Tucked away in a quiet corner of Oakwood lies a restaurant specializing in all the S’s: soups, salads, sandwiches, and sweets. Continuing on the “Side” theme, the menu is broken down according to what type of “Side” you’d like: “A Bit on the Warm Side”, “The Green Side”, “The Lighter Side”, “Our Best Side”, and “Side Kicks”.

Side Street Restaurant is a sole proprietership run by Mary Lu Wooten, although both of her brothers also work there. She bought the place in the summer of 1979, which means that this year will mark the 30th year in operation. Previously named the Corner Cupboard, the name was changed to Side Street by the previous owner prior to her taking over. When she first began running the restaurant, there were only 4 or 5 places to eat in the downtown area, including the Capital Room in the now gone Hudson Belk on Fayetteville Street.

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In the past week I’ve found that I’ve recommended my favorite Indian restaurant to at the least 10 separate people, so I figured that the next time I stopped by for dinner I’d bring my camera and spend some time talking to the staff.

From left to right: Salman, Abdul, Aisha, Sultana, and Mariam (note the 102 Sanitation Grade on the wall)

Laziz Biryani Corner has been in business for around a year or so. It’s a complete family-run operation out of the back corner of GoPaks Bazaar on Hillsborough St., next to I Love NY Pizza. Yes, it is a restaurant run out of a convenience store, but the meals you get are always of the greatest quality and taste as well as at a fantastic price.
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Hipsteria Modern is the newest small business to appear downtown, located in the left side of the Carter Building near the intersection of Hillsborough Street and South Glenwood Avenue. Open for only a few days, the husband and wife team that run the place were still in the process of getting everything organized when I met with them to talk about their new shop offering mid-century furniture and accesories.

This new small business located in a former textile/sewing factory is the culmination of something that was somewhat of a weekend hobby of the proprietors, Ben and Lee: bringing the gems of mid-century modern furniture to those who love it, at a reasonable price and with the artistic expertise to assist in proper placement in the home.

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