Growler Grlz Opens In Southern Village

BUSINESS

By Tyria Bourda
Correspondent

Nestled at 300 Market St, Ste 102, directly opposite Weaver Street Market, is the newly established woman-owned venture, Growler Grlz. This distinctive taproom and growler filling station boasts 42 constantly changing taps, showcasing a range from local favorites to unique craft discoveries. With an additional location in Durham, NC, the company opened its Southern Village site in October 2025. Southern Village is located just under 2 miles south of UNC Chapel Hill.

What is growler filling?

Filling a growler involves transferring draft beer from a keg into a reusable, sealable container (typically 32 or 64 oz) for takeout. This process uses special tubes or counter-pressure systems to limit foam and decrease oxygen contact, keeping the beer fresh, carbonated, and tasty for 24–72 hours.

TLR recently met with owner Karen Poulsen to discuss the company’s origins. Poulsen shared that after closing her women’s clothing store in Oregon, she noticed several growler filling shops in her community. This inspired her to brainstorm with her best friend and former general manager about starting a growler-filling business, which they believed was a great opportunity.

“We kind of came up with the idea and she said we’d be Growler Girlz and I said I think you just named our next business,” said Poulsen. “We looked around and there are a lot of places already doing growler filling in Central Oregon, so we looked towards the East Coast and did research and found the triangle in North Carolina.”

After much research, Poulsen relocated to North Carolina in 2013 and officially launched her first store in Durham in 2014. She mentioned that the unique aspect of her business is that customers can purchase a glass bottle once and continue to have it refilled.

In the initial stages of this venture, she visited various breweries to discuss their operations. Subsequently, she began offering beers from various breweries and collaborated with several distributors. To maintain 42 rotating taps, Poulsen consults with numerous locals about a wide variety of beers. This approach allows the company to keep 80-90% of its beer local, supporting North Carolina breweries.

To ensure strategic business operations, Karen and her team maintain a detailed historical spreadsheet of all beers purchased and regularly review what is available from different breweries. Over time, breweries have come to recognize Poulsen as a go-to for introducing their new beers to her for tasting and evaluation. Based on these tastings, Karen and her team determine which new and existing beers to offer to the public.

The community’s response to the new opening has been overwhelmingly positive. Many visitors to the store have expressed to Poulsen and her team that her business fulfills a significant need in the Southern Village community. A loyal customer base frequently visits, eager to discover what Growler Grlz has to offer.

Photo Source: Tyria Bourda
Business Storefront

“We do trivia night on Tuesdays, Thursdays. We do music, bingo on Fridays,” said Poulsen.

“We have some kind of live music if it’s just a single person with a guitar sitting over there . As the weather gets nicer we may do a little bit larger bands out on the patio. I’m just trying to make a place where people could come and have a nice time and be comfortable with the community around them.”

She mentioned that even though she does not provide food, customers are welcome to bring their own from anywhere. A snack bar is available and prosecco, cider, ginger beer, and nonalcoholic draft beer are available for purchase. Occasionally, children come in to enjoy making root beer floats.

Moreover, her businesses actively participate in community initiatives. Some of their community engagement efforts include fundraising for the Ukraine war, where they successfully raised $7,000. They have also organized fundraisers for cancer research.

Finally, Poulsen expressed her reflections on her journey as a business owner. The primary challenge she has encountered is being a woman in a male-dominated industry, with many people doubting her ability to succeed. Nevertheless, she remains here 12 years later with two locations. Poulsen conveyed her excitement and pride in introducing this growler concept to Chapel Hill. She has discovered that as long as you offer customers a quality product, they will always return.

“I feel good about the business because I feel like I’ve given a lot to the community. This has been the most rewarding for me personally,” said Poulsen. “I’ve met so many people in Durham and they’ve become friends and family and that’s what I am trying to re-create that here in Chapel Hill as much as I have in Durham.”

Tyria McCray-Bourda is a story-driven journalist whose work has previously appeared in The Carolinian newspaper in Raleigh. Attaining a bachelor’s degree in communication from Southern New Hampshire University, she has the distinction of having interviewed President Joe Biden when he was a candidate on the campaign trail, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris. This reporter can be reached at: Information@TheLocalReporter.press