I'm in New Bern, NC. About 2 hours from Raleigh. My wife and I are actually going out there for our 6th wedding anniversary from the 20th-21st. I don't know of any shops around there but on a nice weekend, we'd love to attend a meet and greet. I've been talking to a member from VA recently and he's thinking the same thing, we need to have a get together on the East soon. If you start making a list of people attending and a weekend to do it, let me know. If you need any help also, let me know.
Joe