Another Waxhaw Groupon

This one is mainly for the ladies and I guess the fellas who treat their hair much better than I treat mine.

It's at Noma Hair and Skin Studio and the specifics are:

For $30, you get a hair-styling package (up to a $63 total value) that includes the following:

* Redken color glaze with scalp massage (a $25 value)
* Haircut and blowout (up to a $38 value)

For $58, you get a hair-styling-and-coloring package (up to a $128 total value) that includes the following:

* Partial highlights or lowlights (a $65 value)
* Haircut and blowout (up to a $38 value)
* Deep-conditioning treatment with scalp massage (up to a $25 value)

Only a limited number are available, but it'll be available until Friday at midnight if it doesn't first sell out. It must be used by the end of April.

Check it out if interested.

A little eleventh hour Christmas shopping in Waxhaw

The kids and I went out in Waxhaw looking for a Christmas gift for the special lady in our life. I thought we could head over to the Bead Merchants and make a necklace or something like that for her. But we were thwarted by the their holiday business hours that had them closing up shop on December 21st.

We headed over to the used book store since it's there and came out with a bunch of kids books and a $14 bill. Not a bad price for all the books we got, but it seems like we paid more per book than previous trips to the use book shop. It's for a good cause, so it's not a big deal; just an observation.

Waxhaw Antique Mart was open on our way back so we stopped in there to what kind of gift we could find. Lots of options, but the kids are confident they picked a good one.

Dairy Barn closes (temporarily?)

The Dairy Barn had a Facebook post Friday evening saying they were closing up shop due to lease issues. Here's the whole post:

To Our Customers: It is with so much sadness that we announce the closing of our beloved Dairy Barn. We opened a year ago and we have enjoyed serving every one of you this past year. ....and now, at the end of our first year lease, we have encountered some issues that do not seem to have solutions, so we will close for the winter and look for another location to re-open this spring. Thank you for visiting The Dairy Barn, Thank You for believing in our dream, and Thank You for your continued support during this very very difficult time. Jane and Greg Carpenter

The Dairy Barn was one of the businesses in Waxhaw we regularly visited, generally for the ice cream. It was fun to play a game of checkers or Connect 4 while eating our cones.

It's a shame they needed to close up shop, but not really surprising given the revolving door of businesses that have existed in that location since we came to town. For what it's worth, Jackson's Emporium and their overpriced candy was my favorite, followed closely by The Dairy Barn.

Either way, the rent set by the owner does not seem to allow any businesses to occupy this space with serious longevity, at least thus far. But I have no idea what the rent is here or at other downtown locations.

It's times like this where I recall an old County Edge article that detailed the difficulties of starting and maintaining a business in Waxhaw. Of course, it's been so long that this article may just be a figment of my imagination at this point, growing more illustrative of this problem with each telling. For what it's worth, I'm told the Waxhaw library should have an archive of the old County Edges that I should someday take some time to re-peruse.

Either way, keep your eyes peeled for The Dairy Barn in the spring as they plan to investigate alternative locations.

My question: are they still going to have the arcade games? A large handful of tokens is sitting in our cupboard. Hopefully someday they can be put to good use, otherwise I may have to auction these off as arcane tokens of Waxhaw history.

Thanksgiving brew @ Maxwell's

Maxwell's Tavern posted an update the other day with some good news for local beer connoisseurs. I guess this is a nice First Friday surprise.

Special Treat for ALL OUR BEER LOVERS. This Friday, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery selected Maxwells to tap their limited release Thanksgiving beer, Bauern Bock. A handful of establishments receive one keg and one keg only, and we are the only place to get it in the area. This will go FAST, and then there will be no more until next year.

Bauern Bock is a German-style doppelbock lager, Bauern Bock is rich and malty with a deep amber color to match the changing colors of the fall season. It is also OMB's "biggest" beer at 7.5% ABV.

This will be tapped This Friday (11/4) at 6pm.

Thanks OMB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmm, what are the odds I can get over there at 6pm?

Fox's Pizza back on restaurant.com

I got an email the other day that Fox's Pizza is now back on restaurant.com, making them once again the only Waxhaw restaurant offered at restaurant.com. I blogged about their prior stint earlier.

While this is good news for Fox's Pizza lovers, the deal is not quite as good as it once was. A $25 gift certificate still runs you $10 (and with the constant coupon codes restaurant.com runs, you'll likely pay $2-4 for this), but there is now a minimum purchase requirement of $50.

