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Published: Apr 05, 2008 12:30 AM
Modified: Apr 05, 2008 02:45 AM

Homey Foster's to reopen

Raleigh's Cameron Village will soon see the return of a familiar name: Foster's.

The neighborhood bar and eatery closed in July 2004 and reopened nearly two years later with a new look, a new name -- Nelsons -- and an upscale bent.

But Nelsons never really took off, and the current economic downturn didn't help things.

So owner John Powers is taking the restaurant back to its roots.

In early May, it will reopen, ditching the Nelsons name and going back to Foster's.

The fancy furniture will be sold, and the restaurant will go back to the more comfortable mahogany tables and chairs Foster's patrons remember. The Nelsons raw bar will be turned into a sandwich bar, and the menu will focus on soups, salads and casual entrees.

"We hope people will remember us," Powers said. "But there's just no way of telling until we reopen."

Also at Cameron Village, organization store Hold Your Own closed Saturday. The company's Durham store at 4600 Chapel Hill Blvd. remains open.


The CJ Woodmaster furniture stores in Raleigh, Cary and Fayetteville have closed. Those three stores, plus the one in Durham, which had already closed, will file separately for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in a few weeks.

Customers who have not received furniture they ordered may want to dispute the charges with their credit card companies because parties such as the federal government often receive higher priority for repayment in bankruptcy cases.

To be listed as creditors in the filings, customers can send e-mail messages to the attorney on the case at amguyton@williamyaeger.com with their name, address, amount paid and store they patronized.


In Durham, near the N.C. 55 and N.C. 54 intersection, the KFC was closed by the franchisee. But the Taco Bell, which closed after a fire in July, will reopen this month. ... Also in Durham, Romano's Macaroni Grill closed at 4020 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd. because of "evaluative criteria."


At Raleigh's High Park Village, at Whitaker Mill Road and Bernard Street, the deals for the two restaurants called Otto's and Diablo Royale have fallen through. There's no new tenant yet. But interior design store Trends N Traditions will open within the next two weeks.


In Apex, WineStyles opened its first Triangle store in Beaver Creek Crossings off U.S. 64. WineStyles divides its selection by color and style instead of varietal or region. A second WineStyles will open in Raleigh's Alexander Place off U.S. 70 this spring.


Other: Clayton's McCall's Bar-B-Que & Seafood, which was shuttered after it was hit by a plane in September, will reopen at 10365 U.S. 70 West in early May. ... In Raleigh, Centered Align Your Life is open at 8470 Falls of Neuse Road, with private sessions and classes in disciplines such as pilates. ... In Raleigh, Massage Envy is open in Towne North at Creedmoor and Strickland roads, offering massages via membership plans. Also, FedEx/Kinko's opens this month.

sue.stock@newsobserver.com, (919) 829-4649 or takingstock.newsobserver.com

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