Travel: A weekend in Raleigh, North Carolina

A couple of weekends ago (March 8th and 9th depending on when you are reading this) I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Raleigh and shoot a private runway show for Belk featuring the very talented Trina Turk. Naturally, since I was heading there anyways, it was the perfect opportunity for Filipe and I  to stop in and visit some of the great menswear brands headquartered in Raleigh.

For those that do not already know, I am also a photographer (shameless plug for my website www.bradleyrhyne.com).  While not really related to the work I do for OLE MASON JAR, it is often complimentary, and gives me the opportunity to do both without sacrificing a tremendous amount of additional time/energy. This specific instance was one of those times when the stars aligned for some incredible multi tasking. I got to do my shoot with Belk, meet some great folks/brands I have been eager to meet for a long time, and take in some great experiences throughout Raleigh.  Below is the recap from our weekend events:

Saturday, March 8

9:00 AM - Supposed to be hitting the road, but running behind.
10:00 AM - Finally get on the road (more on this later)
10:05 AM - Dunkin Donuts (I may have a coffee addiction)
1:00 PM - Arrive in Raleigh and check in to hotel (Marriott City Center, also has a Starbucks in the hotel... Boom)
1:10 PM - Starbucks (Yep this coffee thing may be getting out of hand)
1:15 PM - Realize that in my haste to get on the road have left the batteries to the cameras I brought on the charger at home.
1:16 PM - Start calling every camera shop in Raleigh (as other photographers will know, Nikon D3s batteries are not cheap nor easy to come by)
1:25 PM - Southeastern Camera saved the day...let's pretend this never happened (these guys are truly pros, and bent over backwards to get me back up and running for a very reasonable price)
2:30 PM - Stopped in to the Raleigh Denim Workshop (best denim in the world), had a great conversation with store manager Kaitlin and even got a look at where all the magic happens right in the back. An absolute must visit the next time you need a new pair of jeans or the next time you are in Raleigh in general.
4:00 PM - Stopped in to another storefront doing great things, Lumina. (Met founders Barton and Justin, who were both so gracious in sharing their advise and experience to us). This is an excellently curated shop with something for every man, a must visit the next time you are in town.
5:00 PM - Next up, High Cotton (owns the collegiate bow-tie market). Great space and great brand!
6:30 PM - Dinner @ Bida Manda (awesome food, in fact Filipe is probably making a trip back to Raleigh this weekend just to eat there again).
9:00 PM - Duke Carolina game @ the hotel (won't say who I pull for)
10:00 PM - Not happy with the game, coffee run #3 @ the Morning Times (ok, when I see it written in a timeline like this I realize this really is not normal)
11:00 PM - Lights out (if you drank coffee three times a day, it probably wouldnt keep you from falling asleep either...I don't recommend)

Sunday, March 9

8:00 AM - Breakfast at the hotel
10:00 AM - Starbucks (of course) and some pictures around the downtown area.
1:00 PM - Brunch @ The Oxford
4:00 PM - Arrival @ Belk, Crabtree Valley Mall
5:00 PM - Event shoot for Belk and Junior League of Raleigh with Trina Turk (blown away with how humble, inspiring and kind Ms. Turk was). Had a chance to talk with Trina about fashion and all sorts of things (of course introduced her to OLE MASON JAR :) )
8:00 PM - Runway show
9:45 PM - Wrap up and heading out (A special thank you to Belk and the Junior League of Raleigh for the opportunity to be a part of their event)
1:00 AM - Home

Embarrassingly, I have to admit that this was the first time I had been to the Raleigh downtown area in at least 7 years (WOW has it changed). It is a thriving place with great food, great shops (obviously) and an overall really great vibe. Raleigh has certainly become destination for the young professionals today, and I can only imagine what it will be like in the next 5 years. It certainly makes me proud to be a North Carolinian.  As we head into spring and summer, be on the lookout for more weekend visits to other great cities!

(Raleigh Denim)

(Raleigh Denim)

(Raleigh Denim)

(Raleigh Denim)

(OLE MASON JAR COO Filipe)

(Lumina)

(Lumina)

(Lumina)

(Lumina)

(High Cotton)

(High Cotton)

(High Cotton)

(Downtown Raleigh)

(Bida Manda)

(Belk + Trina Turk)

(Belk + Trina Turk)

(Belk + Trina Turk)

(Belk + Trina Turk)

Best,

BR

A native of NC, Bradley Rhyne is OLE MASON JAR's Co-Founder and CEO, as well as chief editor for all content and social media. With his extensive experience in the finance and accounting industry as a Vice President for a fortune top 10 company, Brad brings a wealth of knowledge, creativity and business acumen to OLE MASON JAR. 

OMJ Partnerships & Recommendations

Shoes:

Crockett & Jones   Ferragamo   Allen Edmonds

Skincare:

Malin+Goetz   Aesop

Clothing/Fabric:

Barbour  Todd Snyder  Gladson  Loro Piana  Drago  Abraham Moon  VBC  Reda  Angelico  Stylbiella  Zegna

Accessories:

Tag Huer  Hoodinkee  Foundwell  Jaeger Lecoultre  Craighill 

Read:

WM Brown  GQ  The Rake  Garden and Gun  Our State Magazine  QC Exclusive  Charlotte Magazine  The Charlotte Ledger  The New York Times