Live Loca L 1

THe LOWDOWN ON WHAT ’S UP WITH Ne IGHBORHOOD BUSIN e SS eS

Fans of Vera Bradley rejoice: The Store in Lake Highlands 1 , in Northlake Shopping Center at Northwest Highway and Ferndale, is hosting a day-long Vera Bradley party on Thursday, Jan. 13 from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. The event includes giveaways and prize drawings to showcase the spring collection’s four new colors: boysenberry, blue lagoon, folkloric and lemon parfait. The Store owner Cheryl Calvin says the Vera Bradley company will not allow vendors to discuss the collection until 10 days before it launches so that customers will be surprised. Calvin says Vera Bradley was created by two women who realized in an airport that few cute travel bags exist, so decided to make their own, and created the almost 30-year-old company. 214.553.8850, thestoreinlh.com.

Papa Murphy’s is now open in the recently built shopping center on Plano near Northwest Highway. The “take ‘n’ bake” pizza concept creates handmade pies to order with dozens of topping options (all fresh; the restaurant doesn’t own a freezer). Heads up: Don’t expect to eat a pizza or have it baked onsite; when they sake “take ‘n’ bake”, they mean it. 214.341.7272, papamurphys.com.

Eat The World at Abrams and Royal recently launched an updated website. To celebrate, it is offering $5 sandwiches all day for the entire month of January. 214.340.3663, eattheworld.com.

Nearby in the same shopping center, Artistik Edge Hair Studio will raffle off an iPad on Jan. 15. Proceeds from the tickets, $2 a piece, will benefit the education of young drivers. 214.349.3888, artistikedge.com.

White Rock Coffee 2 on Northwest Highway near Ferndale is launching an artist