John & Kelly from LabourLove are brave souls.
Want to see my arithmetic on that statement? Check it:
1. They opened a small business.
2. They opened a small business an art gallery.
3. They opened an art gallery in a new development on the edge of downtown.
4. The opened an art gallery in a new development on the edge of downtown at the beginning of the economic collapse.
… and now?
5. They are completely reformatting their business model.
LabourLove has decided to scrap the idea of a traditional gallery model and are starting a collective. Check out the innovative concept after the jump!
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Laurie is an awesome illustrator based out of Durham, NC. She’s done loads of apparel & illustration work for the music industry. She also happens to have the most badass freelance gig on the planet… designing custom drum kit wraps for SJC… drool. I always love to see such excellent local talent!
This one is for all you local Durhamite OK Greatsters -
Two weekends ago was the third installment of what I hope continues to be a really amazing event in Durham – the Yum Yum Supper. Quote the Yum Yum website:
The Yum Yum Supper Club is a fresh bunch of humans interested in a cooperative exploration of food, timely celebrations, and the tilting of the planet in the North Carolina Piedmont.
Sounds awesome, right? It was. For the not insignificant price of $28 pp, I had high expectations for the night. It started off with some casual conversations and drinks at the Central Park Pavilion(where the farmers market is held) – sangria and wine – along with some bocce ball and croquet on the field. Wandering around I noticed a table with some peculiar objects:
Getting better, I thought. What better way to celebrate the true downtown heritage of Durham than finishing off a hopefully-delicious meal with a post-prandial cigarette and tie-on moustache (apologies for all crappy iphone pics)
So finally the dinner bell was rung and we sat down at a beautifully set table with a bottle of wine between nearly every other seat (big thumbs up). What followed was a truly delicious meal, filled with local ingredients (bacon or pork belly was featured in every course, including the chocolate chip and bacon cookies for dessert – amazing – and yes there was a veggie option), and great company. The chef, Chris Holloway of Southern Season, put out unbelievable food for over 100 YumYummers and then prior to the dessert course, (said cookies and jack and coke floats – I’m salivating now thinking about those) came out and gave one of the most impassioned “I Love Durham” + “I Love Food” speeches I’ve heard anywhere, and everyone got all warm and fuzzy (or maybe just drunk on wine).
Anyway, there’s more photos on the site (including a sort of horrible, sort of hilarious one of me and my lovely in moustaches) and more details about the club. Looks like the next one will be sometime in the fall, so all y’all locals makes sure you check it out.
Needless to say, my $28 expectations were wholeheartedly exceeded on all fronts.
Sunburnt. Dehydrated. Dejected. That was Flywheel after Friday’s playoffs. IAVO Research + Scientific, hot off a restful forfeit in the first round, pulled ahead in an otherwise tight match to seal their spot in the finals and send Flywheel packing in our own tournament!
Meanwhile, across the green, Fullsteam Brewery + Baldwin& went head to head in what was also a showdown for the ages. The croquet gods looked kindly upon Baldwin& and in the end, they sealed the deal and sent Fullsteam back to their craft-beer-drinking hideaway (lucky them).
So it was written. IAVO + Baldwin would face off in the final match to determine who really ruled the…wickets? Yeah, the wickets. It was a close match, save “Harvey” who pulled ahead as he had in the previous match to secure the number one spot. It’s still a matter of contention as to whether or not “Harvey” even works for IAVO or if they flew him in from England for the tournament. I’ve got my eye on you, “Harvey”.
Harvey’s quick finish was apparently inspirational to the other IAVO players and they pulled ahead for the win. And there you have it, folks–IAVO Research + Scientific are our champions. With a tri-butted trophy and their five dollar cash prize, they’ll reign over Durham croquet. At least, until next year.
A HUGE thank you goes out to all of the teams that came out for our (inaugural) Downtown Croquet Tournament–IAVO R+S, Baldwin&, Fullsteam, Original Projects, the DPAC and Ignite.
