The perfect gift is when you find something that another person doesn’t have and probably wouldn’t buy it for themselves because it’s too frivolous or expensive. I will never forget one Christmas my sister gave me this cool paper weight. It was the first job where I had my on office and desk. I just thought the paper weight was the coolest gift. She was surprised that the least expensive gift was my favorite. Hello, it’s not the amount of money you put in the gift but the thought.

A perfect gift is finding that one item that matches the person receiving the gift personality. Perhaps something that you saw that reminded you of a childhood memory he or she shared with you. Perhaps a first edition printed of their favorite novel. It could be as simple as a gift certificate to a special restaurant that was mentioned in a conversation. It could be as little as having a photo framed. When thought is used the gift giving process can be fun for all.

We get that question all the time. And we never get tired of it!

This crazy thing called The Green Monkey started many, many years ago. Can you believe it actually started around 2003? I had heard about this crazy little online place where you can sell and buy crazy stuff. Perhaps you have heard of it. It’s called ebay. I’m sure at least 1 or 2 of you have heard about it. That’s where all this monkey business started.

I began selling used albums on ebay under the name MusicMax65. I actually started with $20 going around to yard sales buying old albums. Then I expanded into other used items such as CDs and DVDs. As the ebay marketplace began to be flooded with sellers of the same items folks suggested that I set up shop at Raleigh Flea Market. Finally, in January 2007 I decided to give it try at the market.

You are probably wondering when I will get to the answer to the million dollar question. Don’t worry I’m leading up to a very dramatic climax! Hold on. I just needed to document everything so when the producers for the lifetime movie channel approaches us they will have documentation. Ha!

As I began to set up shop at the market, the winds of change starting blowing. There was this little thing called an iPod and iTunes. Hmmm. Downloading music and movies. Well I saw the writing on the wall with such a flood of used music sellers on ebay and at the market. I began researching other products.

At the time in Raleigh, there was only one store that offer Gay Pride items, The White Rabbit. However, some of their products were not family friendly. I had a Mom, whose daughter came out as a lesbian, tell me her story of attempting to purchase a gay pride item from that store. She told me she was mortified because the first thing she saw in that store was a shirt that said, “I Munch Carpet”. She told me she left and never returned.

Her story got me thinking. (That’s very scary by the way. Drew quivers when I say, I’m thinking!) Why isn’t there a gay friendly store that’s not about sex? Being gay isn’t having sex. It’s being true to yourself, being who you were born to be. As I researched, I found that there were some really cool products that allowed us to express our pride and celebrate our differences without being sexually charged. So, the transition began.

Friends began telling me that the name MusicMax65 doesn’t really go with gay pride. At first, I was reluctant. I loved that name. Did you know that I came up with that name because when I began using ebay it asked me for a sign on name? Since I was looking for music and at the time our cat, Max was lying beside me on the floor. (He was always beside me, on me, or in front me. I loved that cat! Not to get sad and all, but I know y’all are going to ask. Max passed a few years ago. I still get misty eyed when I tell this story. But don’t worry, the Green Monkey doesn’t have a sad story!) The number 65 was the year I was born. MusicMax65 was born. That’s not really the story you came here to find out about is it?

The moment you have been waiting for! Since that name related to music I knew I had to change even if I didn’t want to at the time! I wanted the new name to have an animal in it. I mean if the only other store in Raleigh that sold similar product was named after an animal why not? Purple is one of my favorite colors. I came up with The Purple Squirrel first. Then I came up with The Green Monkey. I started asking friends which one they liked. You know several liked the name Purple Squirrel but they said it didn’t roll of their tongue like The Green Monkey. My dear friend, Jeanette Burlock at Fairway Printing said if I chose The Green Monkey she had a great idea for a logo! Well, the rest is history! Did you notice how she incorporated the color purple into the logo! I absolutely fell in love with this logo the first time showed me the proof. There was no changes or anything! I loved it!

You probably didn’t know or care facts:

• As a kid, my Mom and I used to love to watch the monkeys at the zoo. We still do. So it was a natural fit for us.
• All the green monkeys you see in our display window and around the store were given to us as gifts! They reside at The Green Monkey store watching over us when we are there and keeping the merchandise safe when we are closed.
• Our first website url: www.musicmax65.com
• We deleted the musicmax65 url two years ago
• The Green Monkey was a name of a famous race horse.
• Our current ebay name is GreenMonkey65
• Our current website address is www.thegreenmonkeyonline.com or www.peacelovemonkey.com
• We were the first Gay Pride store at the Raleigh Flea Market
• There is a bar in downtown Raleigh called The Ugly Monkey. A restaurant at Crabtree Valley Mall called The Red Monkey Tavern.
• Our current dba name is The Green Monkey at Royal Mart because the space we now occupy on Hillsborough St was a mom and pop food mart called Royal Mart for over 25 years. This is our way of showing respect for their great accomplishment of being independent small business for over 25 years! We salute Jai and his wife for a great job!
• Hope we will be open for 25 years! Hell, get me through this first year! Ha!

Jesse's Community Theatre Owl Tree Theater For The People opened Moliere's Tartuffe last weekend to sellout crowds! His southern fried version of this French farce Classic was a big hit with the audiences! Some of the audience is amazed what he and "Magic Man" Jeff Nugent can accomplish in a back room at the corner store with a little extra!

Opening next in our Art Gallery is our 1st Semi-Annual Local Art Show. Opening on Saturday, April 5, we will be featuring local art from several local artist in pottery, jewelry, quilting, digital art, fabric, and photography. We are constantly adding local art to our current art.

