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From teacher to cheeseboards, how Raleigh Cheesy got its start

The first cheeseboard Courtney Bowman made a couple of years ago was just for fun. Today, it's her business. Bowman opened Raleigh Cheesy in October 2019 and its first storefront in Apex in February.

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Cheeseboard from Raleigh Cheesy
By
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall
, Go Ask Mom editor

The first cheeseboard Courtney Bowman made a couple of years ago was just for fun. Today, it's her business. Bowman opened Raleigh Cheesy in October 2019 and its first storefront in Apex in February.

I checked in with Bowman, who lives in Raleigh with her husband and young daughter, to learn more about how Raleigh Cheesy got its start and what she offers. Here's a Q&A.
Courtesy: Courtney Bowman
Go Ask Mom: How did Raleigh Cheesy get its start? What was your aha moment?
Courtney Bowman: Raleigh Cheesy started as a creative outlet in the summer of 2019. I made my first cheeseboard for my daughter’s second birthday and absolutely fell in love with making cheeseboards. I was working as a middle school teacher at the time and also our special events coordinator. In the fall, there was the opportunity to make cheeseboards for some of my school events and the response was so great that I decided to start a social media page based solely on cheeseboards.

I called it Raleigh Cheesy because I knew I wanted it to be a pun (like “Really Cheesy”) and I also wanted it to be very obvious by the name where we were located and what the business was generally about. After a few months, I had made my teachers salary in sales so I decided that the 2019-2020 school year would be my last year of teaching and began working full-time for Raleigh Cheesy in the summer of 2020.

GAM: What all do you offer?
CB: We offer a variety of cheeseboards and boxes available for pickup as well as catering options like jarcuterie and grazing tables. At our storefront, we feature cheeseboard related items as well as local goods from other local small businesses.
Courtesy: Courtney Bowman
GAM: You recently opened a brick-and-mortar shop during a pandemic. Tell us a bit about the challenges you faced as you worked on that.
CB: The pandemic definitely forced us to think more creatively about how we offered our Charcuterie boards. Our smallest size was originally a $125 platter made for 6 to 8 people. When gatherings ceased and people were staying at home, we shifted to offering individual portions for people and doing “parking lot pickups."

Because the response to this was so great, we knew there would be interest in having a store that continued to offer these smaller options for grab-and-go even after the pandemic was over. In a way, the pandemic inspired the store. We were very grateful that the Raleigh community continued to support local small businesses during COVID. It’s because of their support that we were able to open our store.

GAM: What do you love about what you do?
CB: I love being able to create and make art for a living! I have a fantastic team that helps make our store a reality and getting to work with them is a blessing.
GAM: What's your hope for the future of Raleigh Cheesy?
CB: I hope that we are able to franchise throughout the Triangle! I’d love to have a North Raleigh and Chapel Hill location one day!
Find Raleigh Cheesy at 1460 Chapel Ridge Rd., Suite 170, Apex.
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