Trader Joe’s Prank Spreads to Fayetteville, Store Not Coming to Raeford Rd.

A viral prank about new locations of Trader Joe's stores popping up around the country has spread to Fayetteville. And it managed to get more than a few people.

Late Sunday night, a sign appeared on a construction fence at 3008 Raeford Road saying "Trader Joe's Coming Fall 2024." We can exclusively report the sign was posted as a prank, based on one done in Maryland by high schoolers.

"The sign has been sitting on my table for a while," the prankster, who asked to remain anonymous said. "But then a story was recently put out about what it would take to get Trader Joe's in Fayetteville, and it was the perfect time to do it."

The Fayetteville Observer had done a story on July 3 asking what it would take for the community to get the often-desired grocery chain in the community. That story, and the hundreds of comments it inspired on social media, set the groundwork for the prank's timing.

Back in April, a group of high school students in Pasadena, Maryland had tricked the town into thinking a store was coming. That sign had a QR code on it that led people to a music video for Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up," a classic Rick Roll prank.

The Fayetteville prankster saw that, and knew this community was prime for tricking. But now they needed a location.

"I needed a construction fence, and thought about the one around the new Mi Casita building, but I knew it would get taken down fast there," they said. "I wanted somewhere that might be able to stay up a little longer."

Ultimately, the Trader Joe's prank lasted only about 14 hours, as people in Fayetteville noticed quickly and word spread on social media posts like wildfire.

"Is this real, y'all?! On Raeford Rd beside Publix." one poster in the "What's Happening, Fayetteville NC" group said.

So, if not Trader Joe's, what is coming to that site?

Well, back in March, Sheetz filed for a Development Review with Cumberland County for a new gas station location on that site. And the property owners also filed to recombine the properties connected there. The locations on the property had been a bank, and a fabric store, among many other businesses over the last few years.

Our Trader Joe's Fayetteville prankster wasn't sure about the Sheetz development but knew the location was prime for their prank.

"It just sort of worked out perfectly for a little fun," they said. "I hoped it would last a little longer but it was worth it."

There's been a lot of buzz around the benefits of North Carolina local honey and we here in the Sandhills area are especially lucky because we have the rarest of rare honeys: purple honey.

The Sandhills of North Carolina are thought to be the only place in the world where purple honey is produced! Some say it's the only place on Earth where this mystery of nature is found. The exact cause of the purple color remains unknown, though there are several theories including sourwood trees growing in high aluminum soils, kudzu or titi plants, and muscadine grapes.

However, some beekeepers dispute these, noting the purple honey appears before kudzu blooms and that sourwood is more common in the mountains than the Sandhills. The purple honey has a distinctive fruity, sweet flavor compared to regular honey. It's described as tangy and very sweet with a familiar yet hard to identify fruit undertone. The color is natural, not an additive. It can range from a deep purple to a more bluish hue. The purple honey also tends to be thinner in consistency than regular honey.

Local honey is a delicious and nutritious treat that offers many benefits, especially when sourced from apiaries in your area. Local honey has some great benefits such as allergy relief, which is great news for those of us that suffer during the pollen season. Local honey contains small amounts of pollen from plants in your area. Consuming this honey regularly can help your body build up a tolerance, reducing seasonal allergy symptoms. Antioxidants and nutrients; raw, unprocessed honey is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that support overall health and wellness. It's also a cough suppressant! Honey has been shown to be an effective natural cough suppressant, making it a great remedy for sore throats and respiratory issues.

In and around Fayetteville, North Carolina, there are several great options for finding high-quality, locally produced honey. One excellent source is Beehive Yourself, a local business that infuses their honey with healthy flavors. They use all-natural ingredients and take pride in offering a product that not only tastes great but also provides the health benefits associated with raw, local honey.

Another option is Secret Garden Bees in nearby Linden, NC. This veteran owned; family-owned apiary is known for their exceptional raw honey. They take great care in maintaining their hives and extracting the honey in a way that preserves its natural goodness. Local favorite spot for honey goodness is Curate Essentials, located at 1302 Fort Bragg Road in Fayetteville. While not in Fayetteville, King Cobra Apiary in Alamance and Orange Counties offers raw North Carolina honey with no additives that is never heated.

LocalHoneyFinder.org provides a list of North Carolina beekeepers, apiaries, and beehives that sell local honey, raw or pasteurized, honeycombs, beeswax, pollen and more.

There are a few other rare or unique types of honey found in North Carolina besides the famous purple honey:

Sourwood trees grow best for honey production in western North Carolina and northern Georgia. Sourwood honey is considered one of the best and rarest honeys in the world, with an earthy, buttery caramel flavor.

Produced from gallberry bushes in the pine savannas and scrubland of eastern North Carolina. Gallberry honey has a light amber color and a mild, fruity, warm flavor with a slight leafy aftertaste.

Made from the nectar of towering tulip poplar trees in the Piedmont region. Despite its bold, dark amber color, tulip poplar honey has a surprisingly light, buttery flavor.

Similar to purple honey, blue honey is also found rarely by some North Carolina beekeepers, though the cause of the unusual color is unknown.

While not as rare, other notable North Carolina honey varieties include wildflower, clover, apple blossom, and honey made from non-native floral sources like New Zealand plants. The diverse plant life across the state's different regions allows for a wide range of unique honey flavors. However, the changing landscape and decline of some native plants like gallberry bushes and sourwood trees may impact the ongoing production of these rare honey types.