So this means the total cost will now be a minimum of $27, but you will get $50 worth of pizza and/or other food. Probably not a good deal for the nights my family wants to get pizza, but it will be a good deal for larger gatherings of people, such as kids' birthday parties and the like, where $50 of pizza can be more readily scarfed down. It should save you a decent chunk of change in those instances.

Waxhaw bouncing back

WCNC has an article on the small business atmosphere in Waxhaw, which has improved. A snippet:

Mayor Daune Gardner says Maxwell's was one of the first to start a new business movement in the quaint downtown.

"A couple years ago we had over a dozen empty store fronts on Main Street. Last year we had seven. This year now we have two," added Gardner.

Here's the corresponding video clip from which the article derives, which stars the mayor and some of the newer local businesses.

UPDATE: Has Leo's Kitchen opened yet?

I've blogged about them before a couple times (see the latter for a coupon). On the way home from work yesterday, it looked to be open but there was nothing official saying it was open. Call it my blogger's intuition, which is oftentimes wrong for what it's worth.

No word on their Facebook page yet, which hasn't been for two and a half weeks.

UPDATE 11/1: To answer the question in the title, yes, Leo's Kitchen is now open and apparently the grand opening is set for November 19.

Fox's Pizza Deal

Fox's Pizza is offering a pretty good deal right now on Eversave, a Groupon-like site. For those of us who enjoy their pizza (or those of you thinking of trying it), it seems like a no-brainer. EverSave is not as widely known as Groupon, but I've gotten a couple things from them in the past, so you can feel confident in using it if the deals interests you.

$10 for $20 worth of food and drinks at Fox's Pizza Den

There's another 4 and a half days left on this deal, so by my calculations you have until end-of-day Monday 10/17 to take advantage.

Too bad they didn't run this deal one day sooner as I had $5 EverSave bucks that expired one day prior, which would've given me $20 worth of Fox's Pizza stuff for only $5. I haven't yet decided if this is enough of a transgression to make my enemies list or not (EverSave, not Fox's Pizza).

I'd also like to add that Fox's Pizza has got to be the best local Waxhaw restaurant (or any business for that matter) to participate in programs that allow their customers to save money. I've blogged about their past participation in restaurant.com and their past Groupon we missed out on. No other business in Waxhaw has embraced social buying and other customer money-saving programs like Fox's Pizza, so hopefully it helps them expand their business.

Leo's Kitchen coupon

Just a quick note that we received some Leo's Kitchen (mentioned earlier here) coupons last week in the mail before the store has even opened. Other local restaurants should take notes as Leo's Kitchen is putting you all to shame.

They came in one of those Valupack (or some other similar sounding name) that come periodically in the mail. One of those things where the vast majority get thrown in the trash, but there's one or two worth holding onto if you spend the time to look through them all.

And I can't find the coupon either at this point, so hopefully my wife didn't throw it out. If she did, she's well on her way to making a very powerful enemy.

Ribbon cuttings

John Anderson in the Charlotte Observer touches on all the ribbon cuttings occurring this weekend, including Kim's Curtains (near Snap Fitness), BP Fill Good Gas Station (near Lowe's), and last but not least, Rock Store BBQ (near Lowe's with BP Fill Good Gas Station).

To end this on a BBQ-related note, how does Rock Store BBQ compare to 521 BBQ & Grill? I haven't been there yet. Do they serve mac & cheese? How are the hush puppies?

Anti-Food Lion movement taking foot

I blogged about the potential new Food Lion here and here.

WCNC has a story on nearby residents attempting to organize to keep the Food Lion from commercializing the property they purchased. A couple snippets:

WAXHAW, N.C. -- Neighbors are banding together in Waxhaw to fight against Food Lion turning 33 acres into commercial property. Right now, the company can't build on the property because it’s zoned for residential use.

...

The property was annexed into Waxhaw, which gives a 60 day window to place a zoning on it. Right now it's zoned for residential property, but down the road neighbors are expecting Food Lion to ask for commercial zoning so they can build a strip mall with a grocery store.

...

NewsChannel 36 reached out to Food Lion and they said they have no current plans to start commercial building. Even if the commission votes to keep it residential on October 11, Food Lion can later petition for re-zoning if they want to start commercial building.

Read the whole thing.

