For starters, people in Chapel Hill with a craving for paletas -- Mexican popsicles with exotic flavors ranging from creamy lime to pomegranate-tangerine to three-chile-chocolate -- no longer have to drive to Durham's Locopops for their fix. Locopops (286-3500; www.ilovelocopops.com) has opened a second location in The Courtyard at 431 W. Franklin St. And that's not all the good news. Owners Summer Bicknell and Connie Semans plan to open a third Locopops -- with a kitchen big enough to consolidate the making of their frozen gourmet treats -- around mid-May at 117 Market St. in downtown Durham.

If your taste leans less to the exotic and more to the rich, set your GPS for 2004 Boulderstone Way in Cary, where Kilwin's (463-9360; www.kilwins.com) has set up shop. The Michigan-based chain is best known for its homemade fudge (flavors range from straight chocolate to maple walnut), but over the years has expanded its offering to include a wide assortment of confections ranging from nut brittles to ice cream.

Still not rich enough? Then head for Creedmoor Commons in North Raleigh, where French pastry chef and chocolate maker Sebastien Vernant has opened Plaisirs de France (5635 Creedmoor Road; 788-0379) with his wife, Celine. As it happens, the Vernants took over the space formerly occupied by another French bakery and pastry shop, Gourmandises de France, so sugar-and-butter withdrawal pains for nearby residents have been minimal. In addition to Vernant's French pastries (some 30 varieties) and handmade chocolates, Plaisirs de France also serves lunch (salads, quiche and sandwiches on French bread) and serves coffee -- French roast, naturally.

The coffee beans are all freshly roasted on the premises at Crema Coffee Roaster & Espresso Bar (1983 High House Road; 380-1840; www.cremacoffee.org) in Cary's Cornerstone Village. Husband-and-wife partners Kevin Pilotti and Regina Hopkins also serve an assortment of locally baked muffins, scones and hand-dipped biscotti. Even the bagels are locally baked and never frozen. The shop has become a popular meeting place for local groups, and frequently offers live music on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Meanwhile on Glenwood South in Raleigh, The Cupcake Shoppe (104 Glenwood Ave.; www.thecupcakeshopperaleigh.com) is finally getting ready to open after several months of delay. According to owner/cupcake baker Sara Coleman, she encountered numerous obstacles in bringing the old building up to code. She's now expecting to open by late May or early June.

In the meantime, you can turn to Amy Eiler, owner of Cupcake Envy (453-0779; www.cupcakeenvy.com) for your cupcake fix. These are no ordinary cupcakes, either. They're cupcakes worthy of a special occasion -- or, as Eiler describes them, "individual portion cakes that are sculpted and iced" into just about any form imaginable, from wedding dress to mini-cheeseburger. Eiler doesn't have a retail shop, but sells her wares via phone order (she'll also meet with you by appointment to design custom cupcakes). You can check out her handiwork at the Web site. Better still, head for the Southern Women's Show this weekend at the State Fairgrounds, where she'll be selling cupcakes she's already made.