A small, towering cafe

In Durham, the Duke Tower Hotel has converted its water tower into a small cafe, serving breakfast to guests and travelers.

The facility was once a textile mill, said Valerie Blettner, who owns the establishment with her husband, Lee Richardson.

Over the years it was converted into an apartment complex and then the all-suite hotel that it is now.

Because the hotel is close to the Duke University campus and Duke Medical Center, Blettner said, there are often guests who stay for long periods of time.

Those people needed a place to grab a bite to eat, so the couple decided to convert the water tower from storage space into the Historic Tower Cafe.

The food in the cafe is all prepackaged because the facility does not have the equipment for food preparation, Blettner said. But the coffee and tea are fresh.

And, if you're a history buff, it might be worth stopping by. The cafe's walls are decorated with old photos of the textile mill and Duke Street.

The hotel and the cafe are at 807 W. Trinity Ave.

Local bakery Victoria's Sweets has closed its two stores in Morrisville and Durham, but fans can still get their cakes and cookies. Lashana Morris started the bakery in 2005 but now wants to spend more time with her children. To keep the business going, the New Orleans native called on the rest of her family.

To reflect the new partnership, the business changed its name to French Quarter Bakery and relocated to a spot within Plato's European Cafe at 5400 S. Miami Blvd. in Durham.

In Apex, the owners of the Ocean Stars restaurant have opened Club Oceano on the lower level of the restaurant. The nighttime venue offers different themes on different nights, including disco fever, salsa and shag. The restaurant and club are at 1402 E. Williams St.

In Raleigh, Italian restaurant Ragazzi's is moving its Glenwood Avenue restaurant to a new location in the Forestville Crossing shopping center at 3002 Leland Drive. Owner Ed Schrage said the restaurant's lease is up. The final day for the Glenwood store will be Sunday. The new store will open in mid-December.

In Wake Forest, the Gianni & Gaitano's in Wakefield Commons on New Falls of Neuse Road is now offering delivery, as is the Rocco's Italian Grill on Rogers Road. ... Gianni Cinelli said his family also plans to add delivery at the North Hills and Apex Cinelli's, and he said that the new Rocco's in Cary at Ten Ten and Kildaire Farm roads is just a few weeks from opening.

OTHER ITEMS: Rita's Water Ice continues to expand in the Triangle, opening stores this week in Raleigh's Oberlin Court at 1028 Oberlin Road and in Carrboro at 200 N. Greensboro St. ... In Fuquay-Varina, Bullfeathers Wings & Grille is open at 1625 N. Main St. ... At Cary Towne Center, Brookstone, Hickory Farms, Glass Gallery (glass ornaments and gifts), Tumbleweed Pottery and Silver Bear Traders are all open. ... Finally, an update on the Wal-Mart and Sam's Club in Morrisville: The company said the stores would open in October, but now the latest estimate is this spring.