TCB May 30, 2024 ‚— Poppin' Tags

CITY LIFE

THURSDAY

Bryan Martin @ Cohab.space (HP) 7 p.m.

Breakout country artist Bryan Martin, fueled by turning struggles into survival, will rock Cohab.space with original songs including his current single “We Ride.” With special guest Ben Roberts. Visit the event page on Facebook for tickets.

The People’s Market @ 1417 Glenwood

Ave. (GSO) 5:30 p.m.

The People’s Market, held weekly until October, strives to “keep the dollars generating in the community.” Shop with local vendors for desserts, drinks, cold foods and more. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

FRIDAY

Summer Jam @ Southside Recreation Center (HP) 4 p.m.

High Point Parks & Recreation is kicking off summer with a splash pad, food, music and inflatables for the whole family to enjoy. More information on the Facebook event page

Trophy Eyes @ Hangar 1819 (GSO) 6 p.m.

Australian post-punk rock band Trophy Eyes will perform at Hangar 1819 as part of a US tour promoting their latest album “Suicide and Sunshine.” Tickets on sale at trophyeyesmusic.com

Scan the QR code to find more events at triad-citybeat.com/local-events

Soap & Candle Making Workshop @ Lizzie’s All-Natural Products (W-S) 6 p.m.

Lizzie’s All-Natural Products invites you to create your own candles and soap in this hands-on workshop. Tickets include class materials, mimosas and raffles. More information on Facebook

SATURDAY

National Trails Day Celebration @ Piedmont Environmental Center (HP)

9 a.m.

PEC invites you to celebrate National Trails Day with PEC naturalists as they lead free, guided hikes full of natural beauty, live animals and discovery. More information on Facebook

JUNE

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Trails Day @ Country Park (GSO) 9 a.m.

Greensboro is hosting a National Trails Day event too! Head to Country Park for guided hikes, yoga, kids activities and more. Check the event page on Facebook for updates.

SUNDAY

Foothills Farmers Market @ Foothills Brewing Tasting Room (W-S) 12 p.m.

This farmers market includes vintage finds, produce, knife sharpening and more. Check Foothills’ Facebook page for updates.

World Promenade @ Tanger Bicentennial Gardens (GSO)

1 p.m.

Formerly known as Parisian Promenade, this free, family-friendly event includes vendors, musical and artistic performances and food. Volunteers can sign up at cerv.is/0391x83

MONDAY

Beer & Bingo @ World of Beer (GSO) 6:30 p.m.

World of Beer is hosting beer and bingo where attendees can enjoy beer and burger specials, a dog-friendy patio and of course, bingo. Prizes include gift cards, paintball tickets and more. More information on Facebook

THURSDAY

Bat Boy the Musical @ Camel City Playhouse (W-S) 7 p.m.

Camel City Playhouse presents Bat Boy the Musical, a horror rock musical that follows the story of a half-boy/half-bat creature who attempts to live a “normal” life but is rejected by townspeople, leading to a series of revelations about his origin. Purchase tickets at camelcityplayhouse. com

Unfolding Possibilities @ Kaleideum (W-S) 6 p.m.

The Centers for Exceptional Children is proud to celebrate 70 years of service with this fundraising event where proceeds will directly benefit raising awareness and providing support for children with special needs and their families. Tickets can be purchased at thecfec.org/up

7

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FRIDAY

Space is the Place

Community Art Party @ GreenHill Center for NC Art (GSO) 3 p.m.

GreenHill’s got an exciting afternoon of space-themed activities to celebrate the end of the school year and beginning of summer! Attendees will enjoy celestial treats, create digital comics and storyboards and more. More information at greenhillnc.org

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OF COUNSEL

Jonathan Jones

EDITORIAL

Sayaka Matsuoka sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

CITYBEAT REPORTER

Gale Melcher

gale@triad-city-beat.com

OPINION

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

‘Hope is a discipline’

Being in this line of work can often be discouraging. We see a lot.

Deaths, police shootings, sexual assault, the strategic underfunding of public education, racist politicians, a stripping of basic human rights.

But I’ve been doing a lot of reading of works by Black and Brown thinkers in the last few weeks, many of whom have been engaged in movement work and activism for decades.

Through reading their words, I’ve found that while despair, frustration and anger are all valid, real reactions to the insanity of our world, dwelling in these emotions for too long and letting them fester and shift into resignation is the ultimate privilege.

It’s okay to be upset; unimaginably upsetting things are happening every day in the world.

Douglas, Michelle Everette, Luis H. Garay, Destiniee Jaram, Kaitlynn Havens, Jordan Howse, Matt Jones, Autumn Karen, Michaela Ratliff, Jen Sorensen, Todd Turner WEBMASTER Sam LeBlanc

DIRECTOR

Aiden Siobhan aiden@triad-city-beat.com COVER:

Ephraim Udofia is the owner of Standout Vintage in Greensboro.

who are the most marginalized — Black people, indigenous people, people fighting against oppressive regimes, trans people, undocumented people — can continue to fight, must continue to fight, because there is no other option, it is up to the rest of us to carry that burden with them.

Because even if we don’t immediately see the fruits of our efforts today, tomorrow or even in the next decade, we have to believe that our struggle for justice will have an impact for the next generation and beyond.

It’s as abolitionist and activist Mariame Kaba says: “Hope is not optimism. Hope is a discipline… we have to practice it every single day.”

