Retail: New coffee, beer and wine bar coming to Hillsborough St.
On a strip of Hillsborough Street, near downtown Raleigh and the campus of N.C. State University, there’s a building from 1904 that used to be home to a speakeasy and a Locopops.
The history of the old place, from its vibe to its food, will help mold the new place into a coffee, beer and wine bar called Liquid State.
“The atmosphere will largely be dictated by the 1904 building, it’s location, it’s history,” said Sy Sourisak, who co-owns the place with his wife, brother and sister-in-law. “At one point while doing the renovation, we discovered it had been a speakeasy. There’s a lot of history with that building.
“We are trying to capture the microcosm of Raleigh,” he added. “It’s a warm easy-going space, so close to N.C. State, Cameron Village and Cameron Park.”
The space is intimate at a little more than 1,100 square feet. There will space for about 40 with its soft seating, benches, bar seats and stools at a counter by a window.
Sourisak says he envisions having three menus: one for coffee, one for beer and wine, and another with esoteric teas, tea blends, kava and matcha.
He’ll have a full espresso bar and a customized espresso machine that Sourisak calls “a show piece.” Liquid State plans to serve organic coffee, and will source it from local roaster Carrboro Coffee.
Liquid State will have six taps that focus on local beers and rotate often, Sourisak said. The place will also offer bottles that he says will be “unique, flavorful and not everywhere.”
“I think we will rotate (the kegs) every couple of weeks or so,” he said. “We’ll keep what sells. I feel like there’s so much out here. We are in a unique place and ... the (local brewery) scene is just growing and growing. I don’t think we’ll have a shortage of supply.”
Liquid State will sell wines by the glass and the bottle, with a list that’s meant to educate the customer and continually change.
The place won’t have a kitchen, but will offer some light food, such as pastries, packaged meats and cheeses, and Locopops, served as a nod to the place’s most recent former occupant.
Sourisak says he hopes to attract a mix of customers such as college students and his neighbors on Hillsborough Street, Cameron Park and the Gregg Museum across the street.
Liquid State is expected to open in the next couple of weeks at 1908 Hillsborough St.
Lamps Ltd., a Durham shop that’s operated since 1983, is closing Dec. 31 as owners Paul and Joy Hollar decided not to renew their lease.
The shop offers everything from lamps, lamp shades and lamp repairs to art, antique and vintage furniture, wall art and mirrors. Products will be on sale until the store closes. Special orders and repairs will not be discounted.
After the store closes, Joy Hollar plans to open a mobile, in-home lamp repair service called The Lamplady.
Lamps Ltd. is at 2501 University Drive, Suite 4 in the Rockwood Shopping Center.
Raleigh-based high-end men’s clothing retailer Peter Millar is opening a 1,600-square-foot store at North Hills this month.
It will be at 4361 Lassiter at North Hills in Raleigh.
Also at North Hills, Paper Source, a chain that sells paper products such as stationary, invitations, cards and gifts, is opening in the Main District in the spring. The 2,900-square-foot Raleigh store is the first in the Triangle, and will be between Fink’s Jewelers and Lou & Grey.
Hayes Barton is holding a Children’s KidzStuff Consignment Sale through Oct. 3 at 1800 Glenwood Ave. in Raleigh. The event will offer children’s clothes, toys and furniture. It will be open Friday from 9 a.m until 7 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon.
This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Retail: New coffee, beer and wine bar coming to Hillsborough St.."