Throughout the run we will feature each artist with their own meet and greet event. We wanted our customers to be able to meet each one of these talented artist. We will be announcing the dates for the meet and greet events shortly.

Drew and I hope you are enjoying the New Green Monkey store, The Corner Store With A Little Extra as much as we are. We really appreciate all of your support. We are so glad you joined us on our journey! 

These lyrics are from the Pat Benatar song, "Hell is for Children" co-written with her husband Neil Gerado and Roger Capps.

This morning as Drew and I were watching the news we saw a report of a child being abused by their father. I read a story of a Mother that ran away from an abusive husband with her kids and attempted to kill them by driving her car in to the ocean to send them to a better place!! And here in Raleigh, a trial is in process for the 4 year old girl that was tortured to death by her mother's boyfriend. Child abuse is alive and well in America.

I never had the desire to have children. Coming out in the 80's I never thought it was an option for gay parents, anyway. That is no longer true. We all have options to become a parent. However, same-sex parents have many challenges and obstacles they must overcome to begin their families.

Drew and I have several friends that chose to start families. Each one of these couples had to do more than a roll in the hay to begin their families. They invested money, sweat and tears to make their dream of parenthood a reality. Each time you see them with their families you see the love and appreciation they feel. Those children are in a family that had to go the extra mile to make it a reality!

You constantly hear news about politicians and government leaders trying to limit same-sex parenting rights to "protect the children". Who is protecting the little girl from being tortured by her mother's boyfriend? Who is protecting the children from their mother who wants to drive them into the ocean? Who is protecting the child being beat by their father? If you want to protect the children, make it easier to put the unwanted children with loving families that want them!

"And you shouldn't have to pay for your love
With your bones and your flesh"

As a gay American, this type of legislation scares the hell out of me. Drew and I have been together for 25 years. We own a home. We own a small business. We are trying to live the American dream. Neither one of us have a criminal record. We pay our bills. We have family and friends just like our straight counterparts. But, the government of Arizona thinks that business owners have the right not to serve us because we are gay! The citizens of Arizona should be outraged! Every citizen of America should be outraged!

History has shown us that nothing good comes from discrimination. Perhaps if we could lose all the labels we have given each other and let us all live as one. HUMANS.

Every living thing on this earth has a heart

Every little thing that I am, so you are

And if you look in my eyes

You will see we are souls alike

We are Pearls

We are Pearls

We are Pearls on a Chain

We Are Pearls on a Chain by Olivia Newton John from Grace and Gratitude CD

The Grand Canyon has always been a destination we both have wanted to visit. For us, the Grand Canyon doesn’t exist anymore. There is no Arizona. 

This mean law was vetoed by the Governor. Here at The Green Monkey we never feel like its right to discriminate. This great nation was built on diversity. Let's keep building upon that idea. 

We took over a space that was a corner food mart/convenient store for 25 years! The neighborhood has seen many changes over the past 25 years. The previous owners were ready to retire and offered to sell us their inventory. After some hesitation, Drew and I decided to purchase with the help of a very generous investor. It was her insight that pushed us over our hesitation. It’s been a very interesting transition. We shut the store down for 4 weeks while we remodeled. Our dear friend, Jeff Nugent (who we now refer to has the Magic Man), headed up the remodeling. He took four weeks from his life and work to help us with our dream and never took a dime for his dedication and work. When we opened there was still some work that needed to be done but we have done that over time. I have learned that The Green Monkey will always be a work in progress and that is okay with us. This way we will always be evolving and not become complacent.

This has been a culture shock for some of the locals. Some good, some bad, and some don’t care. Their local corner store has undergone major transition! What use to be a one room store with no natural light, dark blue carpet, blue walls and a counter behind a glass wall has now become this open and airy store with 3 rooms, no carpet but a painted floor, very light green walls with lavender trim! And there are t-shirts, novelties, food, eggs, milk, cheese, cookies, clothing accessories, jewelry, sterling silver, genuine leather, gourmet cookies, customize your own t-shirt, hats and greeting cards! Their cooler of Wild Irish Rose has been replaced with craft beers from local breweries like Foothills Brewing, Carolina Brewing Company, Big Boss Brewery, Aviator, Dale’s and Rail House Brewery just to name a few of the NC breweries. Along with NC we have craft beers from other breweries such as Sierra Nevada, Lone Rider, Port City, New Belgium and Harpoon. Shelves full of “40s” have been replaced by single craft beer options from the above mentioned breweries. We have replaced the “grocery store” wine selection with a variety of imports from around the globe and selections from the local wineries like Biltmore and Childress.

With this transition from the flea market location to our store location has caused some culture shock with our Green Monkey customers too. When they walk into the store for the first time we see that the new space overwhelms them due to the increase in size. There is confusion when they see chocolate bars and snacks, coolers of soft drinks along with their favorite shirts, novelties, and bumper stickers.

We understand that our transition has caused a little bit of an identity crisis. We always told our customers at the market, “When we grow up we want to be a brick and mortar store”. Well, look who is all grown up! The Green Monkey vision has not changed. Our vision is still to help the community embrace diversity, peace and equality for all. With the addition of the food pantry and art gallery, we have opened up the opportunity to spread our message to a much broader audience.

Drew and I, invite you to visit us at our new location at 1217 Hillsborough St. The Green Monkey is The Corner Store With a Little Extra! I will still be the one that greets you with a “Hey Y’all”, “Hey Guys” or “Y’all come on in. Look around. Let me know if you have any questions!”