inc.
BIZBRIEFS Compiled by Anna Southwell
NEW ON THE SCENE
M.A. Salon opened on July 8 at 121 N. Scottswood Blvd. in Hillsborough and is owned by Martha Perez and Andres Perez.
ACQUISITIONS + PARTNERSHIPS
Habitat for Humanity of Orange County received an $85,000 sponsorship from Grubb Properties to build its 300th home in the historic Northside neighborhood in Chapel Hill, in partnership with the Northside Neighborhood Initiative. (Each year, Grubb Properties asks clients and industry peers to raise funds and recruit volunteers to build a Habitat home for a local family through the Grubb Giving Project.) Construction began on Oct. 2, with limited volunteers and increased safety protocols due to the pandemic. Some members of Zaw Moe’s family, who will live in the home, helped build during the day (pictured above) alongside employees from Grubb Properties and BB+M Architecture.
Re-Invintaged Home Decor & More opened on July 31 at 120 S. Churton St. in downtown Hillsborough. The home furnishings boutique specializes in farmhouse decor and speciality items from local artisans. Owner Wendi Puckett used to sell her wreaths at MishMosh, a rustic, farmhouse decor shop in Reidsville, North Carolina, and was inspired by the store’s concept where local artisans can rent space. “We have incredibly talented vendors whose passions for what they do really show in their work,” Puckett said. While Puckett had to delay the boutique’s opening due to the pandemic, she said the store will host special holiday events this fall. Carrie Williamson and Meredith Fitch opened Chapel Hill’s Card My Yard, a full-service yard sign rental company, in June. Card My Yard has more than 200 other franchise locations across the country. So far this year, the company has helped with
88 • chapelhillmagazine.com • November 2020
about 200 greetings, including celebrations of several milestone birthdays, 50th wedding anniversaries and retirements. SPENGA, a fitness studio franchise with 307 locations, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new location in Elliott Square on Oct. 8. The owners of the Chapel Hill location are UNC alumni, sisters Hutter Black and Suejette Black. SPENGA’s 60-minute classes combine spin, strength training and yoga for a workout designed to improve members’ endurance, strength and flexibility.
The Graduate Chapel Hill celebrated its grand opening on West Franklin Street with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 3. The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro staff, along with Graduate Hotels President David Rochefort (pictured left) and Graduate Chapel Hill General Manager Wes Rowe (pictured right), participated in the ceremony. The hotel has a mix of modern and classic designs and features Tar Heel icons such as the Old Well and Michael Jordan.
Graduate Hotels expects to have 34 locations across the country by next summer. UNC sophomores Harshul Makwana, Kush Jain and Alekhya Majety founded the startup QUVI and created a device that can sanitize the interior, exterior and water inside of any reusable water bottle by using UV-C light. Their survey found that, out of 250 people, 95% of them have reusable water bottles, but 65% do not clean their bottles regularly. As a result, they created a solution by using powerful UV-C technology to disinfect a reusable water bottle in 90 seconds, eliminating harmful pathogens and viruses such as COVID-19. The team participated in the 2019 Carolina Challenge Pitch Party, joined the two-week UNC Makeathon competition that accelerates ideas into prototypes and joined Launch Chapel Hill’s summer cohort, propelling the startup’s success. They hope to place a QUVI next to every water fountain across campus, from gyms to dorms, to keep students safe. They also envision a business-to-business model to sell sanitization kiosks
