Brevan Hampden and Friends play live music every Sunday from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Roberts at the Franklin, the lobby bar and patio in The Franklin Hotel, 311 W. Franklin St.

Roberts at The Franklin offers a bistro menu and a cocktail and martini menu daily, with drink specials on Jazz Sundays. Roberts also serves an extensive wine list and selection of beers.

For information visit www.franklinhotelnc.com or call 442-9000.

Ceramic studio closing doors

Paint the Earth, downtown Chapel Hill's paint-it-yourself ceramic studio, will close June 15. After a decade on Franklin Street, owners Barry Slobin and Carol Land are closing to allow more time to pursue other interests.

"Operating a business in downtown Chapel Hill has had many rewards and challenges, and we've been through them all," Land said. "Among the unforgettable ones was when a fully antlered buck came crashing through the front store window, startling customers and staff before he made his way through the studio and out the back door."

Whether Paint the Earth might be reborn will depend on whether some new owners might be ready to take the studio over, probably at a location with better parking, Slobin and Land said.

"The wonderful thing about the studio is that customers are generally so happy to be here," Land said. "I can't think of many other retail experiences of which that's true.

"Of course -- and I don't think Barry and I fully appreciated this before we opened -- it's also a retail business, which translates to lots of long hours."

The couple said they are particularly sad to lose the associations with all the UNC students who have worked part time at the studio.

"We are in touch with many of them for years afterwards, and it's wonderful to watch them mature and change," Land said. "Several now have children of their own that they've brought in to make handprints or paint a plate for Grandma."

The studio will be open for business through June 15, with specials and events planned before saying goodbye to downtown. Pieces may be picked up through June 24.

Local company receives honors

B&T HVAC Services Inc., a locally owned heating and air-conditioning company, was honored recently at a dealer conference in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Yandle-Witherspoon, American Standard's distributor for the Carolinas, presented B&T HVAC with three awards for outstanding performance.

B&T HVAC received an award for sales and service and won the Heisman Award for North and South Carolina for high-efficiency equipment sales and service.

The company also received recognition as a Customer Care dealer for a third consecutive year. The title is awarded based on the results of random surveys of customers who have had service or installation completed within the designated year.

B&T HVAC received a 99 percent customer satisfaction rating and a 100 percent referral rating.

B&T HVAC has served the Orange, Chatham and UNC areas since 1989.

Firm's campaign wins silver award

Jennings, a Chapel Hill branding and advertising agency, produced a marketing campaign for University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina that received a silver award in the 2008 Aster Awards competition.

The campaign promoted the health system's cardiovascular services through the use of billboards, print ads, TV commercials, web banners, airport advertising and radio spots. The Aster Awards recognize excellence in health care and medical marketing throughout the United States.

The UHS "color" campaigned produced by Jennings also has been recognized with Telly Awards, national Healthcare Advertising awards and local ADDY awards.

Sustainable design highlights tour

Michael Perry, co-owner of Porto in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, designed two rooms to showcase sustainable furniture in Preservation North Carolina's 2008 Designer Show Home in Chapel Hill.

Perry designed the family room and office in the Lashley house on the corner of East Rosemary and Boundary streets.

Preservation North Carolina chose the 1920s-era house for its 2008 home tour. The house is one of eight historic properties in Chapel Hill protected by permanent preservation easements. Proceeds from the tours benefited PNC's statewide work to protect and promote endangered historic properties.

Perry and Laurie Hamilton, also of Porto, outfitted the rooms with eco-friendly furniture from the store's collections that meet the standards of the Sustainable Furniture Council. The council is an independent, nonprofit coalition that promotes eco-friendly practices and principles throughout the process of manufacturing home furnishings. Porto is a founding member of SFC.

Porto placed informational literature about the principles of sustainable furniture in both rooms.

For information on the Sustainable Furniture Council, go to www.sustainablefurniturecouncil.org. For information on Porto, visit www.portohome.com.

Bands play on Tuesdays

Local bands play bluegrass, jazz and folk music every Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. at La Residence Restaurant and Bar, 202 W. Rosemary St.

Music is on the covered brick terrace. Wine and beer specials are offered during Tunes on Tuesdays.

For information call 967-2506 or visit www.laresidencedining.com.

Local agency wins 2 awards

Koroberi Inc., a local marketing agency, won two B2B Ace Awards for its work with Hickory Hardware, a decorative hardware manufacturer, and Paradigm Geophysical, an energy technology company.

The B2B Ace Awards are voted upon by a panel of judges selected by the Business Marketing Association of New York.

Koroberi earned a first-place B2B Ace Award for its Hickory Hardware "Blueprint" advertisement and a second-place B2B Ace Award for its work on behalf of Paradigm in the competitive "Integrated Marketing Campaign" category.

The Paradigm submission included a corporate brochure, a corporate folder, corporate stationery, a brand Web site and other public relations materials.

For information about the B2B Ace Awards, visit the Business Marketing Association of New York's Web site at www.bmanyc.org.

For information about Koroberi, visit www.koroberi.com.