There are a couple of nice articles on Bull City Rising and Durham Magazine that you can check out and, as always, photos are up on our Flickr.
Unfortunately, we had another team drop out this afternoon. Baldwin& apparently “forgot” to put the event on their group calendar. But I think we all know what really happened–they were afraid of this fierce squad: BAM.
In Baldwin&’s absence, Flywheel stepped in as Team OK Great (to save from confusing everyone). And although the game was inevitably going our way and Ignite Social Media bailed early to grab some Only Burger burgers, they technically picked up a win. Woo. There are oodles of photos at our Flickr.
But wait! The plot thickens…turns out that Ignite can’t make tomorrow! What. the. hell. We reasoned that because Baldwin& and Ignite Social Media both forfeited, neither forfeit truly counts and Baldwin& moves on to the finals. Or something like that. Makes sense, right? Suuure, it does.
Playoffs begin tomorrow at noon on the DPAC lawn. Two semi-final games will be played simultaneously–Flywheel vs. IAVO and Baldwin& vs. Fullsteam–followed by the finals, glory and someone walking home with a big ol’ trophy.
Grab some lunch and come cheer the players on!
Today’s match was between Fullsteam + the Durham Performing Arts Center and boy, it was a doozy. Let’s just say, there were a lot of socks.
And there it is, folks! DPAC has been eliminated by Fullsteam. It was an admirable effort on the parts of both teams. Fullsteam pulled ahead early, after knocking two of the DPAC players’ balls into the far area of the park more than once (we play with “prison rules”–no out-of-bounds). DPAC rallied in the second half and sealed a second place finish but in the end, Fullsteam was able to slip past and finish each player’s game.
As always, you can see photos from the game at our Flickr. Tomorrow’s match will be between Baldwin& and Ignite Social Media. Fridays playoffs are being moved to the lawn at DPAC. If you’re downtown-come out and watch!
After the jump: Socks. Lots of ‘em.
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Bust! Ogilvy Durham and IAVO Research + Scientific were slated to battle it out on the croquet field today but alas, Ogilvy bailed! I’m sure they had their reasons. Regardless, its a technical forfeit so IAVO grabs a W and moves on to the playoffs.
Stay tuned-tomorrow should be a Durham classic. We’ve got FullSteam pitted against the Durham Performing Arts Center. Beer vs. Art? Yes, please.
So, as some of you might have heard, Flywheel is hosting a croquet tournament here in downtown Durham. 8 teams. 5 days. No survivors.
Ok, there are survivors. You got me. Today was round one of the tournament and we found ourselves pitted against our friends at Original Projects/Durty Durham. It was a tight game through the first stretch but in the end, we prevailed (obvi). We had, as they say, the eye of the tiger.
You can see photos from todays match at our Flickr. Check back throughout the week-we’ll be updating daily and by Friday we’ll all know who rules the school. Or, the croquet field.
Woo! Hey everyone, we’re all super excited to announce that after a lot of hard work, WE’VE LAUNCHED OUR NEW WEBSITE!
Before announcing the launch generally, we’d love to get your feedback! So please take a moment to check it out and leave us a comment letting us know what you think! Hope you enjoy the sneak peak!
Praise, criticism, emoticons, high-fives, suggestions, love notes, all welcome!
www.flywheeldesign.com
Yesterday afternoon, a few of us had the pleasure of visiting Aviator Brewery in Fuquay Varina, NC to talk a little design and taste a little beer.
Brewmaster Mark and his crew are some great guys and they brew some seriously great beer. We got to sample the three beers on tap: their Saison, a Tripel, and a red (“Hot Rod”). Amazing! Really powerful, flavorful beers.
If you’re a NC local, get down to your local bar and have an Aviator! And if the bar doesn’t have it on tap, let your bartender know that the people demand it (I’m lookin’ at you, Pinhook)!
Visit their website and find out where Aviator is served and then go imbibe! Or, you can order a zucchini from their webstore (literally).
See more photos from our trip at our Flickr.
