Sponsored Archives - ITB Insider™

It’s The Best 12 Days of Giveaways

Published on December 20, 2018 in Humor/Sponsored by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

It’s The Best 12 Days of Giveaways on @ITBInsider’s Instagram! Our inaugural giveaway features 12 of the finest businesses in Raleigh. The best part is that we’re able to give away prizes from each of them to our loyal Instagram followers. We’re basically the Oprah’s Favorite Things and Ellen’s 12 Days of Giveaways, but for Raleigh and without the TV show.

As a special holiday treat, we brought in ITBlake the intern to deliver the gifts each day on our Instagram story.

Bailey’s Fine Jewelry

Bailey’s is proud to be your one-stop-shop for everything from engagement rings to designer and custom jewelry to giftware and more. With many top brands to choose from, you’re sure to find something perfect for your special someone, or yourself. They’ve been family owned and operated for 70 years. Every woman wants a Bailey Box Under the Tree!

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A post shared by ITB Insider (@itbinsider) on Dec 10, 2018 at 5:08pm PST

Follow them on Instagram: @baileysfinejewelry

Davis & Pyle Plastic Surgery

Davis & Pyle and Skin Raleigh exist to help people have more confidence than ever before. They offer natural looking skin, breast, and body enhancement with an award-winning team of experts to guide you through the process.

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A post shared by ITB Insider (@itbinsider) on Dec 11, 2018 at 5:17pm PST

Follow them on Instagram: @davisandpyleplasticsurgery

Ladyfingers

For nearly 30 years, Ladyfingers has catered and collaborated with clients on an array of special events. Their Shaved Country Ham Rolls are a staple at brunches, graduations, parties, and holidays. North Carolina country ham is cured to perfection, hand-shaved, drizzled with a secret brown sugar butter glaze, and stuffed into a soft and delicious yeast roll. They also offer catering services so you can sit back and take credit for preparing award-winning meals.

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A post shared by ITB Insider (@itbinsider) on Dec 12, 2018 at 5:12pm PST

Follow them on Instagram: @ladyfingersnc.

Wine & Design

Wine & Design Raleigh has been a go-to group activity for years. Their success even led them to a “Shark Tank” appearance where they struck a deal with Mr. Wonderful, Kevin O’Leary.

Bring your friend, your partner, your crush or your mom and enjoy a glass of wine in an uplifting environment. You pick the painting of your choice, and a Wine & Design artist guides you through it step by step in a fun, no-pressure class. Each paint and sip class take two hours and you’ll leave with a painting and a smile.

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A post shared by ITB Insider (@itbinsider) on Dec 13, 2018 at 5:10pm PST

Follow them on Instagram: @wndraleigh.

NOFO

NOFO @ the Pig is located in the historic Five Points Business District near downtown and just north of Glenwood South. Housed in a restored Piggly Wiggly grocery store building, the combination cafe, food market, and gift shop is the perfect spot to do your holiday shopping. They offer everything from customizable gift baskets to unique locally sourced products.

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A post shared by ITB Insider (@itbinsider) on Dec 14, 2018 at 5:17pm PST

Follow them on Instagram: @nofo_at_the_pig.

New Belgium

Founded in 1991, the 100% employee-owned craft brewery puts out some of the best beers year after year. They’re also known for their incredible beer dinners. Stop by Tasty to get New Belgium’s Brut IPA – the perfect beer for New Years. If you’re venturing to Asheville over the holidays, be sure to check out the New Belgium brewery tour.

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A post shared by ITB Insider (@itbinsider) on Dec 15, 2018 at 5:00pm PST

Follow them on Instagram: @newbelgium_rdu.

Seaboard Wine

Our favorite wine store in Raleigh, Seaboard Wine has served the Triangle for over 20 years. Their new location in High Park Village includes a tasting bar and a huge selection of wine. Their expert staff will help you find the right selection for any occasion.

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A post shared by ITB Insider (@itbinsider) on Dec 16, 2018 at 5:24pm PST

Follow them on Instagram: @seaboard_wine.

Stanbury

Featuring creative, seasonal New American small plates and entrees, as well as craft cocktails, Stanbury is the best restaurant in Raleigh. Who else has plates featuring Jeremiah Johnson?

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Best restaurant in Raleigh. @stanburyraleigh

A post shared by William Needham Finley IV (@wnfiv) on Dec 14, 2018 at 6:22pm PST

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A post shared by ITB Insider (@itbinsider) on Dec 17, 2018 at 5:09pm PST

Follow them on Instagram: @stanburyraleigh.

