While I was out on maternity leave, more than 3,000 emails filled my inbox. Among the emails were fundraising pleas (kickstarter and indiegogo) for food and beer projects in the Triangle. I thought readers might like to know what these folks are doing and contribute if they feel compelled.

Here we go:

• Michael Hayek, who you may know from SnobFreeWine meetups, wants to start a web-based N.C. craft beer store. He's seeking $4,000 and has so far raised $950. There are 45 more days to donate to his cause. Go HERE to read his pitch.
• The Cupcake Bar, a cupcake delivery business in the Triangle run by two sisters, is opening a retail shop in the Five Points building in downtown Durham. They are trying to raise $15,000 for equipment, furnishings, etc. They have raised more than $4,000. There's only a week left to donate. Go HERE to read their pitch.
• Fogl's Kitchen is trying to raise $18,000 to expand their food preserving business by finding a larger production space that also will allow them to teach classes. They have raised $405 and have three weeks to go to raise the rest of the money. Go HERE to see their kickstarter page.
• Finally, Shade Tree Brewing Company, a nanobrewery run by two software engineers, is trying to raise $15,000 for equipment and to lease a space in RTP. They have raised $1,800 toward their goal. Go HERE to see their plea.

The clock is ticking on the timepiece atop 102 Morris St.

Architect Scott Harmon announced this week that developers have closed on the historic corner property in downtown’s Five Points, which Harmon’s Center Studio Architecture and its partners bought from the city.

The clock, added in the 1980s, “is not long for this world,” Harmon said Wednesday. “I expect it to be gone in a week.”

A Dumpster outside is the only clue to the renovation that awaits. When completed in about six months, the project will have turned the two buildings on the site into four ground-level storefronts and three condominiums on the second floor.

The work will relabel the two-story building:
- 101 E. Chapel Hill St. It will house All City Pizza, Bullseye Bicycle and The Cupcake Bar on the first floor and the condominiums, two of them rental, upstairs.
- 107 E. Chapel Hill St. Harmon and partner David Arneson’s Center Studio Architecture will take the single-story building, occupying half and leasing half until and if they expand.

“It’s going to be neat,” said Bob Ashley, executive director of Preservation Durham.

The owners of The Cupcake Bar, a delivery cupcake business based in Cary, are aiming to open a retail space in the Five Points area in downtown Durham.

Sisters Katie Braam and Anna Branly (pictured left in staff photo by Shawn Rocco) have been running their cocktail-inspired cupcake business since 2008. Branly says they hope to close on a 1,100-square-foot space at 102 Morris Street in September and then begin construction.

"I'm very excited to be in Durham because we live here," said Branly Monday afternoon.

In the meantime, they will continue to work out a rented kitchen in Cary to offer delivery and make cupcakes for three retail locations: Tin Roof Teas in Cameron Village, Coffee & Crepes at Cary Crossroads and now Old Havana Sandwich Shop in Durham. Brany said they hope to continue offering delivery and their products at those retail locations even after they open their shop.

[Go HERE to read a blog post I wrote about All City Pizza, which will open in the same building next year.]

This will be good news for any fans of The Cupcake Bar: their cakes are now available for sale at Coffee and Crepes in Cary. So when you just want one, you can get your fix. 

Of course, they will continue to take custom orders via their website and make deliveries.

Follow them via Twitter @thecupcakebar for flavor updates. 

The other night, we celebrated a friend's recent nuptials in Finland with a girls' dinner of pizza and cupcakes. The hostess ordered two dozen cupcakes from The Cupcake Bar, an online cupcake delivery business without a storefront yet.

The Cupcake Bar will be selling an array of single cupcakes tonight from 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. at the Super Suppers, 1817 N Harrison Ave, Cary. This is a good opportunity to taste without having to order a full dozen.

Prices range from $1.25 - $2.75 per cupcake. And just so you know, they only accept cash. 

For more information about The Cupcake Bar, here is their Web site. 

Not that kind of singles night; singles as in selling single cupcakes.