighborhood’s links to the past.

IMG_4205.jpg

Finally, King’s song references dozens of political issues and demonstrations, making it the kind of song that people in the audience nod their heads to in appreciation and recognition. Vaguely Reminiscent is also this kind of crowd pleaser. Echoing the Ninth Street motto “something for everyone,” there are truly a staggering amount of distinctive items packed into this tiny space. Among them: hand dyed, block-printed skirts made by Jude Steuker in Asheville; Jafa shoes from Israel; and screenprinted canvas bags that read simply, “Durham I love you.”  

The 1960’s didn’t just disappear in 1970. They went on to influence the next decade and every generation after. Vaguely Reminiscent, which has certainly influenced Durham, isn’t going to die out either. When Anderson retires (at some point down the road!), she’ll be selling the shop to long time store manager Karen Merowcheck who plans to continue the Vaguely tradition on Ninth. That’s great news for Durhamites.

Without Carol’s seven employees, including Karen, the shop simply couldn’t be what it is today. Now that Carol has dependable folks to make things run smoothly while she’s away, she has more free time than she used to. So, when she’s not at Vaguely Reminiscent helping customers find exactly the right thing, Carol might be:

Planting trees with Durham Tree Advocates or volunteering with People’s Alliance.

Reading Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime (this is the book she’s currently reading, and one she highly recommends).

Enjoying a meal at her favorite lunch spot, Toast, or taking in the summer concert series at Durham Central Park.


Merchant profiles are written by Kate Van Dis of Kate Van Dis Creative Content

Cammie Brantley of Elmo's Diner

The iconic Elmo the duck – a coloring page that has been scribbled on by many Durham children – is emblematic of this local diner and its community spirit. Kids love coming here. Your kids will tell you this themselves, but if you don’t believe them, there’s proof: Elmo’s has won the Indy Award for Best Kid Friendly restaurant in Durham for several years in a row.

Cammie Brantley and Amy Testa, at Elmo's 

Cammie Brantley and Amy Testa, at Elmo's 

In fact, co-owner Cammie Brantley was a fifth grade teacher before she came on board full time at Elmo’s, and she always knew she wanted the restaurant to be a place that was linked in with the Durham community. Wayne Hodges, Brantley’s husband and Elmo’s co-owner, feels the same way, as does Amy Testa, a long time Elmo’s manager who became an owner in 2014.  Many years ago, the trio decided to nix their marketing budget and replace it with their First Tuesday Program. Each first Tuesday of the month, a Durham school PTA gets 10% of total sales. Brantley and her crew love being in a position to make an impact on Durham schools. And they also love what they do, a fact that is evident every time you walk into Elmo’s. The place feels warm, inviting, and homey – a feeling that can only be created when people feel, well … at home.

Part of the homey feel of Elmo’s can be attributed to its name, which people often ask about.  While brainstorming names for the new restaurant, Cammie happened to watch a movie with a sympathetic main character by the name of Elmo. He was a bit of an underdog. “But he was a character you wanted to root for,” Brantley says. The name also seemed “friendly and unpretentious” – two qualities they wanted to emphasize for the diner.

mugs .JPG

Some local Durhamites might remember that Ninth Street in 1997, when Elmo’s opened, was a very different place than it is today. For one thing, the Elmo’s building itself has had many lives – first as a taxi cab company in the 1930’s, then as a beauty college, and then as Ninth Street Bakery (which has since moved downtown).  Cammie remembers hanging out on the building’s front porch in the months before Elmo’s opened and the inside was under construction. “It was so quiet back then,” Cammie remembers. But Elmo’s, along with Barnes Supply Co., The Regulator, and a few other fixtures on Durham’s Ninth Street, have been steadfast in their dedication to this district, bringing in business and helping the street to become the thriving dining and shopping area it is today. Running a diner is a lot of work, but Brantley and the Elmo’s crew love watching the children grow up as they come in for pancakes and waffles year after year.

And it’s not just kids who feel comfortable in the booths, soda counter stools, and vintage-style tables at Elmo’s. One regular customer, Mr. Horace Dunn, visits the restaurant almost daily. When his brother died last year, he received a bouquet of flowers from “the Elmo’s family.” “And that’s what this is,” he says gesturing to the busy dining floor and full booths, “Elmo’s is a family.”

Here’s what Cammie is up to when she’s not busy at Elmo’s:

Kids’ Sports: Amy runs the Elmo’s show on weekends so that Cammie and Wayne can keep up with their ten-year-old son Matthew’s busy sports schedule, which includes soccer and basketball.

Books: The whole family loves to read. Matthew is particularly fond of historical graphic novels and Big Nate.