Burn Bootcamp West Raleigh and Garner

ITBlake introduced the world to Burn Bootcamp West Raleigh in 2018 and the world was never the same. They’ve recently opened Burn Bootcamp Garner, which offers the same great daily exercise challenges, recipes and how-to cooking videos, a ‘Drop your sugar’ challenge, complimentary child watch, one-on-one personalized nutrition meetings, and personalized training in a group setting, all in a supportive community.

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A post shared by ITB Insider (@itbinsider) on Dec 18, 2018 at 5:19pm PST

Follow them on Instagram: @burnbootcampwestraleigh and @burnbootcampgarner.

Watch ITBlake survive a workout:

Midtown Plumbing

Midtown Plumbing is the best locally owned and operated full-service, residential plumbing company. From minor repairs to major upgrades, they’ll take care of all of your plumbing needs. We couldn’t do a holiday giveaway and not pay homage to Cousin Eddie’s “shitter was full” moment from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

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A post shared by ITB Insider (@itbinsider) on Dec 19, 2018 at 5:04pm PST

Follow them on Instagram: @midtownplumbingraleigh.

Downtown Dental

Downtown Dental opened in the summer of 2012 in downtown Raleigh to serve the needs of a growing and revitalized community. They offer only the highest quality of care ranging from routine cleanings to more advanced procedures like dental implants and cosmetics, all in a comfortable setting. As long-time residents and natives of Raleigh, Drs. Moore and Wells are excited to be part of the bustling downtown community and look forward to meeting you. They also have a La Croix fridge that ITBlake the intern keeps full at all times.

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A post shared by ITB Insider (@itbinsider) on Dec 21, 2018 at 5:35pm PST

Follow them on Instagram: @smilesbydtd.

Thrilling ‘Making micITBit’ Docuseries Announced

Published on October 22, 2018 in Humor/Sponsored by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

About micITBit

micITBit is a secret and private Facebook group used by over 8,800 Raleigh residents (with 700+ on the waiting list) to buy and sell smocked baby clothes, furniture, Lilly dresses, and other items. It’s like if Craigslist and Facebook had a baby, then enrolled the baby in a private school.

The majority of micITBit transactions are “porch pickups” (PPU). The seller leaves the item on their front porch and the buyer leaves cash under the doormat when picking the item up. At any given time, there is an estimated $4 million in small bills sitting under the doormats of Raleigh homes.

The Best Back to School Rosé

Published on August 23, 2018 in Humor/Sponsored by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

Is La Croix Bad For Your Teeth? ITBlake Investigates

Published on July 10, 2018 in Humor/ITB Intern/Sponsored by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

ITBlake the intern visited Downtown Dental, one of our sponsors and the only ITB approved dentist, to ask some hard-hitting questions about La Croix and Tide Pods. Dr. Brett Wells was nice enough to take the time to answer. This is the peak of journalism.

Things ITBlake learned:

Drink 2 and 1/3 cans of La Croix per day

La Croix is not mouthwash

Tide Pods are incredibly abrasive and will probably kill you

Do not take your teeth out and wash them with Tide Pods

ITBlake also refilled the Downtown Dental La Croix refrigerator, because that’s one of his responsibilities here at ITB Insider™.

Overall, it was a very educational experience for ITBlake. He is now considering a career in dentistry. We’ll have more from his visit in a few weeks.

As ITBlake said, check out Downtown Dental for the tooth experience of your life. They’re located in downtown Raleigh at 205 Fayetteville Street.

You can follow Downtown Dental on:

Instagram @smilesbydtd

Facebook @DowntownDental

Twitter @DowntownDental2

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Raleigh Tailor Goes Mobile With New App

Published on February 23, 2017 in ITBNN/Sponsored by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

Glenwood South Tailors + Alterations Releases Game Changing App

A native of Raleigh, Brian Burnett also happens to be the best dressed man in Raleigh. He should be, since it’s his profession. For almost two years, Brian has operated Glenwood South Tailors and Alterations, Raleigh’s premier mobile tailoring and alterations venture. They’re located in Glenwood South, right around the corner from Broughton, which makes them the most ITB tailor in town. They also just released a new app that makes it even easier to use their services.

Since I’m a media empire startup that covers technology, local businesses, and Raleigh, I sat down with Brian for an exclusive interview. I learned about how he and his team of fashion experts have brought back the element of concierge service and communication to the tailoring world. We also talked about the new mobile app, which is available in the AppStore.