Even if we don’t immediately see the fruits of our efforts today, tomorrow or even in the next decade, we have to believe that our struggle for justice will have an impact for the next generation and beyond.

But people continue to fight against injustice. And to be deflated for too long, to let the bastards win, to resign ourselves to “What is the point?” lines of thinking does nothing to create the changes we want to see in the world. And if those amongst us

And the more I do this work, the more I see that hope and action every day. I see it when I watch protesters march in the streets, their feet tired from every step, their faces glistening with sweat. I see it as I record the words of mothers who have lost their sons to police violence speak at rallies. I see it when tenants go door to door, asking their neighbors what they need to survive, and then thrive. I see it as young people take up this work of asking questions, pushing back and speaking truth to power. I see it in all of us.

And that’s more than enough hope for me.

by Sayaka Matsuoka

Photo by Maaroupi Sani Design by Aiden Siobhan

Budget season is here. A look at proposed 2024-25 spending for Winston-Salem and Greensboro

by Gale Melcher | gale@triad-city-beat.com

uly 1 is just around the corner, which means that it’s time for cities across the country to balance their budgets. In Greensboro and Winston-Salem, budgets are increasing.

The property tax rate is going up in Winston-Salem, but staying the same in Greensboro. Plus, the minimum wage for city employees is going up in both cities.

Both cities have fresh faces presenting budgets this year — Greensboro has Chris Wilson acting as interim city manager after the departure of City Manager Taiwo Jaiyeoba, and while Winston-Salem’s Pat Pate has experience handling the city’s money as a former budget department employee, this is his first year taking the reins as its city manager. Pate arrived in November; his predecessor City Manager Lee Garrity retired in June after 17 years on the job.

Read on to find out where your tax dollars are going.

GREENSBORO

n May 21, Interim City Manager Chris Wilson presented an $801.8 million proposed budget — increasing by $50.5 million compared to 2023-24. Still, they plan on holding the property tax rate at 67.25 cents.

Last year, city leaders adopted a $751.3 million budget

The city’s fiscal year begins on July 1. On June 4, the city will hold a public hearing

so residents can comment on the proposed budget. On June 18, city leaders will vote to adopt the budget.

Employee pay

The city made strides last year in increasing the minimum hourly wage to $18; this year it’s getting kicked up to $18.75. Starting pay will jump from $47,812 to $49,724 for firefighters and from $55,000 to $57,220 for police officers. Once members graduate from the academy, their pay will increase again to $51,713 for firefighters and $59,509 for police officers.

Public safety

This year, the city’s police department will cross into a nine digit figure to more than $104 million. Last year it was $99 million.

Last year’s fire department budget was just over $71 million; this year it’s nearly $77.3 million.

Housing and Neighborhood Development

The department’s new budget is around $2.44 million, decreasing by around $2,000.

Water Resources

The new budget is $187.7 million, a $21.5 million increase.

Solid Waste and Recycling

The budget for this department is $32 million this year, a $12 million decrease from last year.

The decrease is a result of a “significant realignment of operations,” in which the Field Operations Department was rebranded into the Solid Waste and Recycling Department, and 124 employees were transferred from Field Operations to other departments.

Parks and Recreation

This department will have a $32.5 million budget that’s increasing by more than $8.6 million. Responsibility for roadside mowing, landscape services and downtown maintenance divisions has shifted from the solid waste and recycling department to parks and recreation.

Transit

The Greensboro Transit Agency Fund is $35.6 million this year, and will largely fund fixed route service. The transportation budget soared from $12 million to nearly $23 million in the proposed budget; during the solid waste and recycling department reorganization, the transportation department received 62 positions that will focus on street, sidewalk and greenway construction. The wheels on the downtown “Hopper” trolleys will continue rolling, but service will pause during the winter months and return in the spring.

A net positive

The city is proposing a $800,000 increase to the Nussbaum Housing Partnership Revolving Fund, of which $440,000 is for the Tenant Education Advocacy Mediation (TEAM) program expansion to provide eviction delineation, and the remaining is for other homeless prevention activities.

WINSTON-SALEM

Winston-Salem’s proposed budget landed on May 28, totaling $658.9 million — $485.8 million for operations, $63.7 million for debt service, and $109.4 million for capital improvements. Last year’s budget was $607.8 million, meaning that the budget is increasing by $51.1 million, as is the property tax rate — by 6.4 cents. The new rate will be 72.50 cents per $100 of assessed value; the current rate is 66.10 cents.

A breakdown of where the extra 6.4 cents will go: 3.9 cents will be allocated to the general fund for employee compensation, vehicle and equipment replacement and public assembly facilities. The remaining 2.5 cents will be allocated to the transit fund “due to an approved contract for a new transit provider.”

Earlier this year, city leaders approved a multi-million dollar contract with WinstonSalem Transit Authority’s new operator, RATP Dev.

The budget goes into effect on July 1. The next finance committee budget workshop for city leaders will be held on May 30 at 4 p.m., and a public hearing will be held that same night at 6 p.m. On June 6 at 4 p.m., city leaders will step into another finance committee budget workshop. Finally, on June 17 at 6 p.m., another public hearing will take place during the city council meeting and city leaders will vote to adopt the budget.

Employee pay

The new recommended minimum wage for employees is jumping to $17.96 per hour. It’s currently $15.45.

