Written by Ashley Hinkle
November 6, 2012, students from Shannon Braxton's Foods II class traveled to downtown Hillsborough to explore local businesses. The first stop was Weaver Street Market, a co-op company that partners with local farmers and vendors to buy and sell goods to the community. The group was led by Weaver Street employee Leslie. She gave the class a tour and let them sample some local goat cheese spread and jam.
Next on the list was to speak with Matthew of Matthew's Chocolates. Matthew's Chocolates is the small chocolate shop next to the Wooden Nickel tavern that sells unique confections. Matthew explained to students about how hard it is to start a business and maintain one. Matthew suggested to always have a back up plan for your backup because you never know what could go wrong.
Matthew also explained to students about his shared kitchen and how to be cost effective when running a business. “It is best to stay simple yet elegant... creativity goes a long way,” he said to students. He also revealed some of his designing secrets, like the fact that the ambiance in his shop is created by table runners over florescent lights, giving the shop a calm, more relaxing feel.
Anita Bettilyon, a junior at Orange High School, said, “I enjoyed going to Weaver Street and learning different things about it... I learned new things about the store that I never knew before.”
Chania Caldwell, junior, said, “What I really liked about the trip was the individual uniqueness about Weaver Street and Matthew's... Matthew designed the store himself and made it his own, that to me is pretty cool.”
Haley Smith, junior, said, “I liked how Weaver Street was local and that we are buying and supporting our fellow neighbors... to me that is pretty cool.”
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