WNFIV: First, let me say that you really are the best dressed guy I’ve met in Raleigh. And that’s coming from someone who still wears New Balance 991s with khaki pants.

Brian: Yeah, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about that…

WNFIV: We’ll get to my style later. I’m going to need an overhaul for Fyre Festival in a few months anyway. Let’s talk about the app. Why does a tailor need one?

Brian: Well, we pride ourselves on our professional communication, in-person and digitally. We already offer mobile alterations and tailoring, where we come to your home or office, fit you, and return your items. And we also offer iStyling™…

WNFIV: Sorry to interrupt, but what is iStyling™?

Brian: iStyling™ is how we offer tailoring consultation and virtual alterations through FaceTime, texting, Instagram, you name it. With so many forms of communication available today, it’s a perfect solution for customers who can’t get to us. Just let us know your question and we’ll advise you.

WNFIV: So since I’m partially colorblind I could FaceTime you and you’d tell me what to wear so I don’t look like an idiot?

Brian: Exactly. Someone could ask what to wear to a business school or job interview. In your case, you could ask “Which pastel polo goes best with this Barbour jacket?”. So as you can see, we’re mobile in every way, which our executive clients value. Creating an app puts us in your pocket and makes that communication even easier.

WNFIV: So would you say you’re the Netflix and Uber of tailoring?

Brian: I’d say we’re the Raleigh of tailoring, and this app lets our clients reach us faster and easier than ever.

WNFIV: A lot of people build pointless apps just so they can tell people “I’m building an app.” when they’re at networking events. What does your app actually do?

Brian: Our clients can use the app to easily schedule appointments for all of our services, including both in-store and mobile tailoring and alterations, and iStyling™.

WNFIV: Have you thought about letting your clients add profiles on the app to show off how great they look in their tailored clothes? Then clients could match with each other based on how good they look. You could swipe right if you liked them and if you’re a match there’d be a catchy slogan like, “You two are a good fit!” you know, because it’s a play on words.

Brian: Yeah, we’re probably not going to do that, but let me walk you through our app. You can see all the services we provide on the main screen. At the bottom you can tap to schedule an appointment.

Brian: Then choose the type of appointment you want to schedule.

Brian: Select the time and date.

Brian: Enter your information.

Brian: The appointment is now scheduled and you can add it to your calendar right from your phone. You’ll also get a follow up e-mail.

WNFIV: This is amazing. I had to stop going to Crabtree for tailoring after the fake mall shooting, so I’m really glad someone took the initiative to make an app like this.

Brian: Thanks, we worked really hard on it.

WNFIV: So when I do a breaking news story on this I need a good title. I’m thinking “Raleigh Takes Its Clothes Off For New App” or “Raleigh Undresses for New App”.

Brian: How about just “Raleigh Tailor Goes Mobile With New App”?

WNFIV: That sounds good.

With this new app, Glenwood South Tailors and Alterations is definitely the most cutting edge outfit inside the beltline. Yeah, I went there. So go see Brian, tell him I sent you and he’ll give you 15% off your first item (slacks or suit jacket, no outerwear or fur) once you’ve downloaded the app.

We’ve partnered with Glenwood South Tailors and Alterations to bring you this story. We’ll follow up with Brian in the coming months as part of our People of ITB series where we take a closer look at the most interesting people in Raleigh.

Inside PBX®: Getting Fit for Fyre Festival

Published on February 20, 2017 in ITBNN/Sponsored by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

Today’s post is part of a new health and wellness series on ITB Insider™. Finley’s Fitness will look at all Raleigh has to offer for getting in shape and staying healthy.

Finley’s Fitness: Getting Fit for Fyre Festival at PBX®

“That was the best workout class I have ever taken,” my Mom said, calling me after taking her first class at PBX® (Pilates Barre Extreme) last December.

“Seriously? So you think it’s ok to put them in my Christmas gift guide?” I asked.

“Definitely,” she said. “I’ve taken every class possible at the Y. I’ve done Flywheel, yoga, barre classes, you name it. That was the best workout I’ve ever done. You’ve got to take a class.”

I wasn’t taking a class. At the time, I only cared about making sure PBX® was an ITB approved workout that I could endorse in my gift guide. Since I’m not the workout type, I did what any ITBer would do and made my Mom take the class for me. Her stamp of approval was all I was looking for.

Then I bought a ticket to Fyre Festival and everything changed.