The arguments against as quoted in the article seem to slightly contradict each other. On one hand, commercialization of the property will introduce all kinds of problems, but on the other hand, they're not necessarily against commercial development. Regardless, it seems like Food Lion is in no hurry to push the matter and since they already own the property, I guess they can bide their time.

Plaza Fiesta playground deal

This is a little outside of town, but for anyone who likes to take their kids to the giant indoor playground at Plaza Fiesta Carolinas near Carowinds, there's a half-off deal running right now in Juice in the City, a Groupon-like website.

$4 for 2 Child Admissions to Happy Zone at Plaza Fiesta

While you won't achieve massive savings from the deal, it will give you a little extra money to spend in the nearby arcade afterwards if you choose.

It appears this deal runs for the next 3.5 days for those interested.

Tuesday pint nights @ Maxwell's

Per a Facebook update, every Tuesday will be a Stella pint night starting tonight.

EVERY Tuesday...Stella Pint Night! Buy a pint of Stella Artois on draft, and keep the glass! Starting today!

They had me at "keep the glass." What can I say? I'm a simple man.

Unfortunately, Tuesday's aren't very convenient for me with Cub Scout and other duties, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to score myself a Stella glass. I may have to make some time the next few weeks.

Young & Polite LivingSocial deal

For those area folks looking for a children's dentist, Young & Polite is offering a deal on LivingSocial for the next six days.

Comprehensive Exam, Cleaning, up to Two X-Rays, Oral Hygiene Instruction, and Nutritional Counseling for $70

Follow the link if you're interested.

Wounded Warriers fundraiser at Rippington's

Sunday night's Grand Re-opening at Rippington's doubles as a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project.

The event runs Sunday, September 25th from 5-8pm at Rippington's. Per Lori:

15.00 PER PERSON. THIS INCLUDES CHOICES FROM OUR BAR MENU AND 3 DRINKS. THERE WILL BE LOTS OF GREAT DOOR PRIZES. WE WILL KEEP YOU POSTED AS WE ADD SOME EXCITING THINGS TO THIS EVENT.

See the Facebook page for all the details. First come, first served.

I'd really like to attend the event. Not only is it an excellent cause, but it's also affordable for regular joes. A lot of times, charity fundraisers can seem a little daunting because of entry cost or perceived cost. I'm not sure if I'm speaking for others or just myself.

Of course, Sunday evening, especially on Cub Scout camping weekends, tend to be busy with getting caught up with homework and winding down before a long week of early rising. We'll see if we can swing it, but if you've got that portion of your schedule open, I cannot think of a better place to be. I imagine Rippington's will be filled to capacity.

Another pint night at Maxwell's

Maxwell's Tavern is having another pint night on Friday, October 7th from 5-8pm.

The nitty-gritty:

buy a pint of Olde Mecklenburg's Mecktoberfest and keep the glass
(two per customer)

See the Facebook page for all the details.

Stack's featured in Observer

There was a review of Stack's Kitchen in the Charlotte Observer the other day. Needless to say it was positive.

Read the whole thing here.

Luigi's menu

As I wondered here, it turns out Waxhaw's Luigi's is run by the Rizzo family, who runs the Luigi's in Rock Hill.

The menu at the Waxhaw restaurant is apparently the same as the Rock Hill, so the lunch menu and dinner menu are available here for those interested.

Southport Gift Shop closing

Just a quick note that Southport Gift Shop is closing per the sign on their window.

From looking back at my archives, it appears I never touched upon the fact they moved from their old Spice-tainted location (see here) to their new much smaller storefront near in the Main Street Grill plaza.

Past posts have illustrated that maintaining a business in Waxhaw is difficult, but it's too bad to see Southport go since there's not many shops in Waxhaw where you can go pick up a gift or knick-knack for someone. Where else can you go in town to pick up a non-antique gift for someone? That's not a good thing for procrastinators like me.

Rendini's now Luigi's

Per a mayoral Facebook post yesterday, it appears Rendini's is no more. It has been replaced with Luigi's. Who knew?

It is also apparently a local chain. Once again, who knew? Per comments to the same Facebook thread, there's another Luigi's in Rock Hill and one coming in Matthews. The question is if it is the Luigi's Pizzeria on Cherry Road or the Luigi and Sons on Dave Lyle Blvd.

Here's the post in full:

really enjoyed the spinach ravioli at Luigi's (formerly Rendini's) tonight. You should check it out!

The bad news I suppose those Rendini's coupons you have (from that nifty Waxhaw Town calendar mentioned here) are now null and void.