Public safety

Get this: the budget for the city’s police department is going down from last year’s $94.3 million to nearly $93.9 million this year — $441,340 to be exact. The fire department’s budget is increasing, from $47 million to $53.6 million. The BEAR Team, which is housed within the fire department, will be fully funded by a $884,920 transfer from the National Opioid Settlement Fund

Parks and Recreation

This budget is increasing by nearly $97,000 to $16.4 million.

Water and Sewer

The budget for this department is increasing to $115.6 million. Last year’s budget was $109.4 million.

Housing and Neighborhood Development

This year the city is sending nearly $15.3 million dollars toward this department — last year the budget was around $16.3, meaning they’re cutting spending by more than $1 million. It slashes the budget for TURN, a housing rehabilitation financial assistance program, from $160,250 to $58,950. It also decreases the budget for code enforcement by around $460,000.

Transit

The new budget for Winston-Salem Transit Authority is skyrocketing to nearly $30.7 million as the city reimagines service and switches to new transit provider RATP Dev. Last year’s budget for WSTA was nearly $23.6 million.

A net positive

The city will be spending nearly $74.4 million on environmental health capital projects, including rehabilitation and upgrades for water and wastewater treatment plants, stormwater management and landfills.

Jen Sorensen jensorensen.com

The self-fulfilling prophecy destroying NC schools

by Brian Clarey

The self-fulfilling prophecy is a wonderful way to exercise power — and to maintain it. Because what is the point of being in power if you can’t keep it, perhaps forever?

There is no finer application of this technique than the current political attack against our state’s public school system. Republicans hate public schools, even Republicans who would never send their kids to one and especially those who don’t have kids. They all fail, in their myopia, to see the benefits of a vast, free system to educate our youth and prepare them to operate in the grown-up world, whether they personally use it orr not.

the ones who initially kicked the Leandro can down the road, slow-rolling its implementation.

But it was under GOP rule that we pared down teacher pay, further cut funding and accelerated charter schools that stripped even more money from the public-school pot. This way, Republicans can point out that our schools are underperforming without going into details as to why. And it gives an opening to propose a solution that accomplishes the goal for which the self-fulfilling prophecy was instigated.

Republicans hate public

schools, even Republicans who would never send their kids to one.

Nor do they contemplate the alternative: There are more than 120,000 students in Guilford and Forsyth public schools alone. What else should those kids be doing all day?

Other public-school detractors might have their eye on its funding, which even in its emaciated state is still one of the largest tranches of state spending, about 35 percent of the General Fund, second only to Health & Human Services.

It’s true that North Carolina public schools are in decline and having trouble keeping up with the national average on several fronts. We can trace this directly back to the Leandro decision, which in 1994 found that the state was underfunding schools, largely in Black neighborhoods, by millions, establishing a spending plan to rectify this violation of the state Constitution.

It should be noted that the Democrats were in charge back then, and they were

Our current solution is a voucher program that lets families opt out of the public system, reclaim some of what the state would have spent on the student and apply it towards tuition at a private school. This, proponents argued, would help low-income students the most. This plan assumes that outcomes from private schools are better than those in public schools, which is not always the case. And it doesn’t seem to be solving the stated problem: our troubled public schools. In 11 states that have enacted voucher programs, the real winners are not students, but the private school themselves, most of which have religious affiliations and none of which must meet the standards of public schools.

That the solution doesn’t solve anything — except how to drain money from public schools — is of no importance. In crafting the new budget, the NC Senate just voted to expand the voucher program to about $800 million a year by 2031. Because it’s the solution!

You’ve got to act fast on the self-fulfilling prophecy, which works best when people aren’t paying attention and their media has failed them. By the time they figure it out, if they ever do, it’s already happened.

Courtesy of NC Policy Watch

OPINION FRESH EYES

Warren Buffett: It’s Not a Wonderful Life

“In towns and cities where there is a strong sense of community, there is no more important institution than the local paper.” – Warren Buffett, May 29, 2012

by Lorraine Ahearn

Pistol drawn at his side just in case, the Loomis armored-car driver stopped Monday through Friday at the newspaper’s headquarters to cart out great bags of money. Bank deposit bags of paper money and checks, heavy canvas sacks bulging with loose quarters, fat nickels and thin dimes collected from paper routes and coin-operated boxes all over town, rolled out of 200 E. Market St. in downtown Greensboro from the day these doors opened in 1976.

The armored car doesn’t stop here anymore.

After the sprawling News & Record plant became the property of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, the “Oracle of Omaha,” regional managers cut back the courier’s rounds, like everything else, then eliminated them altogether. Today, 11 years after Buffett bought the place, the only things rolling through these gates are transport trucks going back and forth to the scrapyard.

Watching the plant demolition from the sidelines last Saturday was Buck Lineberry, the last N&R employee to lock up the place and turn out the lights after the gutted staff moved across town in 2020.

A month ago, Lineberry handed the keys to the empty newspaper plant over to DH Griffin Wrecking Co., and now it was their headache. No more calls from the fire department in the middle of the night after squatters set fires inside the place. No more emergency messages from the police, like the early morning last August when they found Tiffany HolmesWilliams’ body in one of the abandoned buildings, strewn with trash and human waste.

Such was the catalyst for the city to condemn the old N&R complex once and for all and order its absentee corporate owner, Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, to tear it down. Berkshire, as Buffett calls it, has local real estate brokers four miles away at Friendly Center, but maintained that it hired a private management company and had no idea the site had deteriorated so. Which made total sense, hidden away as the two-square-block, sixacre site on East Market is, smack dab between the train and bus station, Central Library and the Cultural Arts Center. Either way, the wrecking crew was coming, and Lineberry, of all people, should have been prepared. As a young man all the way back in 1971, he watched from a nearby train trestle when 48 pounds of dynamite imploded the King Cotton Hotel in a milky pink cloud of who-knowswhat on this very parcel, clearing the way for the newspaper. A decade or so later, Lineberry helped shut down Revolution Mill, Cone’s textile behemoth that sat vacant for 20 years.