I’ll explain more later, but going on a weekend-long music festival with celebs and models on a private island once owned by Pablo Escobar means I need to be in the best shape of my life. I’m talking peak physical condition, like the kind of shape The Rock will be in when he plays for NC State next year.

Based on my Instagram, it’s safe to assume my diet of pizza, chicken biscuits, French toast, and Goodberry’s hasn’t exactly translated to peak physical condition. It was time to make a change. It was time to take a PBX® class. Since I’m an award-winning media empire, I figured I’d get some great #content by documenting my experience and sharing it with you all.

The Class
As I’ve said before, PBX® is a fitness studio for everyone. If pilates, cardio, and strength training had a baby, it would be PBX®. They offer a variety of classes, including the new Saturday morning Weekend Warrior class geared towards people like me, who spend most of the week recovering from weekend late nights and 30,000 calorie Sunday brunches.

I signed up online for the PBX® Core Jump class. Side note: I don’t know if this is normal for fitness places, but I was impressed with how easy it was to find and sign up for classes online. And they even have an app. With an emphasis on stretching and strengthening, the class was going to improve my core strength and flexibility, which is crucial for all the limbo and beach volleyball I’ll be playing with models at Fyre Festival.

I arrived early for class, put on my grip socks, which allow for maximum gripping or something, and started to investigate the studio. I was the only one there, and secretly hoped no one else would show up. Legendary Broughton baseball icon Ethan Burton was my instructor, so I started asking him questions about the equipment.

“So how does all this work?” I asked, standing next to the machine.

“You lay down on your back, and put your head between the two shoulder rests,” he explained.

As I surveyed the equipment, I noticed the straps near where my head would be. I interrupted, “Ethan, this looks like something from Fifty Shades Darker…”

“This is an Allegro reformer, it’s actually very comfortable. It’s one of the best ways to exercise because you get a whole body workout that’s easy on the joints, but with the same results of high impact exercise.”

“Be gentle,” I whispered, trusting he wouldn’t hurt me.

The rest of the class arrived and we all picked out the machines we’d be on for the next 50 minutes. Everyone laid down and we began with a warm-up leg press that was really easy. Fyre Festival, here I come. We then changed the resistance on the reformer and started the jumping part of the workout. This. Was. Awesome.

I guess it was the lying down part that makes you feel weightless, but as the carriage moved back and forth it felt more like jumping on a trampoline than exercise. Looking back, this is where I got a little carried away. I was actually having fun and forgot to breathe. That’s when the burn started.

I toned down my jumping in hopes that the burning would stop and that I could survive the rest of the workout. I decided to take a self-imposed water break while everyone else continued the workout. As soon as my feet hit the ground I realized my legs were as stable as a Churchill’s Jell-O shot. Fortunately, my water bottle was nearby and only required a few steps to retrieve it. I prayed that I wouldn’t fall down in front of the eight other people in the class.

We then started doing a core workout in a plank position, which is apparently like a pushup and not the 2011 meme where you lie face down on random surfaces. Then we grabbed an arc and put it on top of the reformer for some crunch type of exercise that worked on something called “oblique muscles”. I managed to get through it, but could feel my body starting to question why it was doing things it had never done before. It was then that I just started staring at myself in the mirror, wondering if there was some sort of shortcut to the Greek God physique I desperately needed for Fyre Festival. Suddenly the class was over.

The Result
I would guess that I made it through roughly 40 minutes of the 50 minute class before zoning out and questioning my life choices. In my defense, I only ate cereal for lunch that day. It’s recommended that you actually eat food like a normal human being before going to these classes, so I’ll take the blame there. I was definitely sore the next morning, which is to be expected when you don’t workout ever. Overall, I really enjoyed the class and I took away a lot of lessons. For starters, I need to eat food like an adult and breathe properly. Also, my Mom is better at working out than I am.

Check out the Weekend Warrior series and the other classes that PBX® has to offer.

We’ve partnered with PBX® to bring you a look at their offerings as part of the Finley’s Fitness series. Stay tuned for more.

Lawyer Up: Miller Law Group to Serve as Legal Counsel for ITB Insider

Published on January 3, 2017 in ITBNN/Sponsored by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

ShopITB.com

One of the most important parts of running a startup media empire is having great lawyers. That’s why we are excited to announce that Miller Law Group has agreed to serve as legal counsel for ITB Insider in 2017. As many readers know, I routinely threaten to sue people and call my Dad’s lawyers whenever I’m the slightest bit offended by something going on in Raleigh. Since Dad has told his lawyers to stop taking my calls, I’m thrilled to have Miller Law Group on board to guide ITB Insider through its legal endeavors.