Cycling: Cammie and Wayne love recreational cycling. You might see them riding around the Durham/Chapel Hill area. Share the road!

 

Danielle Martini-Rios of Blue Corn Cafe

Danielle Martini-Rios and her husband Antonio Rios throw the kind of dinner party you want to be invited to. In one evening, this pair will whip up as many as 150 empanadas, and they’ll invite all of their friends to sample the fare. It’s no wonder they have thrived through twenty years of the restaurant business and nearly twenty years of marriage. Danielle and Antonio love food and all the accompanying festivity. These days, they love making their restaurant a family affair with sons Matteo and Sebastian, both of whom help out in the restaurant.

Danielle split her childhood between Italy and New Jersey and Antonio grew up in Guanajuato, Mexico, where he attended culinary school. Though Danielle started out pre-med, she was deeply influenced by her hard-working immigrant father, who traveled every day from New Jersey to Manhattan to run his own small business. With Antonio’s culinary passion and Danielle’s entrepreneurial spirit, they opened Blue Corn Café in June of 1997. Danielle must have had as much confidence in the relationship as she did in their business endeavor, because she told Antonio that if they could survive a full year of running a restaurant, she’d marry him. They wed in May of 1998. As it turns out, the restaurant business is a good litmus test for marriage, and Danielle and Antonio both have the work ethic and the energy to make what they do a joy instead of a chore.

Authentic may be an overused word in the restaurant industry, but there’s really no better way to describe the Blue Corn menu. They make all of their corn tortillas, salsas, and sauces (including the enchilada sauce) in-house. Their mission has always been to create quality Latin food with locally sourced ingredients. In fact, Blue Corn has been a pioneer in Durham’s farm-to-table movement, locally sourcing their pork and sweet potatoes as early as 1997. In the beginning, it was tough to source their entire menu locally. But the Blue Corn menu has evolved with the North Carolina food and farm scene. Today, Blue Corn demonstrates a tremendous commitment to the local, sustainable food culture. All their tap beers are local (not an option in 1997!), and their shrimp is domestic and chemical-free. Their feta and goat cheese come from Hillsborough Cheese Company, their produce from local organic food distributors such as First Hand Foods, Ward’s Produce, and Eastern Carolina Organics. They still stop at local farm stands to get the seasonal produce that influences their menu (Funny Girl Farm is a favorite!). The result of all this local foraging is amazing specials like octopus tacos or North Carolina watermelon-infused lemonade. Blue Corn has found other ways to commit to sustainability, as well. They donate their deep fryer oil for bio diesel and send 900 – 1000 pounds of compost per month to local farms!

In the same way that Blue Corn has a symbiotic relationship with its food suppliers, they also have a deep partnership with the Ninth Street community. As Danielle puts it, the Ninth Street businesses “rely on each other.” The whole vibe of Blue Corn Cafe – one that puts diners at ease and says, “Come on in and eat with family!” – is a product of the Ninth Street energy, which is open, welcoming, and all about community. 

In the twenty years since Blue Corn opened its doors, Danielle and Antonio have seen quite a bit of change. They’ve doubled the number of people they employ. They have expanded, adding a bar in the next-door space that used to be Books on Ninth. And the menu evolves regularly. But Danielle and Antonio’s love for their work is more like one of their menu’s staples – the black bean and sweet potato stew, for example, or the Roma tomato and eggplant quesadilla. Some things are just too good to change. 

Here’s what Danielle, Antonio, and the boys are up to when they’re not busy at Blue Corn:

Music: Antonio and Danielle love Pink Floyd, The Doobie Brothers, and Steve Miller Band. The family has also been known to rock out to a little Guns n’ Roses.

Down Time: The Martini-Rios’ love to garden and take long bike rides on the American Tobacco Trail. They also like to chill at home – the boys especially love pizza and movie night.

Travel: This family always makes time to travel. They still have family in Italy and Mexico, and Matteo and Danielle are going to Ireland together this month.

Sidney Cruze of Zola Craft Gallery

Can a love for trees be the guiding force behind a new career path as a gallery owner? For Sidney Cruze, that may just be the case. Before purchasing Zola Craft Gallery in August of 2014, Sidney worked as a freelance writer researching environmental topics. Among her favorite topics to research? Beech trees. Many of the books she reads in her free time are about trees as well – The Forest Unseen and The Songs of Trees, to name a couple. And during a tour of her gallery – which carries work from more than 55 North Carolina artists – she just might gravitate towards something like the gorgeous tree tiles from Po Co Paper. Sidney smiles as she picks up her favorite of the tiles and tilts it towards the light. The tiles – made from 100% post consumer fiber and framed in rough-cut lumber – are portraits of living trees – real trees the makers see in their everyday lives. This kind of eco-conscious, earthy vibe is a common theme in the gorgeous art displayed throughout the Zola Gallery, all of which is curated by Sidney herself.

