North Durham is about to get crafty with the opening of Crafts & Drafts, a one-of-a-kind bar and bottle shop that promotes creativity and fun with D.I.Y projects.

For owner, Virginia George, the idea “was a mixture of dreaming of owning my own business (which was most often a bar), experiencing free-flowing craft nights with friends, and also my desire to create a fun and affordable experience for people.”

Virginia is originally from Kansas and her husband, Jim, is from Maine. He moved to Boston to go to Northeastern and she moved there for her first job after graduating from the University of Kansas. The two met during a New England snowstorm.

After a few years, it became apparent Boston wasn’t where they wanted to settle and they began searching for a new place that suited their needs. “The Triangle area came up pretty early in conversation because Jim had come here for a wedding years before and really liked it. We decided it would be the first place we visited in our search for a new frontier, and it ended up being the only place because we loved it so much; we moved here in 2015,” Virginia shares.

Virginia holds fond memories of crafting as a kid; as an adult, she enjoys getting together with friends to make crafts in a free-form way–a way that helped contribute to the concept of opening the crafting bar in the first place!

BYOB places that already exist made it clear people love the combination–she wanted to make it more casual and accessible, so that crafting is less of an ‘event’ and more of a, ‘Hey, let’s randomly go here and make this thing.’ In trying to make the experience fun and easy, she’s removed the need for material gathering, cleanup, or BYOB, so all you have to bring is yourself!

As Virginia ran the concept by friends, family, and coworkers, even the harshest critics thought it was a good idea, so part of her 2018 New Years resolutions was to start making the dream a reality. At first, she was still working full-time as a technical project manager as she set up logistics for her business, which made progress slow. Eight months later, her workplace decided to reorganize and cut the project management team, which ended up being one of those blessings in disguise. Although she was offered other positions within the company, none of them really ‘fit’, and she took it as a sign that it was time to dedicate her full attention to opening the bar. Virginia felt the location in North Durham at 3117-B Guess Road had so much potential and it has wonderful landlords.

The interior has a bar and bottle shop on one side and large tables on the other. Everything is counter service, so you’ll pick your craft and a drink, find a spot to sit, and start walking through the instructions. You can work at your own pace and entirely on your own (or with your group) if you prefer, but if assistance is needed, simply tap the touch light in the center of each table and a friendly staff member will come over to help.

The entry cost is $25 per craft. It will not be limited to painting or sign making as they want to keep the themes broad, including seasonal activities (pumpkin carving in October, wreath-making in December, etc). They’ll also offer free coloring books to anyone who just wants to hang out and have a drink. You do not have to craft to enjoy a drink at the bar, but it may be hard to resist.

Crafts and Drafts will serve draft and bottles/cans of beer, wine, cider, spiked seltzers and a selection of non-alcoholic beverages. They are making a point to keep things as local as possible, and when it comes to the beer and cider, it’s all crafted from smaller operations. The shop will be partnering with Relish in Raleigh to provide homemade crackers, pimento cheese and boiled peanut hummus. Relish is known for their delicious Southern cuisine. For a wider selection of food, they plan to have food trucks set up in the parking lot and will be working on a schedule upon opening.

Kids and families are welcome at the bar, too. Children’s coloring books will be available and there will likely be some kid-specific crafts worked into their seasonal offerings, such as easy ornaments. (Note: A waiver is required for kids under age 14, and up to age 18 must have a parent present at all times).

Seating in the Crafts & Drafts main space is first come, first serve. They are also building a private party/future classroom space that will be rentable to parties on days when classes are not in session. Expect class offerings to show up on the website a few month after opening and getting settled in.

The grand opening for Crafts and Drafts will be October 5th and 6th and hours will be 2-10pm on weekdays, with the exception of being closed on Tuesdays, and 12-10pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

It’s time to get crafty, Durham!