Owned by Stacy Miller II, a first ballot ITB Hall of Famer, Miller Law Group, PLLC specializes in personal injury, workers’ compensation, business litigation cases, and more. When I heard they had achieved several multimillion-dollar results for their clients I knew I had to retain them for my media empire. For example, Stacy could have helped all of us in a class action suit against Apple over that battery fiasco in December.

Here’s a picture of what would be Raleigh’s Christmas tree being lit. I am beyond livid with Apple right now. I just left a meeting downtown for my startup empire and noticed the tree lighting was going on. I stopped by to get some great Christmas content. As I was about to capture the perfect video of the tree being lit my phone died despite saying the battery was at 67%. The tree was lit and I now have no evidence to post to Instagram. We all know if it isn’t on Instagram it didn’t happen. I now need two things. 1.) my favorite lawyer, Stacy Miller, needs to sue Apple for ruining my brand. 2) my favorite mayor/City Council people, Nancy McFarlane, Bonner Gaylord and Mary-Ann Baldwin, to put wireless charging stations all around downtown so that this never happens again. I’m going to go listen to Finley’s Fire Christmas playlist now to try to calm down but I am beyond livid with Apple for ruining Christmas.

A photo posted by William Needham Finley IV (@wnfiv) on Dec 8, 2016 at 4:16pm PST

I can already see the headlines now, ‘Raleigh Rejoices as Miller Law Group and ITB Insider Win Millions from Apple In iPhone Battery Lawsuit’.

It doesn’t matter how big or small your case is, Miller Law Group takes the same approach to every case they see so that they can get fair settlements before going to trial. And if they do go to trial, it’s basically like Tom Cruise in ‘A Few Good Men’. (SPOILER ALERT: he wins.)

Aside from running his firm, Stacy is a former quarterback at Broughton, defensive back at Wake Forest University, former Raleigh City Councilman, and long-time Raleigh resident. He’s also got some great stories from Raleigh and the courtroom that we’ll share over the next year. Sort of like “The Most Interesting Man in ITB” meets “Law and Order: ITB SUV” (that’s not a typo, he also handles SUV and car accidents).

We’re super excited to be working with Stacy and his team. If you’re in need of legal services, Stacy can be reached at 919-348-4362. Miller Law Group, PLLC is located in downtown Raleigh, right on Fayetteville Street at 555 Fayetteville Street, Suite 201, Raleigh, NC 27601.

Follow Miller Law Firm
Twitter: @MillerLawNC
Facebook: Miller Law Group
LinkedIn: W. Stacy Miller II

If you’re interested in partnering with the only growing media empire in Raleigh, contact wnfiv@itbinsider.com.

Finley’s Favorite Things: An ITB Holiday Gift Guide

Published on December 14, 2016 in Sponsored by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

Shopping for holiday gifts is hard, especially when you have to buy those gifts for other people. As a service to our readers, I’ve thoroughly searched through the finest companies Raleigh has to offer to find the best gifts for this holiday season. I proudly present to you, Finley’s Favorite Things: An ITB Holiday Gift Guide.

Tradition Scarves

Tradition Scarves, a Raleigh company founded by Broughton alumni Blaine Smith and Will Roach, offers scarves, beanies, banditos, and more. With products featuring more than 70 schools, Tradition Scarves surely has a gift for someone you know.

Banditos are the hottest new apparel item inside the beltline. Made from 100% polyester, with sweat absorbing and SPF 30 treatment, these are perfect gifts for those with active lifestyles or if you just want to look cool in general. They also look good on dogs of ITB.

A great man once said, “Tradition scarves uniform a crowd.” That great man was Will Roach. So educate a friend or loved one’s wardrobe this Christmas with a gift from Tradition Scarves.

Pricing: products range from $12 to $22

Where to buy: online at Traditionscarves.com. Use coupon code “WNFIV” for $10 off an order of $30 or more.

Follow Tradition Scarves: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

Olly Oxen

Located on Hillsborough Street, Olly Oxen is a family-owned Raleigh company started by NC State alumna, Charlotte Guice. They offer classic, collegiate, apparel and accessories made in the USA. Olly Oxen has great gift options for men, women, and children, with a wide variety of schools to choose from.

They’ll be doing a holiday pop-up shop this Sunday the 18th from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm at Vita Vite in downtown Raleigh. They’ll even wrap the gifts for you.