Of course, it isn’t just a love of trees that led Sidney to her work as gallery owner and curator. She also loves art and the process by which it is created. As someone who studied ceramics herself at Claymakers in Durham, she understands and appreciates the process of making pottery. Sidney knows that even a simple piece can be challenging to make well.  There are many aspects of the artistic process that you can’t see in the final product, though the evidence of fine craftsmanship is there in the details. Knowing the artistic process helps people to understand and appreciate those details even more.  In the same way that she once did research for her freelance writing gigs, Sidney loves researching this artistic process. She shows off a vase made by potter Liz Paley and describes how Paley created it using a pottery wheel, a pastry crimper, and a heat gun.  Sidney also shares that the earrings she is wearing – gorgeous pearl-like stones in a simple cascade effect – are actually cast metal. Sarah Richardson, the California artist who makes them, heats up the metal to get the effervescent, shimmery finish that is reminiscent of pearls or oyster shells. 

So, the real reason Sidney rarely takes a day off isn’t because she can’t, but because she doesn’t want to. The stories she hears from makers and her connections with the Durham community are what make her job so rewarding. Even when she is traveling for leisure – say to Asheville or Virginia – she is checking out new galleries and craft shows and meeting makers. She is always on the lookout for that perfect piece that will fit right in to the shop. What does she look for? Textures, for one thing – silky wood or hammered metal. Excellent craftsmanship, for another – evidence that the piece is well made and thoughtfully constructed. Sidney also loves to buy art that is functional – things you can use in your home every day, like cutting boards, serving dishes, vases, and jewelry. On top of all that, Sidney asks herself a few questions when choosing what to keep in the shop: Is it beautiful? Will her customers fall in love with it? Does it tell a story?

Stop in to Zola and Sidney will likely be there with a story to tell about one of the beautiful items she has selected for the gallery. And because she loves making connections with customers, she may also want to strike up a conversation about a few of her other favorite things:   

 Favorite Travel Destination: Sidney and her family make an annual trek to the Virginia Creeper Trail where they spend the weekend biking and camping.

Favorite Music: Like her Ninth Street pals Emily Wexler and Deb Nickell at Cozy, Sidney is a big fan of Eva Cassidy. She also loves Tift Merritt, Van Morrison, Mandolin Orange, and Dire Straits.

Favorite Stress-Reliever: Swimming. If she’s not at the gallery or seeking out new art to display there, you might find Sidney swimming laps at one of Durham’s local pools.

Deb Nickell and Emily Wexler of Cozy

Cozy is nestled comfortably on the corner of Ninth and Markham in what was once a gas station and then a disreputable pool hall. Lise Ebel, Cozy employee and clothing manager, is responsible for its first major renovation into a retail space. Lise’s store (which she opened with Ann Alexander) was called FiberSpace, Durham’s first yarn and bead shop. In September of 2001, after FiberSpace closed, Deb Nickell created Cozy. Her longtime friend, Emily Wexler, became the store manager and then, in 2012, an official co-owner.

Though the geography of Cozy has changed over the years, the focus has stayed primarily on women’s clothing, shoes (oh, the shoes!), jewelry, and accessories with a niche market in high-quality, specialty yarns. This is essentially a neighborhood department store stocked with creative, inspired, and well-made goods produced by local makers and reputable national brands (Dansko, Hobo Bags, and Carol Turner Collection, to name a few).

And yet, if you spend any time shopping at Cozy, you’ll find that it’s also a community gathering space.  On the March 8th A Day Without a Woman, Emily and Deb did open the shop. But it wasn’t business as usual. They offered baked goods, a comfortable space for women to come in and chat, and even hosted a representative from Planned Parenthood; a portion of the proceeds from that day went to Planned Parenthood and North Carolina Central University. They’ve also raised funds for Pennies for Change, Dress for Success, and Crayons2Calculators. Local residents also gather at Cozy to learn – they offer knit and crochet classes for experience levels ranging from “I’ve never touched yarn!” to “I’m making my first sweater.” Past classes have taught participants to make fingerless mitts, ear warmers, and Flax pattern sweaters.

The all-women crew at Cozy has been together for many years, and they charmingly call themselves the Cozettes. At heart, the Cozettes are artists, and this artistry shines through every aspect of the shop. Knitting creations and the artistic work of local makers line the walls. One of those items on display is a scrumble shawl by yarn manager Lisa Doherty, whose patterns have been published in national knitting magazines. And on the first Tuesday and first Thursday of each month, Cozy hosts an open knitting circle (dubbed “Knit Night”) where locals share their work and learn from others.

