Apricot Lane Opens New Cary Store with Dec. 14 Celebration

Dec. 5, 2012 - PRLog -- Apricot Lane (http://www.apricotlanetrianglenc.com/), a popular boutique featuring celebrity-inspired affordable fashions for the everyday woman, will open doors to its second Triangle location in Cary Towne Center Mall on Friday, Dec. 14, at 9 a.m. The store will celebrate that evening with festivities from 6 to 10 p.m., including welcoming Triangle shoppers to come see the boutique’s new location, enjoy complimentary beverages and shop with a storewide discount of 20 percent off all purchases. The 20 percent off discount will continue throughout the opening weekend, Dec. 14 through 16, at both the new Cary Towne Center location and the area’s first Apricot Lane store in Raleigh’s North Hills Shopping Center.

Additionally, store owners are giving away free 3Strands (http://www.3strandsglobal.com/) bracelets, each an $18 value, to help fight human trafficking around the world. The bracelets’ production and sale benefit survivors of human trafficking through Agape International Missions. The Apricot Lane Triangle NC store owners purchased these bracelets to support the cause and are also donating an extra $5 to AIM for each bracelet they hand out. Shoppers can receive a bracelet by signing up for the Apricot Lane Triangle NC e-newsletter, either in store or on the boutique’s website, at http://www.apricotlanetrianglenc.com/index.cfm?pID=3572.

“My wife and I are thrilled to open up a second Apricot Lane location in the Triangle,” said George Toulas co-owner of the Apricot Lane stores in the Triangle. “We are grateful for the warm welcome we’ve received from shoppers at our North Hills location, and for their support of AIM by participating in our 3Strands bracelet giveaway. We hope our efforts at both stores this holiday season can help bring about change and awareness to the issue of human trafficking.”

People are encouraged to pick up their free 3Strands bracelet during the Dec. 14 weekend while the store celebrates the Cary grand opening with the 20 percent discount on all of its top-of-the-line styles. This includes designer labels such as Miss Me, Costa Blanca, Wooden Ships, Big Buddha, Black Sheep and Big Star. The store’s selection focuses on fun, fearless fashion at affordable prices, with new women’s clothes, handbags, jewelry, accessories and gifts arriving daily.

The grand opening celebration on Dec. 14 will also feature models from Models for Charity, a nonprofit organization of local professionals who raise money for Triangle charities through modeling. The models have volunteered their time to support the 3Strands bracelet giveaway and donation, and will show off the store’s fashions throughout the evening.

Apricot Lane’s Cary Towne Center store is located across from Kay Jeweler’s close to the front mall entrance, near Soma Intimates and ColdWater Creek. Once opened, the store will follow Cary Towne Center’s normal hours of operation (http://www.shopcarytownecentermall.com/shop/carytowne.nsf...). The store is owned by Alpha Astra LLC, a venture started by husband and wife George and Carol Toulas. The couple opened their first location of Apricot Lane in early November, located in North Hills between McAllister’s and Fink’s Jewelers (store hours:  Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sundays from noon to 7 p.m.). The Toulas’ will open a third Triangle location at The Streets at SouthPoint in Durham in early 2013.

For more information about Apricot Lane’s Triangle locations, visit www.apricotlanetrianglenc.com or www.facebook.com/ApricotLaneTriangleNC.

About Apricot Lane:

Apricot Lane Boutique is a national retail franchise that specializes in unique, one-of-a-kind items and brand names known for their quality and fashionable style trends, quickly moving the store to the forefront of chic boutiques. Featuring celebrity-inspired fashions and designer labels offered in the convenience of neighborhoods across the country, Apricot Lane carries an impressive collection of branded fashion apparel, jewelry, handbags and accessories to create looks seen right off the runway and in the pages of any current fashion magazine. Apricot Lane retail boutiques are supported by the franchise company Country Visions. For more information about Apricot Lane, visit www.apricotlaneusa.com. To learn more about the Triangle area stores, visit https://www.facebook.com/ApricotLaneTriangleNC.

About 3Strands Global:

3Strands was created to support organizations already engaged in the fight against sex trafficking. It began by partnering with Agape International Missions, www.agapewebsite.org, to open training centers in Cambodia for girls rescued from sex trafficking and restored through AIM's proven program. Girls rescued from sex trafficking need well paying, sustainable jobs so they can reintegrate back into their community with honor and dignity. The Agape Training Center is a small jewelry and apparel production center that, instead of a typical 12-hour shift in horrible working conditions, the girls attend for eight hours a day. During that time, they receive counseling and educational services as well as lunch and medical benefits. Additionally, salaries are three to four times higher than typical garment factory pay. To learn more about Apricot Lane’s support of 3Strands bracelets, visit www.3strandsglobal.com or watch this video: http://youtube/GaxusqWORgE.