Still looking for that perfect gift? Come by VV this Sunday from 1-5pm for our Holiday Pop-Up Shop with @baldheadblues and @olly_oxen! We'll take away all the stress by wrapping your gifts for you right there. And isn't shopping always better with 🍷, 🍺, or 🍾 in hand?!

A photo posted by Vita Vite (@vitaviteraleigh) on Dec 12, 2016 at 8:31am PST

They’re running some great deals for the holidays, including:

$10 off orders of $50 or more
$25 off orders of $100 or more
$40 off orders of $150 or more
Free shipping on all orders over $75

Pricing: products range from $22 to $195

Where to buy: online at Ollyoxen.com

In person at the following locations: The Red & White Shop, NOFO, Alumni Hall, and Wolfpack Outfitters (NC State Bookstore).

Follow Olly Oxen: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest

H-Street Kitchen

hstreet-front

Located in what was once the Varsity Theater, H-Street Kitchen is the hottest new restaurant on Hillsborough Street, and one of the hottest additions to Raleigh in some time. Designed by New City Design, the finest architects inside the beltline, H-Street does a great job of honoring the past while celebrating the new Hillsborough Street. You’ve probably seen some of my Instagram posts that awarded their food 5 out of 5 beltlines. The food is better than anything else on Hillsborough Street and the atmosphere and service can’t be beat either.

H-Street Kitchen review: great burger, awesome atmosphere. They have wine on tap. 5 out of 5 beltlines. #itbfoodcritic #burgers #wine @hstreetkitchen

A photo posted by William Needham Finley IV (@wnfiv) on Aug 31, 2016 at 4:27pm PDT

An H-Street gift card would be perfect for friends and family who haven’t dined there yet. ITB Tip: Be sure to make your friends or family pick up your tab with the gift card you bought them.

Hours: Sunday – Thursday 11am – 10pm, Friday – Saturday 11am – midnight

Where to buy: Swing by H-Street to pick up a gift card at 2420 Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC 27607

Follow H-Street: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

PBX® – Pilates Barre Extreme

Let’s be honest, you’re going to put on some holiday weight, if you haven’t already. You’re going to need to get rid of that holiday weight between now and swimsuit season, or if you’re lucky enough to attend the Fyre Festival. There’s no better way to do so than by taking fitness classes at PBX®. A combination of modern pilates, yoga, barre, and weight training, experience the PBX® method at their Raleigh studio.

PBX® was founded by Broughton alumna, Libby Bradley Burton. Using her background in dance, gymnastics, and pole vaulting, Libby combined the best of pilates, barre, and yoga to create a new method for working out, PBX® pilates barre extreme. This method provides a whole body workout that’s easy on the joints, but with the same results of high impact exercise.

While the workouts are intense, PBX® is for everyone. They offer a variety of classes that fit all fitness levels. From “I eat an anxiety pizza and frozen custard every Sunday night” to “I’m training for my 7th marathon….this month” they have a class that will fit your fitness level.

They offer private classes, group glasses, health counseling, cleanse options, high-end activewear and more. The best part is the printable gift cards so you don’t even have to leave the house to go shopping.

For the holidays they’re offering new clients 4 classes for $50, and the 6 month unlimited package is available for $225 per month, instead of $300 per month.

If you’re lucky, you’ll even see Pickle, a dog of ITB, at your class.

🐶 Pickle is helping check out all our shoppers! #shopsmall Come see us! ☺️ We are here till 5:00! So many cute workout clothes on sale! And a few BOGO classes left! 👯🍾

A photo posted by PBX Pilates Barre Extreme (@pbxpilatesbarreextreme) on Nov 26, 2016 at 11:33am PST

Pricing: classes start at $25, high performance activewear ranges from grips socks ($12-$20) to leggings and crops ($60 to $100).

Where to buy: Shop online for classes and memberships here. Shop online for gift cards here.

In person at the following location:
11211 Galleria Ave.
#106
Raleigh, NC 27614

Follow PBX: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

Humdinger Juice

Humdinger Juice offers fresh, raw and 100% organically grown, cold-pressed juice that keeps Raleigh residents alive. Seriously. While they can’t make claims like that because of the FDA or whatever, I can say anything I want. This juice is legit.

They’re a family run company started by the brother and sister team of Colin Fickes and Mary Holt Collins (Broughton grads, obvi). They’re also Raleigh’s first organic raw cold-pressed juice delivery company. Humdinger offers a full line of single juices, juice cleanses, and weekly subscriptions.

