Take This Job and Love It

A journal of discovery through the eyes of a real-life resident of Park and Market North Hills

Winter can be tough, and this one has been a real challenge for Midtown with gray days, snow, and cold that won’t end – certainly not our usual Carolina blue skies that warm the coldest of days. Riding the elevator to Park & Market’s in-building Harris Teeter grocery store, I’ve heard many people commenting that they moved here to get away from all this.

Yesterday at lunch time the sun was blazing and I needed vitamins, so I decided to visit GNC here at North Hills. If you haven’t been yet, run don’t walk because you are sure to love your experience.

As I walked up to the store, a woman came out to clean the glass on the door, doing this with such care and attention she didn’t see me waiting, and I was more than happy to watch someone pouring that much love into a simple task until she did.

When I went into the store, I was greeted warmly by owner Laura Dalton, wearing a white coat and an engaging smile. Her obvious knowledge and easy manner made me feel right at home.

And no wonder, turns out this GNC is a family affair, Laura, husband Carter, and Mom – the amazing glass cleaner – all clearly loving what they do, and doing it together. I felt lifted up, still do, and can’t wait to go back!

Finding Inspiration Close to Home

Something about the promise of a new year calls to me like a treasure box filled with possibilities. I CAN be thinner, smarter, more relaxed, get more done, try new things, finish what I started… If you’re like me, somehow the promise seems to slip away, vanishing into the daily routine in which there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

I found fresh inspiration talking with the owners of the newest shops in our Park & Market North Hills neighborhood who reminded me that it’s not about having more hours in a day. We make time for what matters the most to us and when we follow our hearts, we may just be surprised where they take us.

• Midtown Olive Press, the brainchild of Bethany Perkins’ passion for healthy eating and a ski trip in Utah

• Hayley Cushman’s early love for fun outfits with a girly touch, now grown up into Hayley’s Boutique, where she personally helps all of us dress like we mean it

• Pure Barre, the answer to what next for Ami Seier’s rehab therapy practice and a fantastic what’s next for having the body we’ve always dreamed we could have

• Sparians partners Alan Fluke and Chris Angel, living proof there are no coincidences on the playing fields of life

• Kristen Anderson’s china rack that followed her home from the mountains when she was a child and stands today in its new home at Quintessentials

• Stevi Vaughn who knows as much about riding the waves of her heart as riding the surf on the boards she sells at Whalebone Urban Surf

Be sure to stop by next time you’re out and about for more of the story.

Living with Style at Park & Market North Hills

I was reminded today of a rainy night last August when a neighbor asked, Why would anyone want a house, when you could have all this? “All this” is surely what puts the style in life at Park & Market North Hills.

Style can be defined as a distinctive or characteristic way of living, one that is elegant, fashionable, and luxurious, or simply uniquely our own.

These stylish apartment homes come with their own 100-acre walkable urban neighborhood offering every convenience, amenity and indulgence to your doorstep.

Speaking of bringing things right to our doorstep, this year my Christmas tree came from the farm that provided trees for Santa’s Workshop here at North Hills, and was taken away with a smile by our amazing Park & Market maintenance team, a service that was offered free of charge for any resident, with the ability to specify day and time for removal. Wow, talk about exceeding my expectations!

Our community Christmas Party, planned for the clubroom, became the event of the season when neighborSparians offered to host all of us and our guests for a festive pre-opening sneak peek with full red carpet treatment. For a place to meet, greet, eat, or compete, Sparians can’t be beat!

Neighbor Piola has been making a difference in the broader community by partnering with StepUP Ministry to make every pizza and entrée ordered during December an opportunity for their donations and ours. Nice!

As 2011 unfolds, be watching for our exciting new Video Blog where you can join us on first person lifestyle tours such as Out and About, Art Walk, Coffee Corners, Dining In and Dining Out, and Let the Good Times Roll. Here’s to a stylish New Year!