Hard Times for Restoration Hardware
If you have any gift certificates or store credits for Restoration Hardware , you may want to go ahead and redeem them now. There is no word of any plans for the Crabtree store as of now , however I just learned that there location at Atlanta’s Lenox Square is closing soon. The company has been in a two-year slide that included even the closing of their flagship store. If they are having problems keeping their location at one of America’s most affluent malls open now, then there are problems in the company that severely limit the prognosis in nice malls like Crabtree.
When Restoration Hardware opened around 10 years ago, they offered a fresh, funky look at home furnishings. They offered an excellent collection of furniture that put a modern touch on classic French Country. The selection was topped off with an interesting assortment of sit around, funky new versions of antique toys, and more. About a year ago someone in the company thought it would be a good idea to completely change the store’s motif. Instead of the clean, bright, uplifting look that made the store so popular, designers went with an all-shades-of-brown look that created the most depressing retail store I’ve ever seen. The company’s executives will likely blame the housing crash, and perhaps that is what put the company in a tailspin two years ago. However this last attempt at saving the company was the wrong one and was a loser move for consumers.
This is potentially bad news for Crabtree Valley Mall, as well. Crate & Barrel will be closing its doors in the mall on January 23 (and moving to Southpoint on March 3). A loss of Restoration Hardware would leave the once flourishing home furnishings sector of Crabtree to just Pottery Barn.
Tim McGraw Coming to TWC
On Friday, July 8, Tim McGraw will return to the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek. Opening will be Luke Bryan and The Band Perry .
GoTriangle Joins Google Transit
I just got a very interesting press announcement. The partnership between these two will make navigating our Triangle-wide bus systems much easier!
Google and the GoTriangle family of services are pleased to announce that the Google Transit trip planner ( www.google.com/transit ) now includes all local transit schedules and routes for the Triangle region. The GoTriangle family of services include Capital Area Transit (CAT), Cary Transit (C-Tran), Chapel Hill Transit (CHT), Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA), North Carolina State University Wolfline, and Triangle Transit. The addition of GoTriangle trip planning services to Google marks the beginning of the full regional technology program, GoLive , which will also include a regional real-time system and an open-source data warehouse.
In 2003, GoTriangle launched a Transit Trip Planner at gotriangle.org so that transit riders can find a best match for their next trip. Triangle commuters can enter destination information in “from” and “to” fields from the GoTriangle.org home page. Using all of the local transit schedules, the trip planner calculates the length of time the trip will take and suggests the quickest, most efficient route. Customers can select not only transit but also a combination of biking and walking.
With Google Transit, Triangle visitors and regular transit users can now plan their trips using familiar technology while on the go with Google mobile apps, allowing for searches on smart phones such as the iPhone and Droid. By utilizing Google search, riders have more options for starting and destination points, making for a smoother trip planning experience and easier integration into a transit-oriented lifestyle.
As part of the GoTriangle’s commitment to openness and providing resources to Triangle commuters, all bus system data will be available as GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) files. These files will be available late January 2011 on GoTriangle for developers to create useful mobile phone apps.
Kracker Returning to Raleigh, Chesney, Too
Hide yo kids and hide yo wife because on Friday, August 5, Uncle Kracker will make his way back to Raleigh as an opening act for Kenny Chesney . The show is at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek. Billy Currington also opens.
Staal, Ward Named to All-Star Team
Congratulations to hometown heroes Eric Staal and Cam Ward who were both named to the 42-man NHL All-Star Team. Staal is eighth in the NHL in goals, and will participate in his fourth consecutive All-Star game. It will be Ward’s first All-Star appearance. He is now 7th in the NHL is save percentage and fourth in minutes played for goaltenders.
Congratulations are also in order for rookie phenom Jeff Skinner , who was invited to play in the All-Star Weekend’s Rookie Skills competition.
The 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend will take place January 28 thru January 30 at the RBC Center.
Carolina Chocolate Drops Coming to NCMA
The Carolina Chocolate Drops will be playing at the NC Museum of Art amphitheater on Saturday, August 27.
Idina Menzel Coming to Meymandi
The original Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked is coming to Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh. Idina Menzell will perform on Thursday, March 31.
Kevin Pollack Returning to Goodnights
On the weekend of March 10th, Kevin Pollack is returning to Goodnights Comedy Club. Tickets are available online.
City Problem Reporting Goes to Web, Apps
According to the city’s website, Assistant City Manager Dan Howe said:,
"The City of Raleigh is hoping that See Click Fix will provide a convenient tool for citizens to use to alert us to issues in the community as they arise. Â City staff and the City Council take great pride in the high level of service provided to citizens in Raleigh and it is our hope that See Click Fix can add another means for citizens to partner with our elected officials and professional staff as we all work to keep our city clean, safe and well-maintained."
Problems can be reported by going to SeeClickFix.com or by using the company’s apps for iPhone , Android , or Blackberry .
Lavell Crawford Coming to Goodnights
On the weekend of February 3rd, Lavell Crawford is returning to Goodnights Comedy Club. Tickets are available online.
Harlem Globetrotters Returning to RBC Center
On March 5, the Harlem Globetrotters will return to the RBC Center for two games against the Washington Generals. The games will feature the Globetrotters’ new 4-point shots as well as all of the classic hijinks. The games begin at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets start at $17.
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