Chapel Hill Magazine's The Downtowner by Triangle Media Partners

THE

DOWNTOWNER Your insider’s guide

TO REDISCOVERING

DOWNTOWN

CHAPEL HILL CARRBORO HILLSBOROUGH

2018

Discover Downtown Chapel Hill

Discover craft beer and spirits, live music, and sidewalk dining. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy with complimentary valet and convenient parking.

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CHAPEL HILL CARRBORO HILLSBOROUGH 2018

DOWNTOWNER

THE

EDITOR

Jessica Stringer

EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE EDITORS

Amanda MacLaren, Matt White ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Holly West

As a history buff, I love the reenactments at Revolutionary War Living History Day

in Hillsborough.

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Ashley Applewhite, Sam Bermas-Dawes, Stephanie Curtis, Jishnu Nair and Santul Nerkar CONTRIBUTOR

Briana Brough

ART CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Kevin Brown SENIOR ART DIRECTOR & PRODUCTION MANAGER

Jean Carlos Rosario-Montalvo PHOTOGRAPHER

Ackland Art Museum

and beer and games at The Baxter.

Beth Mann

ADVERTISING For advertising inquiries, email advertising@chapelhillmagazine.com Zina Craft zina@chapelhillmagazine.com Melissa Crane melissa@chapelhillmagazine.com Chris Elkins chris@chapelhillmagazine.com Kem Johnson kem@chapelhillmagazine.com

What do you enjoy doing in downtown Chapel Hill, Carrboro and/or Hillsborough?

AD TRAFFIC

Lizzie Jones

The 2nd Friday ArtWalk in Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

CORPORATE COO

Rory Kelly Gillis rory@chapelhillmagazine.com CHAIRMAN

I enjoy the Carrboro Music Festival in the fall.

Dan Shannon danshannon@chapelhillmagazine.com VICE PRESIDENT OF PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT

Ellen Shannon VICE PRESIDENT/ADMINISTRATION

Amy Bell ADMINISTRATIVE & EVENT ASSISTANT

Caroline Kornegay DISTRIBUTION

Elitegroup The Downtowner is published annually by Chapel Hill Magazine and Shannon Media, Inc. in cooperation with the towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough. 1777 Fordham Blvd., Suite 105, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 tel 919.933.1551 fax 919.933.1557 chapelhillmagazine.com

2 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

In the summers, we take a stroll on the Riverwalk, grab lunch at LaPlace, a treat from Matthew’s Chocolates and then we enjoy checking out the historic district homes and gardens. We always finish up with a big grocery shopping trip to Weaver Street Market to find locally farmed meats and veggies.

Success is all about location. And so are we.

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LOVE & PEACE BOUTIQUE

B-SIDE LOUNGE

MULBERRY SILKS & FINE FABRICS

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OASIS AT CARR MILL COFFEE SHOP

CAROLINA CORE PILATES

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C H A P E L H I L L M A G A Z I N E . C O M

T H E

D O W N T O W N E R

6 Letter from the Mayors

54 Staycation

8 The Ultimate Downtowner Checklist

Make it your mission to check a few items off the list each season

Spend the afternoon – or even a night – on Franklin Street

58 When in Carrboro

20 The ‘Current’ State of the Arts

26 Park it Here

64 Hillsborough Like a Local

Maps and insider tips that will make parking a breeze

Three locals share their must-visit spots Editor Jessica Stringer spent an afternoon following residents’ suggestions

32 Business is Booming

72 About Town

Downtown Chapel Hill serves as an incubator for local companies

Families share a slice of living in downtown Chapel Hill

40 11 Brunch Spots

80 Family Day Out

You won’t mind getting out of bed for these meals

Parents tell us their favorite places to take their kids

43 Downtown Dining Guide 50 Behind the Bar

We asked four bartenders for their drink picks, craziest requests and when to stop by

4 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

2 0 1 8

THE COVER Neighbors Erin and Mark Carey, José Fernandes Junior and Jeanne Løvmo at Lantern. Photo by Beth Mann