Humdinger has great gift options available for a variety of uses. Cleanse between the holidays, use their juices as mixers for holiday cocktails, set up a weekly recurring order for January, or grab a bottle to calm your nerves when fighting the gridlock of the Harris Teeter parking lot.

During the holidays, buy $50+ in gift certificate(s) and receive a free t-shirt.

Pricing: products range from $4 to $50+ for cleanse packages

Where to buy: Shop for juice online here. Shop for gift cards online here.

In person at the following locations:
Humdinger Juice – Sunday – Thursday: 10am – 3pm and Friday: 11am-2pm
5024 Departure Drive, Unit H
Raleigh NC 27616
Bottega Hair Salon
The Farmery
The Morning Times
NOFO @ The Pig
Ladfingers Caterers
Open Door Yoga
Hungry Leaf
fab’rik
Evolve Movement

Follow Humdinger Juice: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

Quail Ridge Books

Quail Ridge Books is an independent shop with a friendly, knowledgeable staff that provides the best in customer service. Founded in 1984 by Nancy Olson, Quail Ridge offers a wide variety of carefully selected books, events, book clubs, and town hall meetings. Owner Lisa Poole bought the store in 2013 and is dedicated to keeping it local.

Housed in their new location in North Hills (annexed to ITB by Bonner Gaylord), their spacious yet cozy store carries exclusive autographed books, CDs, Vinyl, Cards, Gifts, Calendars, and more. There’s nothing more ITB than getting your Mom a book and telling her you spent hours picking it out, when you really grabbed the first thing you saw on the “Employee Favorites” shelf.

books-2

Quail Ridge is running a great holiday sale through 12/31. Get $10 off your purchase of $25 or more and free shipping on all online orders over $35. Just print or show them this coupon on your phone or tablet at checkout.

Pricing: products range from $5 to $150

Where to buy: online at Quailridgebooks.com.

In person at:
4209-100 Lassiter Mill Road
Raleigh, NC 27609

Hours: Monday – Saturday: 9am – 9 pm; Sunday: 10am – 6pm

Phone: 919-828-1588

Follow Quail Ridge Books: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

Thompson Buick GMC Cadillac

Last but not least, the finest car dealership inside the beltline. In fact, they were inside the beltline before there was a beltline. Thompson is one of the largest Buick GMC & Cadillac dealers in the Southeast. Check out Thompson to find the perfect stocking stuffer, a key to a 2017 Cadillac Escalade.

thompson-escalade

They’ll be running a Christmas BOGO (buy one get one free) special* if you tell them I sent you. Seriously, go tell them that you’re buying a car because you saw them featured in Finley’s Favorite Things: An ITB Holiday Gift Guide. I want someone to say those words in public. There’s a lot riding on this.

Head down to Thompson, but watch out, they employ the classic “you can’t say no to a cute toddler” sales technique.

Pricing: used models starting at $6,700. Escalade pictured above listed at $72,740.

*BOGO deal not actually valid, but it would still be great if you asked them about it.

Where to buy: Thompson is located at
2600 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, NC 27609

Website: http://www.thompsoncars.net/

Phone: 919-926-7680

Follow Thompson Cars: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

This concludes the 2016 Finley’s Favorite Things holiday gift guide. I’ve basically done all your holiday shopping for you, so you’re welcome.

All of these wonderful companies were kind enough to sponsor this post, which supports another local business, ITB Insider™. Contact raleighitb@gmail.com for sponsorship information for 2017.

Inside 80Fresh

Published on August 23, 2016 in Sponsored by William Needham Finley IV @WNFIV

Now that I’m a startup company, I need to generate “revenue” by writing sponsored posts. Fortunately, my friends at 80Fresh reached out about sponsorship when they found out I was starting a media empire. They’re offering ITB readers 30% off their first order when using this link and the code “ITB”. This is not a revenge review where I promote 80Fresh to get back at Capital Creations for not sponsoring me. I legitimately enjoyed the 80Fresh meals that I tried. As a bonus, this review allows me to add “food critic” to my bio.

80Fresh is a pre-prepared meal delivery service located right here in Raleigh. If Uber, Blue Apron (a weekly delivery cooking service), and Nutrisystem (a health focused meal service) had a food baby it would be 80Fresh. When I found out I could eat healthy, fresh food delivered to my door by a local company I jumped at the chance to review their product.

