The shop seems to hold irregular hours (and likes to simultaneously hang open and closed signs in the window), so I wasn't able to go inside, but I just looked through the windows to see what they had. There was also a used, black drum set in the window.
All the bikes are very reasonably priced (all the price tags are dangling off the handle bars quite visibly) and probably in good working condition.
Have you thought of joining the cycling club at Elon but don't own a bike? Have you considered how fun it would be riding to school on a bike instead of driving this spring? There are probably a lot of reasons that's a really good idea, including being able to enjoy the weather on nice days, getting in a little bit of exercise, and saving gas and carbon emissions by keeping your car off the road a couple days each week.
They offer a wide line of new bicycles of all kinds, as well as all the clothing, equipment and accessories you may want to go with your bike. They also have a couple weekly group rides that would be great to get involved in. 
If you have any desire or need for any kind of bike, Burlington's got you covered. Go snag one now so that you're ready to take an impromptu bike ride whenever our warm, spring days finally arrive. 
The Perk-O-Later had a lifesized Elvis in the window as well as a giant frosted cake with records mushed into the frosting. I would've popped in for some steaming coffee but it was closed for the day already when I walked by at 1:30pm. Your best plan to get to this place during business hours would be to drive yourself, since its never open when the BioBus is making rounds. Their business may likely suffer because of this. 
Haute couture, most definitely.
The old Paramount Theater still shows movies and hosts events and performances seasonally.
The Haw River Wine trail is a great collection of small farm wineries scattered along the rural banks of the Haw River here in Alamance County, which include Benjamin
Vineyards & Winery, GlenMarie Winery, Grove Winery and Iron Gate Winery. When most people think of wine produced in North Carolina, they think of the sweet, fruity Muscadine wines, often snubbed for dryer, more sophisticated taste experiences. The sandy
loam of the Piedmont combined with the warm Carolina climate allows for a wide variety of grapes, including French varieties and French-American hybrids, to be grown successfully. The conditions yield an array of wines sure to appeal to wine drinkers of all kinds, no matter where your preference stands on the wine flavor spectrum. All the Haw River Wineries are within an hour’s drive of Elon, each with their own distinct personality, passions, and adventures to offer.
On a fine late summer day, I set out to travel and experience The Haw River Wine Trail, hoping to learn as much as I could about local vineyards and the many approaches to the art of wine making. Here are the highlights of each one I visited.
Benjamin Vineyards & Winery, located in Saxapahaw, was my first stop on the trail, where I met Andy Zeman, who owns and runs the vineyard and winery along with his wife Nancy and their three teenagers. “Localism is a big deal here,” Zeman says, and he means it; it even says it on his local TS Designs organic cotton t-shirt printed with soy-based ink. Evolving his efforts of environmental stewardship with every passing year, he sets himself apart as the only vineyard on the Haw River Wine Trail using organic methods.
GlenMarie Winery was the second stop on my trek along the Haw River.
A small farm, with vines spread out on just over two acres, GlenMarie was the most modest of all the wineries, yet more than a dozen varieties of grapes are grown here. The past years have yielded an assortment of wines containing creative blends and flavor combinations such as their wine entitled “Summer’s Promise,” a blend of four white wines. They also make sweet wines, dessert wines like strawberry and blackberry, as well as dryer table wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Just yards outside the tasting room lays an expansive, wire fenced-in dog park. There is a separate area adjacent to the dog park that is home to two energetic, young alpacas, named Willy and Twister.
Why the need for a dog-friendly winery with a couple of adorable alpacas, you ask? Why, to give one the priceless opportunity to sit with a glass of wine and watch your pooch mingle with other pups of wine-loving owners, of course.
After a scenic drive, wandering evermore across the lush, green countryside of the Piedmont, and grabbing some lunch along the way, I arrived at my third destination, Grove Winery, situated just north of Elon. They bottle a wide selection of dry white and red wines, and semi-dry wines too, as do each of the Haw River Wineries, but their bestseller, strawberry wine, contains no grapes at all, but only locally grown strawberries.
Well suited for the social yet laid-back feel to the place, there is plenty of space inside and out for the many fun events that they hold, not to mention Adirondack chairs positioned lakeside, just down from their large, seated patio area. The owner, Max Lloyd, is a charismatic guy who likes nothing more than to bring a lot of good people together over some quality local wine and music.They bottle a wide selection of dry white and red wines, and semi-dry wines too, as do each of the Haw River Wineries, but their bestseller, strawberry wine, contains no grapes at all, but only locally grown strawberries.
As I moved on, I traveled eastward toward my final setting to taste local wine, Iron Gate Winery, located in Mebane.
The first thing in sight during the drive up to Iron Gate Winery, apart from the rolling landscape of vines in every direction, is a rustic, wooden, open-air shed extending off the front porch of the main building of the winery. Within its walls is an impressive patio space with a number of wrought iron and wooden tables, a dance floor under a large, central gazebo, and a spacious bandstand.
Toward the back of the Iron Gate property you will find a beautiful field of grazing horses and further down a hill, a large pond with chairs and tall shady trees surrounding its romantic banks. It is not surprising at all to learn that Iron Gate Winery has hosted several weddings, parties, and elegant private events. In fact, they never get bored here; there are public events scheduled year-round, including Bonfires and Bingo, Christmas at the Vineyard, Art on the Vine, and wintertime murder mystery dinners.
This fall, whether you choose to drive, cycle or paddle the winding routes to the vineyards in the peaceful, North Carolina countryside, take time to appreciate all the great local gems just a stone’s throw from the Elon bubble.
If you like a good microbrew beer with your fresh, gourmet pizza, then you should be pretty excited for the next great dining establishment gem to crop up among Burlington's busy and congested strip of standard restaurants.
Come this fall, 767 Huffman Mill Rd, the former location of Rockola Grill, will be the cozy new home of our very own purveyor of quality pizza, hoagies, and calzones...Mellow Mushroom!
For the vegetarians and vegans out there, they also offer BBQ tofu, Pesto tofu, grilled tofu and tempeh as pizza and sandwich toppings- this variety of veg options will definitely be a unique first among the restaurants in B-town. I’ll definitely one of the first in line to sit down and enjoy me an Abita Purple Haze and Kosmic Karma pizza.
Do you like to know where your food comes from? Do you shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, your local farmer’s market, etc? Are you generally a natural, organic, local food consumer? Well, whether you answered “yes” to any of the previous questions or not, a great opportunity to help Burlington develop with the times and pursue sustainable agri-business has arrived!
Burlington’s own local and organic co-op will soon be opening in the vintage downtown Burlington, at 268 East Front Street. It’s called Company Shops Market, and, though it has chosen this quaint location to begin construction and development, its still in the process of raising enough money to do so.
It will have everything from local produce to local wines and microbrews, as well as a bakery, sushi bar, coffee bar, slow food bar, and outdoor patio dining.
If you would like to help support this small town vision of sustainability, there is no better way to vote with your dollars, and invest in your community!
To show your support, buy a membership to the co-op for $100, which will make you a part owner of the business. Owners receive several benefits in addition to supporting a worthy cause, such as getting 10% off your purchase on the 10th of each month, getting 15% off case purchases everyday, a free t-shirt, a year-end Patronage Dividend (Oooh! free money!!), among others.
The more support they are able to get from the community, the quicker they will be able to open! Become an Owner today- Log on to www.companyshopsmarket.coop to find out more.