“Simple food made the hard way” Introducing “Upstairs at Lula’s,” featuring Family Style Dinners 1101 E. Franklin St. ~ Chapel Hill ~ 919.967.2678 Lunch & Dinner 11-9 ~ lulaschapelhill.com Newest member of the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group: Squid’s ~ 411 West ~ Mez ~ Page Road Grill ~ Lula’s ~ CHRG Catering

READERS’ FAVORITE

BEST www.acmecarrboro.com Carrboro, NC

OF CHAPEL HILL MAGAZINE

The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 5

L E T T E R

F R O M

T H E

M A Y O R S

GOING

DOWNTOWN UMMER IS PRECIOUS

Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens, Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger and Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle

in our university communities. It’s a time when we transition to a different pace and make the most of the sun-filled North Carolina days. We encourage you to enjoy some extra time in our three towns during the coming months and then stick around all year as there’s something for everyone downtown. Our food scenes have something for every palate – from eateries that serve meals prepared with farmers market vegetables and fruits, to freshly brewed local coffee, to a variety of breweries and fine dining – we have it all in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough. Want to get outdoors? Visit the scenic Merritt’s Pasture in Chapel Hill, just off of Morgan Creek Trail. Ride your bicycle to downtown Carrboro, the only silver-level bicycle

community in the state. Take a walk at the historic Occoneechee Speedway in Hillsborough, a former NASCAR track with over three miles of wooded trails. For arts or music, check out the annual Paperhand Puppet Intervention show at the outdoor Forest Theatre on the UNC campus in Chapel Hill, attend a show at the renowned Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, or visit downtown Hillsborough on the last Friday of the month to listen to awesome music and visit local art studios. We hope to see you around as you enjoy time in our downtowns! CHM – Pam, Lydia and Tom

6 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

can we talk,

CHAPEL HILL? At the Town of Chapel Hill, we are having local conversations to hear your ideas, insight and feedback on projects and policies to help inform Council decisions. Learning, serving and working together to build a community where people thrive!

Thanks to all of you who participate in: Drop-in public input sessions • Advisory boards and commissions • Street design workshops Listening sessions • Community charrettes • Comprehensive community surveys

LET’S GET CONNECTED! 919-968-2743 | info@townofchapelhill.org | townofchapelhill.org/news |    @ ChapelHillGov

CHAPEL HILL | CARRBORO | HILLSBOROUGH

THE ULTIMATE DOWNTOWNER

CHECKLIST MAKE IT YOUR MISSION TO CHECK A FEW ITEMS OFF THE LIST EACH SEASON

1 Catch an afternoon show at Morehead Planetarium 2 Cozy on up to the Lantern bar – or sit outside – for creative dishes from Andrea Reusing, who won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast 3 Bike around town one sunny afternoon 4 Grab a window seat at Talulla’s 5 Play your favorite old-school arcade game at The Baxter 6 View the latest exhibition at Ackland Art Museum 7 Shop for a Carolina blue tie at Julian’s 8 Walk around a historic neighborhood like the FranklinRosemary Historic District to admire the architecture 9 Rush Franklin Street after a Carolina victory over Duke (or a National Championship!) 10 Participate in the 2nd Friday ArtWalk in Carrboro and Chapel Hill 11 Head to The Crunkleton for a cocktail 12 Indulge in the shrimp and grits or Atlantic Beach Pie at Crook’s Corner 13 Enjoy an evening of music outside at Fridays on the Front Porch at The Carolina Inn (April-Oct.)

8 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 9

PHOTO BY BETH MANN

Neighbors Mark and Erin Carey (foreground) and José Fernandes Junior and Jeanne Løvmo on Lantern’s patio.

C H E C K L I S T

COURTESY THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL

U L T I M A T E

The Coker Arboretum is stunning no matter the season.

14 Buy a cut of meat from Cliff’s Meat Market 15 Stack up scoops of gelato or grab your girlfriends for a frozen martini at Sugarland 16 Take a step back in town history at the Horace Williams House, home to Preservation Chapel Hill 17 Have a picnic in the Coker Arboretum 18 Indulge in some Southern fixins at Mama Dip’s 19 Go behind the scenes on a brewery tour of Mystery Brewing 20 Stop by and say hey to Al Bowers at Al’s Burger Shack (and order a J-Bo ice-cream sandwich!) 21 Eat al fresco on the patio at Kipos 22 Watch your favorite band perform at Cat’s Cradle 23 Get a book signed by an author at Purple Crow Books

10 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

RIDE YOUR BIKE OR WALK TO DOWNTOWN CHAPEL HILL!