Nevertheless, the dystopian scene that last week unfolded at 200 E. Market left even a grizzled 72-year-old master mechanic speechless. The signature green Goss Metroliner press, three stories high, 167

feet long, weighing more than a Boeing 747, lay smashed apart in a mound of rubble.

“Wow,” Lineberry said quietly, putting a hand over his mouth and adjusting his glasses.

“Golly.”

The scene of the crime etween greasy puddles of rainwater next to the halfdemolished plant, a tangle of precision-engineered innards spilled out like the contents of a beached whale. Barrel-shaped motors dead on their sides. An inkmixing keyboard ripped from its cables. Oscillators. Reel arms. The big folder apparatus with its lethal tuck-in blade. The metal dolly, small but indestructible, that transported giant rolls of paper brought in by the boxcar on a Southern Railway spur.

BBefore the press shut down in 2017 and print operations were consolidated to Winston-Salem — that is, until they consolidate, once again, to Lynchburg next month — the big Goss Metro was something to see. Boy Scout troops and elementary kids would take tours and stop, mouths agape, when the buzzer alarm went off and the run started, lumbering at first, braking to check the color register, then restarting and speeding up to full capacity at 72,000 copies an hour, a thundering load that made the catwalks sway.

Lineberry had long since drained

the ink tanks, the way you might prepare a cadaver for embalming. Still, there was no ceremony in how the massive 13-unit press — minus two units sold off to an operation in Bogata, Colombia — was laid to rest. As the jaws of DH Griffin’s cranes battered and banged, bashed and scraped the press units apart, remnants in the ink lines spurted black, yellow, magenta and blue-green, splattering the debris behind the caution tape like a four-color crime scene.

This past two weeks, former newspaper people showed up one by one to gawk. They stood at a distance and stared, shot video on their phones, sifted gingerly through the wreckage looking for souvenirs, some clue to what it all meant.

One was Susan Ladd, the N&R’s last metro columnist, axed in a cascade of layoffs that started in 2007, accelerated under Berkshire and continued under current owner Lee Enterprises, claiming production and distribution people, reporters, photographers, a sports columnist, all the way up to the top editor.

“It’s tipping back on its tread,” Ladd said with alarm as a CAT steam shovel repeatedly slammed into the exposed press to pry it loose from the floor.

Press gears flew like frisbees from the CAT’s mechanical claw. The steel-cutting jaws of a second crane clamped on the enormous press cylinders, plates still attached from one last job, and tossed them on the pile like toothpicks.

The ensuing rubble held no clues. Even the “time capsule” from the N&R lobby

Lorraine Ahearn is an assistant professor of journalism at Elon University. She was the News & Record’s metro columnist from 1997-2009.

Men pick through the debris at the old News & Record site.

PHOTO BY JOSEPH NAVIN

got lost in the move when the newspaper staff downgraded to an industrial strip somewhere on South Elm-Eugene Street. Back in 1990, the paper’s centennial

on the surface. He was betting on an industry hemorrhaging advertising dollars, thanks to the twin suction machines of Facebook and Google.

This past two weeks, former newspaper people showed up one by one to gawk. They stood at a distance and stared, shot video on their phones, sifted gingerly through the wreckage looking for souvenirs, some clue to what it all meant.

year, executives with the family-owned Landmark Communications posed for photos with the time capsule, a halfhearted salute to the next hundred years.

A generation later, their helter-skelter plans yielded a less than camera-ready picture: mound after mound of beige 1970s bricks, mixed with mortar dust and random pieces of paper fluttering in the breeze. Payroll records from the ’90s mingled with copies of commemorative editions someone in the mailroom had set aside — the election of Barack Obama, the death of Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop.”

And with the press now out of the way, the cranes steadily chewed their way toward the inner sanctum on the first floor at 200 E. Market. That’s where the N&R’s vault resides, a cinder block room with a heavy steel door and a combination lock. Inside, be assured, Berkshire did not leave one thin dime. And that’s the message inside this crumbling fortune cookie. Berkshire, with a portfolio of $378 billion, squeezed every last cent out of these distressed properties. And naturally, that includes the real estate that these many mid-sized, mid-century newspapers are sitting on.

A stone-cold whodunnit ut here we’re getting ahead of the tale. Greensboro’s particular chapter in the story began in January 2013 when Buffett bought the N&R, adding it to the haul of 63 newspapers he bought from Media General the year before.

BLegacy newspapers were meanwhile failing to invest in the digital revolution, embarking instead on the brilliant plan of giving away their journalism for free, but expecting subscribers would still pay.

Why, then, would America’s smartest investor extend a hand to a business drowning in quicksand? The answer, Buffett’s PR department explained, had nothing to do with the bottom line. You see, Buffett had a soft spot in his heart for newspapers. He himself started out as a paperboy, delivering the Washington Post, peddling his bike as he waved to Mrs. McGillicuddy on her porch, turning those hard-earned nickels and dimes into dollars.

Inconveniently, the halo effect grows dimmer, less “Leave It to Beaver,” when you learn that at age 14, Buffett the paperboy filed a tax return that itemized as business expenses — and this is no joke — his bicycle and his wristwatch.

