W is for Weaver Street Market: A to Z Blogging Challenge

It's April and you know what that means: The AtoZ Blogging Challenge! For those who haven't played along before, the AtoZ Blogging Challenge asks bloggers to post every day during April (excepting Sundays), which works out to 26 days, one for each letter of the alphabet. In my opinion, it's the most fun if you choose a theme.

My theme this year is Places in my Heart, all about the places I've been and loved and that have mattered to me in a lasting sense.

For my regular readers, you'll see more than the usual once-a-week posts from me this month. I'm having a great time writing them, so I hope you enjoy reading them, too.

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W is for Weaver Street Market

I've been fortunate enough to live in some places with food co-ops before, but none were as lovely as Weaver Street Market. When we moved to Chapel Hill back in 2006, there was only one Weaver Street, in Carrboro. It was a real community hub as well as a G-dsend to people who want organic and local foodstuffs. 

Just as we moved to Hillsborough, they opened a Weaver Street Market in Hillsborough. We like to joke that it was just for us. The Hillsborough store is smaller than the original in Carrboro, but I like it better, maybe just because it's mine. I'm such a frequent flyer there that several of the cashiers have my owner number memorized and most of the baristas know my order already. 

(Later, they added a third in another Chapel Hill neighborhood, so my sister has a Weaver Street, too). 

Weaver Street, besides stocking milk from the local dairy, fruits and vegetables grown at local farms, and a variety of locally made, organic products, also has their own bakery and makes some of the yummiest breads, cookies, and desserts I have ever enjoyed. Since our family lives by our stomachs, we appreciate delicious things made of good ingredients that don't leave us feeling bad. 

There are other venues to get some of the things Weaver Street sells in our area. We have a Trader Joes and Whole Paycheck (our nickname for Whole Foods), but I always try Weaver Street first. It may be cliche to say, but it really is about the people. I so rarely see anyone grumpy or mean at Weaver. And while it's a haven for gluten free, natural sugars only, vegetarian and vegan, or other dietary strictures, there's no snobbery or rudeness surrounding that. Carnivores and sugarhounds are welcome, too. 

If you ever come visit me in Hillsborough, I'll take you to Weaver for coffee and a pastry. You won't regret it.