Named for its first home on North Fourth Street in Wilmington, North Carolina, NOFO is an eclectic, somewhat southern place with a neighborhood feel and a cosmopolitan touch. The store name was quickly word-stumped, and the stores are now known simply as NOFO.
There are now three NOFO locations in North Carolina. The North Fourth location moved to its current location in The Forum Shopping Center at Wrightsville Beach. The café is designed to make customers feel as if they are surrounded by water, complete with sea sculptures created by local artist Michael Van Haut. After extensive renovations, we opened our second store and café in the old Piggly Wiggly Grocery store in the Five Points section of Raleigh in December of 2001. It retains the original Piggly Wiggly character through design elements such as the bar (created from Piggly Wiggly food cans), while details like the hand blown pig- encircled chandelier are purely NOFO. The newest edition to the NOFO family is located in Charlotte on Elizabeth Avenue, near the Presbyterian Hospital. It opened in the summer of 2005.
NOFO HAS AN AWARD WINNING HISTORY
Featured in Southern Living and Our State Magazines
2006: Encore Magazine, Reader's Choice - Best Gift Store (NOFO @ the Forum)
2006: Skirt Magazine - Best New Gift Store (NOFO on Liz)
2005: Holiday Window Walk - Best Window Display (NOFO @ the Forum)
2004, 2005, 2006: Metro Magazine - Best Bloody Mary (NOFO @ the Pig and NOFO @ the Forum)
2004: 2003: Wrightsville Beach Magazine - Best Salads (NOFO @ the Forum)
2003: Citisearch - Best Gift Store (NOFO @ the Pig)
2003: Encore Magazine, Readers' Choice - Best Market/Cafe (NOFO @ the Forum)
2002: Encore Magazine - Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Community Appearance, for Outstanding Contribution Toward Enhancing the Beauty of the City of Raleigh (NOFO @ the Pig)
2000: Encore Magazine - Best Place For Affordable Art (NOFO @ the Forum)
1999: Encore Magazine - Best Art Gallery (NOFO @ the Forum)
Design Specialty Award for Hospitality by Carolina's Chapter ASID (American Society of Interior Designers):
- 2002 - NOFO @ the Pig (store/cafe)
- 2002 - NOFO @ the Forum (cafe)
- 1999 - NOFO @ the Forum (gift store)
- 1999 - NOFO @ the Forum (food market)