That’s more like the Buffett we know. He’s the man behind the curtain that headline writers forgot to pay attention to when they rejoiced that the Oracle was “bullish” on newspapers, then later lamented that he had changed his mind and “thrown in the towel” on the industry by selling his newspaper empire to Lee Enterprises.

The headlines were wrong, and wrong again. The Oracle had not lost his touch; he was three moves ahead on the chessboard, while the rest of us played checkers, the shrewdness of the deal sailing right over our heads.

loaned Media General $400 million at 10.5 annual percentage rate (plus a $45 million revolving credit, plus hefty stock concessions and a seat on the board). And the subsequent sale to Lee Enterprises, involving 30 daily newspapers including Greensboro? Berkshire loaned Lee $576 million at 9.5 percent. Over a 25-year term, that comes out to almost $1.3 billion in interest for Berkshire.

And there it is. Our favorite folksy, grandfatherly multi-billionaire isn’t George Bailey at all. He’s Mr. Potter, scheming to get his hands on the Building & Loan.

And yes, we hear that at age 93, Buffett is giving billions to the Gates Foundation. Billions bled from any number of cities like Greensboro, and any number of employees who lost careers, couldn’t start families or couldn’t put their kids through college, or couldn’t retire.

Want to see where philanthropic “giving back” comes from? Stop by the corner of Market and Church. The degraded site, which Berkshire now hopes to sell for $11 million, was so dangerous that Duke Energy cut the transformers. Trespassers

looking for copper were pulling cables with 1,000 amps still running through them, leaving arc burns on the walls.

Through it all, Berkshire left the N&R flag emblazoned across the building. This past Thursday, a DH Griffin crew used a cutting torch to take down the sign. In the end, the name had more value to a wrecking company than it did to Berkshire.

“That hurt, in many ways more than anything,” said Kenwyn Caranna, a copy editor, reporter and web designer at the N&R for more than 20 years. “When you’re trying to put out a legitimate, earnest publication, and there’s this terrible reflection of decay.”

By the time Caranna quit the paper in 2023, that modern, busy plant where the Loomis driver used to stop five days a week was a homeless camp surrounded by garbage and tall weeds, easily entered, the scene of fires, drug overdoses, a homicide.

“Warren Buffett failed the News & Record,” Caranna said, “and he failed Greensboro.”

His strategy was a head-scratcher,

For instance, that Media General purchase to help those struggling papers? As part of the deal, Berkshire

The old ink tanks at the News & Record peek out from behind the rubble. PHOTO BY ROBERT LOPEZ

Poppin’ tags

Your guide to thrifting in the Triad

by Kaitlynn Havens, Sayaka Matsuoka, Courtney Singleton

t’s been more than a decade since Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” dropped, immortalizing the pastime of “poppin’ tags” at thrift stores, sifting through racks and finding treasures among the piles. And though the song is 12 years old, thrifting and vintage culture is as popular as ever due to people’s concern for the environment, our drive to be unique individuals and, of course, because the rent is too damn high.

For our Thrift Issue this week, we’re highlighting a few of our favorite Triad spots to comb through, places specializing in vintage clothes, furniture and art, scrap supplies and everything in between. While we’ve tried to highlight our favorites, we know that this isn’t an exhaustive list of all thrifting locations in our area. So for each entry, we’ve added other similar locations to hit if you like that store. Happy hunting!

GREENSBORO

tarted in 2005, Freedom House is a Christian organization in Greensboro that has three separate thrift stores that directly fund the organization’s mission to help women who are recovering from substance abuse. All three stores are large and varied in their offerings from clothes to furniture to home decor.

As part of its organization, Freedom House provides a residential program for recovering women, an aftercare program as well as a farm. The stores, which are similar in offerings and layouts to Goodwills, take donations including clothes, electronics, furniture, artwork, kitchen supplies and home decor.

For those looking for alternatives to Goodwill or Salvation Army but want the same diverse options, Freedom House Thrift is a good bet. One thing to note is that because the shop is a religious one, there is Christian music that plays in the store which may not be everyone’s thing. However, the staff is friendly and the stores are well-organized and clean.

Compare: Most similar stores would be Goodwill or Salvation Army, both of which have locations across the Triad. — SM

t first glance the Goodwill off of South Elm-Eugene Street looks and operates as your typical Goodwill would, but upon closer inspection shoppers will find that on the other side, there is a twist. In the shop next to the regular store is a warehouse where shoppers are given a royal blue bin with wheels to push around and fill to their hearts consent. The fun part? Consumers are only charged $1.79 per pound for the items they find. Inside, approximately 65 bins piled withclothes, shoes or bags mixed together in no discerning order fill the warehouse.

“The secret is, some people think you’re supposed to come in here scan to find it but, you got to look through it,” says Demetrius Collins, manager of two years.

Some of Collins’ favorite finds include designer brands such as a Louis Vuitton belt and Gucci handbag.

Collins and his team restock the floor Monday through Friday and rotate between inventory on the hour so customers can avoid looking through piles that have already been picked through.

It’s the perfect place to spend a few hours digging for gold, because as Collins says, “If you look through it, you’ll find it.”

