Shake Shack Thrills Fans With Chapel Hill Opening
Never let it be said that Shake Shack, a fast casual restaurant chain, doesn’t have a devoted fan base.
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Carrboro Small Business Saturday Joins Thanksgiving Tradition
Microchip Shortage Now Felt in Your Wallet
Local Nonprofit Addresses Income Inequality by Supporting Workers’ Rights
Pioneering the Living Wage in Orange County: Vimala’s has Championed Restaurant Workers Since 1994
Tea Houses Bring ‘Vibrancy’ to Chapel Hill
Local Hotel Bookings Recover, but Staffing Remains a Challenge
Women Build a Future
Changes Afoot at Little Gray House Downtown
Historic Home Yields to Progress in Club Nova Expansion
After unsuccessful attempts to relocate the historic house it used as its office and clubhouse, Club Nova demolished the house on March 2 to make way for construction to begin on a new building that will help the organization better serve its members.
Acme Adds Fee to Cover Living Wage
At the beginning of 2021, the Orange County living wage rose to $15.40 per hour — almost double the federal minimum wage — or $13.90 if the employer pays at least half of the health insurance cost.
Wegmans Wows the Opening Crowd
For Courtnee Patterson, the grand opening of the new Wegmans grocery store in Chapel Hill on Wednesday reminded her of family.
Balloons and Tunes Rises Again
Ever since getting his first balloon at the state fair as a child, Robert Bryant said he has had an affinity for those floating balls of happiness on a string.
Major Gift Boosts Startup Accelerator
A $230,000 gift from Lee-Moore Capital will expand access to a downtown Chapel Hill innovation space that serves as an accelerator for local business startups.
What a New Parking Deck Will Mean for Chapel Hill
Over the past 10 months, the Chapel Hill Town Council has been discussing proposed redevelopment along East Rosemary Street that would include construction of a parking deck by the town and development of a new 200,000+ square foot office/research building by Grubb Properties.
Two More Restaurants Close
Add Elmo’s and City Kitchen to the list of local restaurants that have shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chapel Hill Hotel Industry Is Ready to Welcome Back University Travelers
Over the course of the next few weeks and months we will see an influx of visitors to the Chapel Hill/Orange County area – students, their families and friends, and hopefully many others…
ArtsCenter’s Move Still On
ArtsCenter executives say the coronavirus pandemic will not delay the organization’s move to a new site. And the move is definitely still on.
A Dismal Time for Local Hotels
Hoteliers around the world have not had a good night’s sleep in months due to the drastic reduction in business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. With stay-at-home orders, travel and tourism ground to a halt. Hotels laid off or furloughed all but a skeleton staff, and some hotel brands shuttered venues altogether.
Real Estate in the Time of Corona: Buyers Beware, Sellers be Happy
Chapel Hill real estate agents say the coronavirus pandemic has made a tough market tougher for home buyers in the area and a sweet market sweeter for sellers.
Open and Shut Cases
It’s one thing to successfully guide a business through a recession. It’s another to start one from scratch during the worst economic downturn in decades. But three local entrepreneurs have done just that.
Carrboro Lends a Hand
Armadillo Grill, The Artscenter and the Community Worx thrift shop are among 10 Carrboro-based small businesses and non-profits receiving grants from a second round of funding from the town designed to help ease the economic impact of COVID-19.
Launch Chapel Hill is a Start-Up Accelerator Located in Downtown Chapel Hill
A partnership between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Orange County and the Town of Chapel Hill, Launch has been serving the local community by providing area startups with the support and resources they need.
The Town Wants Your Opinion
Should the Town of Chapel Hill offer an incentive for property owners to upgrade their own buildings and make them more energy efficient?
Keeping a Business Alive During the Pandemic
Driving to my empty store on a Saturday in mid-March, physically hurting from two weeks of manic bookselling, I made the usual 30-minute trip in 20, cruising through an empty college town that should be full of life.
United, Carrboro Restaurants Fight Back
Carrboro’s restaurants have been closed and the town’s food service economy has been on the verge of collapse because of COVID-19. But instead of fighting to survive on their own, a number of Carrboro businesses have banded together to serve the public and help themselves.
Status of Local Businesses
Here is a directory of the status of local businesses, as of April 1, 2020. This list will be updated often, so check back. Please let us know of other businesses that should be listed by emailing editor@thelocalreporter.press. You can support restaurants and businesses by buying gift cards now for future use.
Former Blue Cross Building Now Available for Lease
The former Chapel Hill home of Blue Cross — one of the largest blocks of office space in the Triangle — is now available for lease.
Another Taste of India
Chimney, a trendy Indian restaurant, has just opened at 306 West Franklin Street in the former location of the long-time standby Vespa.
The ArtsCenter Receives Record $1.6 Million Grant from the Nicholson Foundation
The ArtsCenter is pleased to announce that it has received a $1.6 million grant from The Nicholson Foundation, a major supporter of The ArtsCenter’s mission and programming for nearly a decade.
CHICLE at 20: A Cause for Celebration
The 1990s in North Carolina presented something of a crisis for public health workers, city workers, teachers, law enforcement, the judicial system, employers, retailers and others. Many people found themselves at a loss for words — Spanish words.
Al’s Burger Shack Files for Bankruptcy
**UPDATED** Al’s Burger Shack, which has become a Chapel Hill institution and developed a national reputation in just six years, has filed for bankruptcy reorganization at all three of its locations.
Health Tech Firm Bringing Jobs to Franklin Street
Well Dot Inc, a high-tech health services firm, will be moving its clinical operations headquarters to Franklin Street and bringing with it 400 new jobs.
UNC Receives Top Grade for Patient Safety
UNC Health Care once again has received the highest ranking in a bi-annual grading of hospital patient safety. UNC got a grade of A for all its locations in the ranking, which looks at preventable errors…
Recruiting Wegmans a Boon for Chapel Hill
BUSINESS By Pam Hemminger While I respect everyone’s right to voice an opinion about the decisions Town Council makes, I also want to make sure that facts are considered on…
Where Have All the Flowers Gone? Niche Gardens Closes
BUSINESS By Michelle Cassell The community is losing one of its oldest, most treasured businesses. After 32 years, Niche Gardens, an oasis of botanical plants and native flowers, is gone,…
College Towns Are Next Big Thing for Entrepreneurship
ORANGE SLICES By Laurie Paolicelli With students and recent graduates all over the country experiencing startup fever, college towns are the next big thing for entrepreneurship. Even though nearly 47% of venture…
Why Businesses are Leaving Chapel Hill
BUSINESS TLR Staff Report Despite recent efforts by UNC-Chapel Hill and the Town of Chapel Hill to stop the exodus, many emerging companies built on technologies created by university faculty…