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The Brown-Gardiner, located at 2101 North Elm Street, is a pharmacy and soda fountain and old-fashioned breakfast and lunch counter. It has been serving Greensboro for over 60 years. Their motto is, "The Place to Be". Indeed, it is the place to be. There have been so many good stories written about this community institution (see HERE). Back when Congressman Howard Cable was alive, his office was right across the street and he always loved the food and fellowship when he headed to the lunch counter.

The business opened in 1958 and has been in its current location (formerly a laundry mat)  since 1962. Pharmacist Robert Shearin, owner of Brown-Gardiner, her worked there since 1972.* We're not sure if that is Mr. Shearin filling prescriptions. If it is, he would be in his 80s. We wouldn't be surprised if it were him. The store has quite a loyal following and the more things stay the same, the more they like it. We were in the other day for a late breakfast and ran into a friend who owns a business on State Street. She commented that Brown-Gardiner has the best BLTs in Greensboro. That sounds like a good excuse for going back. If you have about 3 minutes, watch this YouTube video. It will help you plan your visit and have an idea of who will be there when you arrive.

Happy Friday!

*reference and read Jim Schlosser's article in O.Henry (2012) HERE on pp. 26-28.

Early in July, Frederick the Duck and his partner mysteriously arrived at the Lake Brandt Marina. The hen disappeared after about a week, but Frederick remains and is living his best life. He hovers near the Lake Brandt office. Mallards are monogamous, so we hope he recovers from missing his partner and, with a little luck, finds another one.  He has a duck box and he gets his fill of minnows to eat. There is a sign at the office that requests people leave the door closed so that it will remain cool inside and so that Frederick will remain outside. In spite of his being friendly, we must respect the fact that he is a wild animal and efforts should not be made to make him a pet. However, these ducks do tend to be gregarious and sociable. They are so much fun to watch, and photograph. He is such a beauty.  The next night paddle on Lake Brandt will be August 1st. We look forward to seeing if Frederick is still there.

Happy Thursday!

Such was the scene, yesterday afternoon, at the corner of Friendly Avenue and North Elm Street. To the right, on the  floor is the Dean and Marilyn Green Rehearsal Hall, located in the Self Help Building at Center City Park. The community will have a Bird's-eye view of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra rehearsing and, when weather permits, will get to hear them, too. This rehearsal hall is just a block away from Tanger Center where they perform.

We're not sure what they were doing to the building yesterday, but the cranes and buckets were out and, at least on the ground floor, windows were being cleaned. Plus, there were people inside. This is such a creative initiative for Greensboro. We can't wait to see it in use. You just never know what you are going to see when traveling along Elm Street.

Happy Wednesday.

Last week, we featured the Governor's School Program, hosted on the Greensboro College campus. Today's photo features the soccer camps at UNCG. UNCG holds camps for K-12 students all summer long. Topics range from sports and e-sports to camps for children with autism to STEM to academic camps. Last week was a big week for soccer camps. It looked like students os all ages were participating. The above photo was taken on the soccer field at the corner of Spring Garden Street and Josephine Boyd. The baseball stadium was also full of soccer players.

These camps are wonderful on so many levels. First, young athletes, some of whom will be first generation college students, get to learn first-hand about life on college campuses. They even get to eat in the cafeteria- making food choices that their parents may or may not approve of. They have a structured routine and deepen their skills and knowledge of the theme of the camp.  We are lucky to be in a city with so many universities, colleges, and community colleges. If you have pre-collegiate children in your life, you should simply pick a topic they are interested in and see which institution of higher education offers summer programs. The time to plan for next year is now.  The first day for high school students is August 26th. The fall semester for UNCG begins August 12th. So, camps will be winding down... summer, too.

Happy Tuesday!

Vida Pour Tea, located at 412 State Street, had a big birthday. This past weekend, they celebrated their 10th! Above is a photo of Sarah Chapman, the genius behind Vida Pour Tea and her artist in residence, Liz McKinnon. The photo was taken on celebration day and a quiet moment before all of the planned festivities began. Before opening the shop, Sarah started out learning about teas and mixing small batches for doulas, local businesses, and her growing following of tea drinkers. After carefully looking for a place to open a brick and mortar store, she decided on this 1940s stand-alone building on State Street. She took a chance on State Street when it was struggling to find an identity and to attract customers- in spite of being on the edge of Irving Park. Indeed, over the years, Sarah and her faithful staff have played a key role in helping with the revitalization of State Street.

Some customers come into Vida Pour Tea, knowing exactly what they want. For others, less experienced or decisive, Sarah and her staff lead them to the perfect choice.  If you want to learn more about Sarah's journey from Syracuse, New York, where she played ice hockey with the guys, to tea-mixologist in Greensboro, read this very nice article about her in Our State Magazine in 2018 ( HERE). We've been sold on this Greensboro treasure since the beginning. See our 2014 post HERE. And not to slight Liz, she has been painting walls, signs, having her art shows, and selling artwork at Vida Pour Tea since the beginning. It is easy to see how this dynamic duo has become best of friends. Liz is currently working on a calendar with a different tea maiden every month. Her watercolors are so earthy and organic, a perfect fit for the tea shop.* Stop in and see both for yourself- but not today. They are closed Sundays and Mondays.

Happy Monday!

*See a post about Liz, HERE.