Compare: Honestly, there isn’t really another kind of place like this shop, which is what makes it so unique. — CS

tepping into Reconsidered Goods is a bit like stepping into a page of one of those old children’s books, I Spy In one corner you might find scraps of leather while in the next, you’ll uncover old tin cans or sheets of foam. As the city’s only “creative reuse center,” Reconsidered Goods acts as a haven for creative materials that have been donated with the hopes of being used for someone’s next project. In this way, local makers can find everything from basic art supplies like pens, markers, paint

Freeom House Thrift has three locations in Greensboro.

PHOTO BY MAAROUPI SANI

The inside of the Goodwill Outlet Store

PHOTO BY MAAROUPI SANI

Reconsidered

artist and flipper’s dream.

PHOTO BY MAAROUPI SANI

and paper to the more niche offerings like wood scraps, old cigar boxes, lace doilies, mannequin parts and old filmstrips. In fact, I scoured the store before my backyard wedding in 2021 and bought a rug, candles and frames that we used in our ceremony.

In addition to the craft-type items, the shop also has a number of vintage goods like clothes, shoes, toys, artwork and kitchenware.

In addition to the store offerings, Reconsidered Goods hosts a number of events throughout the year including things like drawing lessons, pop-up maker spaces around town, knitting classes and more.

So for anyone looking for something specific for an upcoming project, be it a school report, a wedding, a birthday or even a home renovation mission, Reconsidered Goods may have just what you’re looking for.

Compare: For those looking for more used art supplies, check out Shelf Life Art and Supply Co. which currently has an online shop at shelflifeart.com. There’s also the Scrap Exchange in Durham if you’re looking for another store front. — SM

f Reconsidered Goods is like walking into a page of I, Spy, the Red Collection is like walking into a hodgepodge Rooms-ToGo. Offering two locations for shoppers in Greensboro, the store is a furniture and antique consignment store that offers everything from big furniture like beds, couches, chairs and dining sets to smaller pieces like vases, paintings, lamps and curtains. Given their enormous sizes, these stores are the perfect place to spend a few hours on a lazy Saturday, walking in between the aisles, from “room” to “room.” In the front of both locations is the showroom section where furniture and other decor is positioned to mimic actual rooms in one’s home. But the real treasures can often be found in the back areas of the stores which open up into a warehouse. In these spaces, smaller, vintage items like cast-iron pans, old golf clubs and unique rugs can be found laid out to the back corners of the room.

And the most interesting part of the shopping experience is that each item comes with a base price, but with every passing week, the price of the item goes down. So a customer might find a lamp that they like for $40 one day, and then come back in about a month to buy the piece for $35.

In that way, the shopping experience is made even more entertaining because of the potential discounts. And like the motto says, “you may find something you never knew you wanted.”

Compare: Like used furniture? Check out Adelaide’s off Spring Garden Street or Twin Brothers Antiques across from the Holden Road location. — SM

t Stand Out Vintage, a vintage lover’s dream is made a reality, per their slogan.

If you’re looking for a vast collection of quality vintage memorabilia dating between the 1980s and 2000s and don’t have the patience to look through the clutter and stains of your traditional thrift store, this may be the place for you.

Ephraim Udofia, owner of Stand Out Vintage, curates pieces from designer brands, sportswear, vinyl records, boomboxes and much more. Many of these items are what kids would pray to get their hands on in Udofia’s younger years.

Today you will find collectables such as sports memorabilia, including Michael Jordan’s Tar Heel and older collections of designer brands such as Tommy Hilfger, Baby Phat, and a pair of Coach kitten heels that may have you second guessing if you can fit a size 6.

Relocating from Merrick Drive just two years ago, the shop is currently in downtown Greensboro and features pieces ranging from as low as $5 to as high as $300.

Udofia says he started selling clothes that he thrifted in the student center of his alma mater, UNCG, in 2008. Udofia loved fashion, but not fast fashion. He wanted to express his individuality through his style, so he came up with the solution to explore local thrift shops instead.

It didn’t take long for the other students to notice, and this is why Udofia started Stand Out Fashion Closet, the original name of his startup.

“When I was in school, I always stood out, no matter where I was, plus I’m a big believer in God so that light also already makes me stand out. No matter what, I’m going to stand out.”

Compare: If fans are willing to travel to Winston-Salem, Off the Rack also offers used streetwear and vintage trends. — CS

HIGH POINT

magine your favorite Goodwill store. Then place it in a large warehouse. Now double the size. That’s what Carolina Thrift in High Point is like.

Even though it may be a little grungier than other stores on this list, Carolina Thrift is a hidden gem when it comes to the thrifting scene in the Triad due largely to its sheer size and value. Those who lived in Greensboro about a decade ago may remember the location that they had in the city off of Market Street; the location in High Point is even bigger.

Organized not unlike a Goodwill, this giant thrift store offers

The Red Collection is the perfect place to look for furniture

PHOTO BY MAAROUPI SANI

Both locations of The Red Collection are so huge, you could spend hours there.

PHOTO BY MAAROUPI SANI

Standout Vintage is the only streetwear vintage shop in Greensboro.

PHOTO BY MAAROUPI SANI

CULTURE

everything from used clothes — which take up most of the space — to furniture and other household items. Like other thrift stores, it’s the perfect place if you’re hunting for something in particular. Also, with Goodwill’s base prices going up, shoppers may find that the value at Carolina Thrift is a little better. That’s also due to the pricing method the store employs which gives discounts to differing items every day based on the color of the item’s tag. Also, the store does half off of some items on Monday, which makes for an even better deal.

One note is that the restrooms and the fitting rooms are less than savory, so be prepared for that.

