Goodnight, Raleigh!

Located deep in the heart of the Warehouse District, William-Cozart is a family-run antique store that has been a cornerstone of downtown Raleigh retail for 30 years.

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Isaac’s Menswear is an independently owned men’s fashion store located on Wilmington Street, across from the new RBC Plaza. Prior to the arrival of the clothing store, it was a seedy bar called Chocko Flame which frequently had run ins with the police. Before that, it was a Greek restaurant.

The store is run by a man named Shalom, who has been in business since 1985. The name Isaac’s came from his former business partner and mentor. Isaac and Shalom ran the men’s clothing store in what is currently The Square Rabbit for a few years before Shalom relocated to the current location to run the busines on his own. The owner of building housing The Square Rabbit had offered to sell it to him for $60k in the mid-eighties. At that time, it was a rough part of town and he wasn’t sure how long he was going to stay in the area. He doesn’t look back with regret at the missed opportunity. A native of Israel, he wasn’t sure if or when he may move back to his ancestral homeland.

Today, business is still good. The future is uncertain as The Edison is poised to occupy the entire block. Shalom rents his space from Progress Energy, which has no desire to stay in the real estate business. The other property owners of this block were no doubt offered large sums of money to sell out and relocate to the newly proposed space.

Shalom isn’t worried, though. He’s pretty matter-of-fact about the situation. If he has to relocate, he will–and it won’t be downtown. He has many fond memories of being in business in the current location. In fact, a relic of the former First Citizens Building that used to occupy the space now used by RBC Plaza is in his posession. One of the gargoyles that adorned the entrance now resides in his home. To him, it is a reminder of the magnificent building that used to be there and was turned in to a parking lot in 1991.

After a long time with scaffolding covering the sidewalk of Martin Street between Fayetteville and Wilmington Streets, the Mecca Restaurant sign is now visible again.

According to RaleighMSA, they are working on designed Trilliums Place, A condo/townhome community on Hillsborough Street near NCSU, East of the intersection of Hillsborough and Gorman streets.

Winstead Wilkinson Architects
201 N Harrington St
Raleigh, NC 27603
(919) 832-2878
Get directions

My brother (from out of town) and I were exploring downtown this past weekend, and we found ourselves trying to find a late dinner past the typical kitchen closing time (11PM). Fayetteville Street Tavern serves a full menu until 2AM, so we decided to give it a try. The food was good, it was priced right, and the service was outstanding. Sitting outside gives you have a great view of the skyline. They also have several vegetarian options available. It is worth checking out.

If you’d like to see this outside view from a different angle, check out my post of the same building from higher up from October.

Fayetteville Street Tavern
112 Fayetteville St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 833-1722
Get directions

A. Brothers Associates occupies part of this building on the corner of Martin and Blount Streets. Their web site is incredibly vague when describing what specific sort of design they specialize in, but their clients include companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, The NC Aquarium, and the Cary Heritage Museum.

A. Brothers Associates
123 E Martin St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 834-3964
Get directions

This is the building that the previously mentioned “Spot Up Your Community” painting is on.

341 S Wilmington St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 832-3605
Get directions

This little place is located on the corner of Lane Street and Linden Avenue, near the entrance to the cemetery.

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I’ve never noticed this place until last night. There are no signs indicating what type of business or gallery this is. The address is 400 East Martin Street, and searches yield nothing.

Anyone know?

UPDATE: Reader jbroome points out that this is the home to Bryan Regan Photography.

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