Anne-Marie and Katy chatting in front of the Raleigh Times on a warm afternoon.

Last December, Western Lanes began a transformation. It was sold to a group of 20-something investors from the area. While promising to retain most of the features that give it charm, they wanted to give it a minor facelift and modernize it. The first change is the name–it is now known as “The Alley”. The fate of long time restaurant staff was less clear however, as it would have to temporarily close for restoration.

Late last year, we confirmed that Theresa Fenner, bartender at Western Lanes for 27 years, would in fact stay on staff and remain a part of the family throughout the transition process. When stopping by on a recent visit to check on her and the modernization effort, I learned of very sad news: She had contracted a very serious kidney infection, which for the past month has kept her out of work. On April 17th, she was airlifted to Winston-Salem to undergo treatment. According to her husband, her odds were at 50% for surviving. She fought through it, and 11 days later was discharged.
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I’ve long been a fan of Michael Salter‘s work, although I didn’t know who he was until somewhat recently. I first encountered his art on the side of a dumpster a few years ago, and was immediately enamored by it. Seeing such simple yet beautiful iconography over a unusual medium was moving and thought provoking.

A few weeks ago when my sister was in town for a visit we decided to stop by Holly Aiken‘s store. Like so many others that see Holly’s stuff for the first time, she was absolutely enthralled. In wandering around, I noticed some of the bags carried the icons that I had come to know on the dumpster near where I live. It was part of CAHOOTS, a collaboration involving artists Michael Salter and Paul Friedrich.

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