Compare: Again, this store is most similar to Goodwill or Salvation Army, but Mega Thrift in Winston-Salem, which is also on our guide, is another good bet for those who like Carolina Thrift. — SM

WINSTON-SALEM

estled in the heart of Trade Street is downtown Winston-Salem’s “happiest” thrift store. Happy Hour Vintage opened in 2021 as a vintage and thrift store where vibrant and eclectic pieces meet Dolly Parton wall art and a soundtrack that leaves downtown visitors tapping their feet. Both the style of clothing and the overall vibe of the store pay tribute to the Mid-Century Modern movement, Western memorabilia and the always in-style Pop-Art of the 1960s. What shoppers find when browsing the polyester and taffeta racks are less pillbox hats and vintage furs and more Brigitte Bardot-style bows and baby doll mini dresses.

For those looking for less downtown prices, the sale rack is lined with colorful sets and faded T-shirts from the ’90s and early 2000s. The front of Happy Hour greets Trade Street artists and consumers with nostalgic books and records, quilts and handmade local goodies. Customers can grab a pair of cat-eye sunglasses, high waisted jeans, a crocheted windmill and a Michelle Kwanfeatured Sports Illustrated in this brightlycolored and lively spot.

Compare: Those who are fans of Happy Hour might also like Design Archives on West Fourth Street, Putting on the Ritz on Harvey Street or Revision Vintage and Vintage to Vogue in Greensboro. — KH

t’s probably a good thing that I didn’t discover Mega Thrift until a few years ago. It’s by far my favorite

thrift store in the Triad for clothes and for good reason. It’s like a Goodwill but with more offerings but nicer and more organized than Carolina Thrift.

Plus, it also employs the same kind of pricing method that discounts different items based on their tags. While it’s hard to really describe the difference between various thrift stores, which on their face seem fairly similar, the main thing about Mega Thrift is its variety in offerings and its quality. They have all kinds of clothes from sweaters to tank tops to shorts to skirts to formal dresses — all throughout the year. Some of my favorite pieces in my closet are from here. Another perk to this shop? It’s large number of fitting rooms. Unlike some thrift stores that only have two or three, Mega Thrift has no less than four large fitting rooms that are big enough to fit your cart and at least one other person, making it perfect for shopping with friends or family.

Compare: In size and offerings, this shop is most similar to local Goodwill or Carolina Thrift but the Winston-Salem Rescue Mission off of Oak Street would also be a good option. — SM

inston-Salem’s newest vintage haven isn’t just a thrift shop, according to owner Liz Simmons, but a “vintage destination.”

With nine contributing creatives, Mothership Studios is a place of discovery, reconstructed jewelry, flora, tarot, antique comics, oddities, art and, of course, vintage clothing, furniture and wares.

“I’m not a ‘business’ owner,” Simmons says. “This location is a studio for creatives and for the community. We wanted to create a space that people enjoy being at, where you can sit outside with a bite to eat, make a spell jar, plant some flowers, and you can grab a really great vintage piece.”

That community mindset is obvious in each bright, hand-painted corner of the former auto-repair shop. What was once a closed garage door is now draped in colorful fabrics, open to showcase a table of neighborhood artists who spend morning to sunset at a folding table, repurposing metal jewelry and hand tie dying vintage sweatshirts.

Mothership Stuido’s vendors offer everything from upcycled and redesigned clothing and jewelry, macabre art, MidCentury Modern housewares and an environment that could feed the senses for days.

Compare: If you like oddities, also check out Major Tomms on Trade Street or maybe even check out Cook’s Flea Market for a variety of offerings. — KH

Happy Hour Vintage offers vibrant and ecletic pieces.

PHOTO BY KAITLYNN HAVENS

Mothership Studios is Winston-Salem’s newest vintage shop.

PHOTO BY KAITLYNN HAVENS

Mega Thrift is a favorite amongst Winston-Salem natives.

PHOTO BY MAAROUPI SANI

Thu 5/30

Bryan Martin

@ 6:30pm

COHAB SPACE, 1547 W English Rd, High Point

Kingsmen Quartet

@ 7pm The Pulse Winston, 3995 Vienna Dozier Rd, Pfafftown

Fri 5/31

Mipso @ 7pm

ZIGGYS.SPACE, 275 N ELM ST, High Point

Hank, Pattie & The Current: Muddy Creek Music Hall

@ 7pm

Muddy Creek Cafe And Music Hall Old Salem, 137 West St, Winston-Salem

Ryan Perry Music: RP LIVE at THE PLAYGROUND in Clemmons NC

@ 8:30pm The Playground Golf and Sports Bar, 6355 Jessie Ln, Clemmons

Sat 6/01

Greensboro True Crime Tour

@ 5pm / $12

Explore the dark side of Greensboro's history with this guided tour sites related to Greensboro's his‐tory of crime Scuppernong Books, 304 S Elm St, Greensboro. andrew@nason.net, 206-914-9492

Billy Creason Band

@ 8pm

High Point Bistro, 3793 Samet Dr # 165, High Point

Sun 6/02

Alan Bibey & Grasstowne: Rural Fest 2024

@ 12am Jun 2nd - Jun 1st Covington Memorial Park, 7450 Church St, Rural Hall

Sunday Yoga @ SouthEnd Brewing Co. @ 10am / $5

SouthEnd Brewing Co, 117b West Lewis Street, Greensboro

Jason Bunch Music: Summer�eld Farms (Well Truck Birthday Bash) @ 2pm Summer�eld Farms, 3203 Pleasant Ridge Rd, Sum‐mer�eld

