We would love to put a third or fourth store in the Raleigh market but it (the area's economy) has been soft, affected by the downturn in high-tech jobs.

The fear here is the economy is overheating. And this points to a Federal Reserve with a much tighter monetary policy.

We actually have a totally different economy now in Sonoma County.

We are shifting from an economy that is industrially focused to one that relies on creativity for the consumer.

When returns drop, farmers start tightening their belts. This flows through the rural economy and will have a significant impact on rural servicing towns and provincial cities, where the buoyant agriculture sector has really been the driver of positive economic activity.

There seems to be a greater tolerance in the economy in terms of what can be withstood.