Most people who visit the hospital probably don't think much about where the doctors and nurses get their scrubs. But Mary Lou Coster thinks about it a lot.
Coster, who recently moved to Raleigh from Florida, has opened The Uniform Center, a new shop selling scrubs, shoes, lab coats, surgeons' caps and more. Coster is banking on the Triangle's booming field of medical professionals and nearby WakeMed to support the store.
In addition, Coster has a cool nonprofit venture under way to benefit Project Medishare, an organization that helps medical professionals working in Haiti.
People who bring in two used uniforms to donate to Project Medishare will receive a $6 store credit toward their purchase.
No, my deal-hunting friends, you cannot stack up a bunch of credits and redeem them all at once. But you are allowed to bring two uniforms each time you visit for a new $6 credit.
The store is at 3927 New Bern Ave. in the Beacon Plaza shopping center (near the Burger King) and is closed on Sundays.
At Triangle Town Center in Raleigh a new mom-and-pop toy store has opened.
The proprietors of Play N Learn Toys, Janet and Joe Herzog, are emphasizing educational toys that are durable. They sell a variety of the popular Melissa & Doug line of toys, and 90 percent of their toys are wooden.
Play N Learn was originally in High Point, but the Herzogs decided to move the store to the Triangle when they moved to Raleigh themselves.
Though such toys tend to be more expensive, Janet Herzog said she thinks toy shoppers are becoming more discriminating in their purchases.
"I just think that people are conscious of what they're spending, and if they're going to spend money on a toy, why not spend it on something that's going to last and that they know is a safe product?" she said.
Play N Learn is on the upper level near Brookstone.
In Holly Springs, be six new tenants will be opening in South Park Village, the Harris Teeter center at the N.C. 55 bypass and Avent Ferry Road. Kim's Yon-In Martial Arts has already opened, and all of the following are expected to open in August: Fritz and Bovenizer Orthodontics, Peak Nutrition and Weight Loss, All Aboard Pizza and Ice Cream, Edible Arrangements and Rex Healthcare.
Other items: In Wake Forest, the Olive Garden at 12600 Capital Blvd. will open Aug. 9. ... In Cary, China Buffet and Hibachi Grill should open in mid-August in the old Gregory's space at Shannon Oaks and Kildaire Farm Road. ... And in Raleigh, the owners of the Lemongrass Thai restaurant on Litchford Road have opened a second restaurant called Cafe Asia. Unlike Lemongrass Thai, which has been open for eight years, Cafe Asia serves more types of Asian cuisines, including sushi. It is at 9650 Strickland Road in Harvest Plaza.