Mon 6/03

I'm Very Fondue of this Class! @ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

Fifth Floor Of�cial: Fifth Floor @ Flat Iron @ 7pm Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro

Tue 6/04

Last Hour Bluegrass: Hilltop Baptist Church @ 7pm

Hilltop Baptist Church, 160 Gate Rd, Thomasville

Wed 6/05

Greensboro Grasshoppers vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws @ 6:30pm

First National Bank Field, Greensboro

Thu 6/06

I'm Very Fondue of this Class! @ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

Abby Hamilton @ 7pm

Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro

Africa Unplugged Residency at the Artist Bloc

@ 8pm

The Artist Bloc, 1020 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro

Fri 6/07

Down The Mountain Band: Down the Mountain at Gypsy Road Brewing Co. @ 7pm

Gypsy Road Brewing Company, 1105 E Mountain St, Kernersville

Sat 6/08

Robert Earl Keen @ 8pm

The Ramkat & Gas Hill Drinking Room, 170 W 9th St, Winston-Salem

Sun 6/09

Sunday Yoga @ SouthEnd Brewing Co. @ 10am / $5

SouthEnd Brewing Co, 117b West Lewis Street, Greensboro

Alberto Pedraza

@ 6:30pm Piedmont Hall, 2411 W Gate City Blvd,, Greensboro

powered by

The Chris O'Leary Band @ 7pm

Sweet Old Bill's, 1232 N Main St, High Point

Mon 6/10

Summer Camp at Reconsidered Goods @ 9am / $150

Join us all summer long for some creative reuse fun�� We will be hosting 6-weeks of fun �lled themes like "Into the Garden" and "3-D Collage Masters" for kids ages 7-15. Reconsidered Goods, 4118 Spring Garden Street, Greensboro

This is a Spaetzle Class! @ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

Tue 6/11

This is a Spaetzle Class! @ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

$5K - June @ 6:30pm / $5

285 Meadowlark Drive, Winston-Salem

Luis Miguel @ 7pm

Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro

Wed 6/12

Winston-Salem Dash vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers @ 7pm

Truist Stadium, Greens‐boro

Peso Pluma @ 8pm

Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro

Calendar information is provided by event organiz‐ers. All events are subject to change or cancellation. This publication is not responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in this calendar.

by Matt Jones

CROSSWORD SUDOKU

PUZZLES & GAMES YOUR AD

2023 Matt Jones

by Matt Jones

2022 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com)

Across

1. Put ___ to (halt)

6. Argument

10. Racing form info

14. Curmudgeonly sort

15. Suffix with “trillion”

16. Miami team

17. Wrigley brand discontinued in the 1990s but brought back in 2004

19. ___ mortals

20. Concert souvenir

21. ___ seat (enviable position)

23. Dessert with a lattice

24. Bury the ___

25. Believed to be

27. No-cost gift, as some spell it

30. Poly follower?

31. Half a NYC neighborhood?

32. Lawn sign word, maybe

35. “Sure!”

36. Actor Michael of “Ant-Man”

37. Prepared to ride, with “up”

41. Increases the staff

44. Lorna ___ (Nabisco cookie)

45. Tahiti’s capital and largest city

46. Swiss territorial divisions

48. Cinco follower

49. Rainforest inhabitant

50. Chart topper, perhaps

52. Playfully demure

55. Commuted by bus

57. Group that covered “Venus” to hit the 1986 charts

59. Carmaker Ransom

60. Suffix after “out”

61. Light show beam

62. “The ___ From Brazil”

63. “While” beginning, once 64. Shell out

Down

1. Eight, in Germany

2. “Leaving Las Vegas” actress Elisabeth

3. London subway

4. Spheroid

5. Pill with no intended effect

6. Fried lightly

7. Soft drink that used to have a “Mr.” title

8. Dispute settler

9. Flower named for its fragrance

10. Unit of electrical resistance

11. Suspended animation that’s really cold

12. 1997 Literature Nobelist ___ Fo

13. Take the wheel

18. Part of RBG

22. Love to a fault

24. Directionally named Titleist ball for pro golfers (there’s also a “dash” version)

26. Shape-shifting spirits in Scottish folklore

27. ___ Most Wanted list

28. “Fancy” singer McEntire

29. 1999 Cartoon Network title trio

33. Online tech review site

34. Zap, in a way

38. “A Strange ___” (Tony-winning musical)

39. Elevate in rank

40. Lose hope

41. Presumptuous one

42. Exultant song

43. Corkscrew shapes

46. Chocolate substitute

47. Speed skater ___ Anton Ohno

51. Super Mario World console, for short

52. Law assignment

53. Sign of impending doom

54. Patio locale

56. Curvy letter

58. Jurassic 5 genre

SHOT IN THE TRIAD

BY CAROLYN DE BERRY

Bingham Street, Greensboro

Memorial Day Weekend at Maplewood Cemetery. Maplewood was established in 1918 to provide burial space for African Americans in Greensboro after the closing of Union Cemetery in downtown Greensboro. Interred in the veterans section, which was established in 1956, are 1,097 local veterans of both World Wars.

THE TRIAD’S LOCAL EVENT

TCBTix is the local ticketing platform created exclusively for Triad-area community events. It’s free, easy to use, and fully customizable with all-access ticketing features to meet your event’s unique needs.

For more information, scan the QR code or email chris@triad-city-beat.com.