issues birthday party

Two Sundays ago, everyone’s favorite newsstand turned two years old. Issues is a godsend to anyone with a niche interest and a desire to shop local. Joe, Noella, and their crew of helpers are hugely invested in the things they sell. They are also astoundingly friendly and will happily keep you at the shop for hours talking curry pot pies and experimental noise. 

Sunday’s party, like last year’s, got pretty crowded. Issues has a lot of fans. Speakeasy Brewery donated a couple of kegs, and people in the close quarters made small talk, sipped on their red cups, and lovingly decimated the store’s formerly neat piles of sale items.

There was also a palm reader, Laura Kennedy, camped out in the corner!

Fat Bottom Bakery provided amazing mint chocolate and vanilla strawberry cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies. They also have an Issues-party roundup on their blog, here.

There’s Natalie!

And Ron! Hi Ron!

When we all assembled for the raffle, the crowd was seriously huge.

Noella looks sneaky…

The party hats were shiny and the prizes were endless. All in all a very successful raffle. I won a gift certificate to Piedmont Avenue’s newest addition, Mercy Vintage! 

And lastly, at the end of the day, the happy store-owners, squint-smiling.