The Concept

Process 80Fresh provides healthy meals that require very little preparation time. Select and order your meals online and they’re delivered to your door. I repeat, delivered to your door. Imagine never having to deal with the rage inducing Harris Teeter parking lot again. Everyone knows Cameron Village purposely designed the HT parking lot to cause as much stress as possible so people would purchase more wine than normal just to unwind after shopping there. It’s actually pretty genius.

The Menu
Simply go to the 80Fresh website and view their menu options. They rotate the menu weekly with six different options and offer something for everyone, literally. Gluten free, high fiber, high protein, low calorie, low carb, low fat, and even paleo friendly, for all the crossfitters or recently dethawed cavemen who have figured out how to use the internet.
Paleo Select your meals before Wednesday and they’ll be delivered by Monday. You can also set up a subscription service. All the meals are dietitian-approved, which means you can sound super ITB when you tell people you have a dietitian that approves your dinners.

I ordered the following three meals, all ranging from $10-$15:

Steak

Mac and cheese

Pork Chop 2 Coffee-Crusted Pork Chops

The Meals
Each meal takes less than 20 minutes to make, with very little cooking skills required. The secret is that the meals are pre-prepped so you barely have to cook anything. Foodies that use Blue Apron spend hours preparing and cooking Late-Summer Fregola Sarda Pasta with Romano Beans so that they can Instagram Story the entire process. We get it. You can cook. I can’t. I want my meals practically made for me. If I could hire someone to feed me so I could free up both hands for Tweeting or writing blog posts for my media empire, I would. The point is that 80Fresh is much more efficient.

The meals arrived in this lovely box, packaged to keep the food cold and fresh.
Box

The meals come with items individually packaged with easy to follow instructions.
Steak in package

Mac and Cheese before copy

Pork Chops Package copy

The cooking could not have been easier. I followed the instructions and was able to produce the following, without help from anyone.
Steak Done 2 copy
Sirloin steak with chimichurri sauce, mashed cauliflower, and roasted broccoli.

Mac and Cheese Done copy Whole wheat Chicken Bacon Mac and Cheese. I ordered this for three reasons. A.) I love Mac and Cheese 2.) So I could make a Home Alone reference and D.) it’s highly nutritious

Pork Chops Done copy

Coffee-Crusted Pork Chops with corn and quinoa salad. Here’s an actual text I sent the co-founder of 80Fresh: “Those pork chops were unreal. I tried them Tuesday night and it was like I was an actual chef. I’m such a bad cook that I followed the instructions and put the coffee stuff on each side, then right before I put them in the pan I realized there were two of them. Thankfully I caught this potential catastrophe and was able to spread the coffee stuff on each side of each pork chop. Just shows what an idiot I am when it comes to cooking.”

Conclusion
All of the meals were fresh and tasted great. I especially liked the pork chops because I sound sophisticated saying, “I just made coffee-crusted pork chops for dinner.” This whole experience reminds me of a great passage, “Give a man a meal and he’ll eat for a day, teach a man to order a home cooked meal from 80Fresh and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” It’s not a passage from the Bible, it’s just a good passage.

So give 80Fresh a shot if you’d like to support a local company that’s offering an actual product instead of some app that leverages the cloud to rearrange your Netflix queue based on what you’ve Tweeted that day.

Remember to use this link and the code “ITB” to save 30% off your first order. We’ll check in with one of the co-founders in a few weeks to see how much the ITB media empire helps his company. This sentence is a disclaimer about how this post was sponsored, because that’s like the law or something.

Testimonials:
80Fresh changed my life. You’ve probably seen me in that Facebook video about the 700 pound guy that got stuck on Pirates of the Caribbean at Disney World three summers in a row. It was that third summer that made me realize I needed to make a change. I learned about 80Fresh from ITB Insider and assumed it would be another waste of time, like the TCBY Home Delivery, and the Little Caesar’s Bigfoot Bacon Crust pizza. I’d try anything at this point. I went online and ordered a few different meals and by the next week 80Fresh arrived at my door. I was able to prepare the meals in less than 20 minutes and all of the ingredients were fresh and tasted great. In less than 72 hours I lost 525 pounds. It totally changed my life. I went out that weekend and met the hottest girl at Churchill’s and asked her to marry me right on the spot using a Jell-O shot as an engagement ring. She said yes! We got married a week later and are expecting twins! And of course, we’ll be naming them “80” and “Fresh”. So thanks 80Fresh, you really do make dreams come true.

by William Needham Finley IV™

Sponsored