Twig, a new store that specializes in organic, sustainable and fairly traded products, will open Tuesday in Village Plaza, next to Whole Foods.

Twig is a locally owned company started by Shawn Slome, a longtime Chapel Hill resident and former owners of Look Out Casual Clothes.

"I decided to open Twig because I saw the need for a place in the Durham, Chapel Hill and Carrboro community that focused entirely on offering sustainable, organic and fair trade goods," Slome said.

Twig's offerings will include organic clothing for children and adults, safe non-toxic toys and games, green pet products and items for the home made from sustainable materials, such as bamboo and hemp. The store also will feature a large assortment of fair-trade and locally produced goods.

"We try not to be too serious in our approach to environmental goods but very serious in our ideas of what products we will offer to the community," Slome said.

Twig will offer an array of toys that are selected for quality, purity, design and sustainability. All toys are made without lead paint and PVC plastics, and the children's clothing department is made from organic fabrics.

With Twig, Slome said he and his employees look forward to playing a greater role in encouraging environmental and social consciousness in the Triangle. By educating the public and working with community organizations, he said, they plan to expand their vision of a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle for everyone.

New program will train yoga teachers

Triangle Yoga in Chapel Hill will join YogaWorks to start a program to train yoga teachers in Chapel Hill, starting in July 2008.

YogaWorks, a provider of yoga in Los Angeles, New York and Orange County, will bring its 200-Hour Teacher Training Program to Chapel Hill. YogaWorks has conducted teacher-training sessions in cities throughout the world.

Since its first training in Los Angeles in 1990, the YogaWorks Teacher Training Program has grown exponentially to accommodate the increasing demand for yoga.

The YogaWorks method is a blend of the three strands of the Krishnamacharya lineage -- Ashtanga, Iyengar and the teachings of Desikachar -- coupled with the unique approach to sequencing that is designed to meet the needs of the average yoga student. While the yoga postures form the cornerstone of the program, teachers are trained to understand yoga as a whole, using the physical practice to help their students to engage in a transformational journey.

For information on YogaWorks' Teacher Training, visit www.yogaworks.com/teacher_training.

New bakery coming to Franklin Street

Katrina Ryan's Sugarland bakery and dessert cafe will open soon at 140 E. Franklin St., the former home of the Julian's clothing store, in downtown Chapel Hill.

Ryan, who ran for Carrboro Board of Aldermen in 2005 and this year, formerly worked at the La Residence restaurant on West Rosemary Street.

She said her new bakery will have a "soft opening" sometime between Christmas and New Year's Day, and will be open for regular business on Jan. 8. A grand-opening open house is set for Jan. 22.

For information, see www.sugarlandchapelhill.com.