Though Deb and Emily are business partners, their partnership extends well beyond the walls of Cozy. They have a lot in common, including their love of shoes and their dislike of having their photos taken. Here are a few other favorites they share:  

Favorite Books: Emily and Deb each have a favorite classic they love to reread every year. Emily’s is Little Women – the copy she got at a Scholastic Book Fair in the fourth grade. Deb’s is an autographed first edition of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Favorite Music: Female singer songwriters like Eve Cassidy and Bonnie Raitt (with some crooners like Lyle Lovett and Frank Sinatra in the mix).

Three Things They Can’t Work Without: Music, good light, and mechanical pencils for the handwritten tickets they still create for every purchase (like we said, these folks are artists!).

Daryn O'Shea of Computer Cellar

Remember floppy disks and CD-ROMs? Or the colorful Apple desktop monitors that looked like space aliens? If you want a trip down computer technology’s memory lane, check out the museum wall at Computer Cellar, owned by Durham local Daryn O’Shea. The display of fantastically outdated computers and computer accessories will remind you how far we’ve come in the world of computing, and also how great it is to have local experts who can help you stay ahead of the technology curve (or at least keep up with it).

The Crew at the Computer Cellar

The Crew at the Computer Cellar

In 2010, O’Shea opened the Computer Cellar on Ninth Street in the basement of the Couch Building. Its current location is in the basement of the Regulator Bookshop. Though he started his career in the Navy and then moved to IT management and Mechanical Engineering, O’Shea found his niche in the computer world through Computer Cellar. Personal computer repairs and small business IT support allow him to both problem-solve – satisfying his engineer’s brain – and work closely with clients in the community.

Computer Cellar certainly feels like a community-focused store. The team members are professional and highly competent, but they don’t let that keep them from being friendly and welcoming to first-time walk-ins or long-time clients. They’re also not afraid to have a sense of humor, as evidenced by their infamous “Book of Shame,” a running log of tragic computer accidents. The most extreme entry? A computer that survived a car accident but came out of it wrapped up like a burrito. O’Shea and his team are happy to report that they were able to recover most of the data from that laptop! Most Computer Cellar clients need repairs that are much less dramatic, but still, dealing with software malfunctions or spinning wheels of death can be anxiety producing for anyone who’s not an IT expert. That’s why a big part of O’Shea’s role in computer repair – beyond working through computer and internet-related issues – is helping people stay calm.  Good thing his crew is made up of friendly folks who really dig computers and are pretty good at staying calm themselves.

A few more things about Daryn O'Shea:

O’Shea’s advice for laptop owners?  Keep your workspace beverage-free! The most common accident he sees is liquid spilled on computers.

If O’Shea is on a computer outside of work, he’s probably watching Netflix (just like the rest of us).

If he’s not on a computer, he’s likely hiking the Eno with his family or singing with Vox Virorum Men’s Choir.

Three things O’Shea can’t work without? Coffee, an internet connection, and his crew.

Jean Lorenzo of Bernard's Formal Wear

Though Jean Lorenzo has owned Bernard’s Formal Wear since 1971, her attire and her personality are really more classy than formal. She wears a patterned blue scarf around her neck and her cheerful red sweater matches one of the tuxedo vests on display in the shop. From first impression, Jean is clearly a class act.

Jean Lorezno 1.JPG

Born and raised in Durham, Lorenzo first opened her tuxedo shop on the corner of Club and Buchanan Boulevards, near Northgate Mall. In 1980, the shop moved to it’s first location on Ninth Street (now Wavelengths Salon), making her one of the longest standing businesses in the district. In 1985, Bernard’s moved to its current location where a heart-shaped display of colorful ties beams out onto the sidewalk from the window. The inside of Bernard’s is elegant but cozy, with gleaming wood floors and mirrors for grooms and prom-goers trying on vests and tuxedos. Though Bernard’s carries formal wear exclusively for men, Lorezno loves working with the brides and prom dates (who, let’s face it, are making most of the decisions anyway!).

Lorenzo has tried to retire twice, but so far hasn’t been able to follow through.  Though she loves her home in northern Durham, she just can’t stay away from her Ninth Street shop. “This is my favorite place to be,” she says. Her employees – several of whom have been with her more than thirty years – feel the same.

A few of Lorenzo’s favorites:

Favorite singer: Celine Dion

Favorite travel destination: The Southwest (Last year she visited San Antonio; this year she’s headed for New Mexico!) 

A few things that mean the world to her: Friends, family, and coffee.