RALEIGH, N.C. — Last summer the city of Raleigh set up a downtown social district where people could walk around with alcoholic drinks in hand. Because of the program’s success, city leaders decided to expand the boundaries of the Sip N’ Stroll area starting this past Tuesday.
Vita Vite art gallery and wine bar is now included in the expanded area. Owner Lindsay Rice says there are few things she loves more than art and wine.
“I love this place so much,” Rice said. “I mean, it’s everything to me. And so to see people love it and be a part of it is just … what more could I ask for?”
Rice has a background in art history and a master’s degree in art and museum studies.
“I’ve always worked in galleries and museums as I was growing up and starting my career,” Rice said. “And I fell in love with it.”
She decided to bring her love of culture, traveling, eating and drinking to Raleigh when she opened Vita Vite eight years ago. It’s pretty popular, but COVID-19 definitely slowed business down.
“We’re really excited for the social district because it’s going to get people back out walking around in our neighborhood,” Rice said. “And [it will] give us a chance to meet new people who are out and about downtown who might not know about us, because they haven’t ventured down to this neighborhood before.”
In the past, Vita Vite has been a little removed from the action, being a couple of blocks away from the main downtown stretch. But Rice hopes the newly expanded social district will help. She says it will not only let more people explore the bar, it will bring more people in to view the gallery, too.
“In my mind, the more people who come in, the more exposure we get,” Rice said. “And so it can only be better to have more people in here seeing the art and learning about it and just appreciating it.”
The expanded social district will now include more of the Warehouse District and parts of the Capital District up to Hillsborough Street. The city of Raleigh also expanded the hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.