Ride in on the new Tanyard Branch greenway to Rosemary street and catch a movie under the stars on the Wallace Parking Deck or stroll Franklin Street before grabbing a bite. Park your bike at one of our bike corrals or bike racks and stop by for a tune up at the new bike fix-it station in front of Carolina Coffee Shop. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to check out our colorful crosswalks, signal boxes, and murals while exploring! TOWNOFCHAPELHILL.ORG

C H E C K L I S T

PHOTO BY BRIANA BROUGH

U L T I M A T E

Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue in front of the Michael Brown parade mural in Porthole Alley.

24 Relax on the lawn of Weaver Street Market in Carrboro with the most seasonal flavor of Maple View Farm Ice Cream 25 Tour Top of the Hill Distillery downtown and taste their line of spirits 26 Sip a pint next to Layla the pug and other dogs at Beer Study 27 Pose in front of a Michael Brown mural 28 Walk along the banks of the Eno River on the Riverwalk 29 Attend a Carolina Performing Arts’ CURRENT show 30 Pick up a six-pack at Carrboro Beverage Company 31 Take a tour of the Civil War-era Burwell School, one of the first schools in the area to educate women 32 Play trivia at Steel String Brewery with a pint of Picklemania Dill Gose 33 Grab a cone at Whit’s Frozen Custard and head to Gold Park with a blanket and ball

12 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

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The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 13

U L T I M A T E

C H E C K L I S T

ANNUAL MUST-DOS SPRING • Experience cultures from around the globe during Near & Far

• Sip local brews all over town during NC Beer Month in April • Take advantage of free cone day at Ben & Jerry’s in April • Bike, climb, dance and do activities in the streets during Carrboro Open Streets in April • Have your first Blue Ridge Blueberry Wheat of the season at Top of the Hill in April • Head to Carrboro Day the first Sunday in May • Taste local produce during Strawberry Jamboree at Carrboro Farmers’ Market in May • Enjoy free outdoor concerts during the Freight Train Blues Music Series in May and June • Take your pick from a dozen food trucks parked downtown during Rodeo on Rosemary in April

PHOTO COURTESY TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL

• Run through town during the Tar Heel 10 Miler in April

Rodeo on Rosemary takes over the street twice a year.

34 Try the daily skillet cornbread at ACME 35 Challenge friends to a round of pool at Zog’s Art Bar & Pool Hall 36 Kiss your sweetheart below the Davie Poplar tree on UNC’s campus 37 Take a pottery or drawing class at The ArtsCenter

SUMMER • Watch a summer movie on top of the Wallace Parking Deck

38 Get late-night cheese fries at Linda’s 39 Pick out new game-day gear at Alumni Hall

• Try different brews during Cardinal Directions Beer Festival in June

40 Get your geek on at the monthly Nerd Nite Chapel Hill

• Have a happy Fourth of July during the parade in Carrboro

41 Shop for trendy pieces at Uniquities

• Savor tomatoes as the star of dishes at the annual ACME Tomato Festival in July

42 Have brunch under the sun in the Rosé Garden at Oakleaf

• Enjoy peak tomato season during Tomato Day at Carrboro Farmers’ Market in July

43 Grab a milkshake at Sutton’s Drug Store 44 Shop local produce from the Carrboro Farmers’ Market and the Eno River Farmers Market 45 Conquer El Gigante Burrito at Bandido’s

14 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

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The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 15

C H E C K L I S T

PHOTO BY MARK LOSEY/TOWN OF CHAPEL HILL

U L T I M A T E

ANNUAL MUST-DOS FALL • Listen to bluegrass, jazz and country bands performing each Sunday in September and October and the first Sunday in November during Sundays In Hillsborough • Rock out to dozens of bands during Carrboro Music Festival in September • Eat cheese until your heart’s content during the Curds & Crafts Festival at the Cloth Mill at Eno River in September • