I am delighted to announce a new feature on Taking Stock: The Triangle Price Book.

Many of you are familiar with the general concept of a price book. In a nutshell, it's a log that shoppers keep to track the prices they pay for items that they buy regularly. Over time, they can see how often those items go on sale and what the best prices are. (Read more.)

But what if we could all pool our information into one big community price book? Then you could really see how prices vary between stores and over time. That's what the Triangle Price Book is all about. Enter new items from your shopping trips, or search the entries that others have made.

You can go directly to the Price Book by bookmarking this page: www.newsobserver.com/business/pricebook. Or there is a new permanent link to the Price Book on the left-hand side of this page.

I hope you enjoy helping others save as much as I do!

Sarah over on our Mom2Mom blog is reporting that the Pump It Up children's play place in Wake Forest has closed.

Read her report here... 

In June, Lowes Foods is holding its annual food drive, Bag Childhood Hunger. The drive began three years ago after Lowes officials learned that 33 percent of the people served by the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina emergency assistance programs are children under the age of 18.

Customers can donate at any Lowes store. Keep an eye out for the bins. You can also make cash donations at the registers.

In case you missed the item in today's paper, Krispy Kreme plans to open a Neighborhood Shop in the Shoppes at Midway Plantation in Knightdale, just off the intersection of US 64 and I-540.

The store will open in early August. However, Neighborhood Shops do not contain a bakery where the doughnuts are actually baked. Instead, the Knightdale store will get its doughnuts delivered several times a day from the Raleigh store on Person Street. Here's a photo of a Neighborhood Shop to help you get an idea of what the new store will look like.

This was the scene at Crabtree Valley Mall on Saturday morning, when hundreds of people lined up to get into the new LEGO store during its grand opening weekend. (Thanks to my buddy Sarah for sending the pic).

When I stopped by the mall later that day, mall officials told me that there had already been more than 2,000 people who had come through the store. At one point, the wait was two and a half hours.

As planned, the eight-foot-tall statue of Yoda was constructed at another site down the hallway from the store. I hear the mall plans to display it on top of the elevator shaft at Center Court.

A Southern Season in Chapel Hill was one of 25 stores featured in the new book "Retail Superstars: Inside The 25 Best Independent Stores in America" ($26.95, Portfolio).

Using criteria including long-term success, unique shopping experience, loyal customers, excellent management and a truly unique store, author George Whalin lists what he considers to be the top 25.

If you want to view the list of 25, click Read More. 

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Just in time for the heat, several of our area Cold Stone Creamery stores have introduced value menus including items like 99-cent scoops, $1.49 root beer floats and $2.49 milkshakes. However, those fancy creations like the one here are still regular price.

The participating locations include the Cold Stones in Apex, Cary, Garner, Smithfield, Southpoint, Patterson Place and Brier Creek.

Those same stores also will be participating in a Father's Day freebie giveaway on Father's Day, if you want to mark your calendar now... 

In Cary, the Coffee & Crepes restaurant has started a new catering offering for special events.

A lunch or dinner for 12 people, which includes an entree crepe, iced tea, salad, side and a dessert crepe is $200. That price includes tax, tip, chef service, delivery, paper goods set up and cleanup. For wedding receptions, a crepe station will cost $6 per person, including the cost of the chef.

You can find out more on the catering portion of the Web site here.

The World Market store on North Pointe Drive in Durham is in its final weeks. The company will close it in the next eight to 12 weeks.

However, the other Durham store near the Streets at Southpoint, plus the ones in Raleigh and in Cary, will remain open. World Market has issued a 10 percent off coupon for the stores in our area, good through the end of the month.

You can find it here. 

The Wal-Mart in the Townridge shopping center on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh will have a grand re-opening today, following its recent remodel.

The new store has wider aisles, lower shelves and new signs. Some departments were also moved around for easier navigation. In addition, the electronics department has been expanded as well as the dry grocery and frozen food departments

The grand opening ceremony will take place at 7:30 a.m.