Carrboro and Pittsboro are two Triangle-area towns where the small-town spirit of business, freedom, and fellowship is alive and well.
As a Raleigh native, I have not been on this side of Jordan Lake for long, but I get the sense that these towns aren’t just here for the tax money. Despite the constant risk of an influx of outsiders who don’t understand Carolina culture, these towns have built an ecosystem that allows small businesses to survive in the face of major commercial competition while remaining accepting of new community members.
I’ve compiled a list of local organizations that I like to watch to stay in-the-know for food & ag events, local commerce, and interesting news.
Country Farm & Home Store in Pittsboro
Pittsboro Feed Store
RTP AgBio + AgTech Meetup group hosted by Angel Turner and Susanne Kjemtrup
Weaver Street Market
Farmers’ Markets:
Carrboro
Chatham Mills in Pittsboro
Eno River Farmers Market in Hillsborough
Saxapahaw
Durham
Raleigh near NC State University
Rural Advancement Foundation International, RAFI-USA
NC Farm Bureau
AgFunder News
NC Green Party
NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund
Regenerative agriculture impact investors (from B the Change)
Konda Mason, Co-Founder, Jubilee Partners (Moderator)
Jamal Lucas, Global Impact Investor, Phoenician Trading Unlimited
Robyn O’Brien, VP, rePlant Capital: “soil to shelf” investment goals
Corey Vernon, Senior Associate, Radicle Impact Partners: focused on three areas, responsible finance, clean energy, and healthy food
Joel Salatin’s Lunatic Farmer blog and Polyface Farm
Chatham Chatlist
Triangle Free Press
Community-based churches and fellowships
NC State Extension and regulators
“Growing Small Farms” email list administered by NC State Extension
North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
NC State Fish Barn
Facebook groups
Off Grid Living for Beginners
Small Farm, Sustainability & Homestead Living
Cropify.org (when it’s ripe)
No money, no problem. Would you consider a like and share?! Photo by lisaclarke via Flickr.
Southern Reparations Loan Fund. Standard loan or better terms? Let me know if you have experience with this lender. https://southernreparations.org/borrow/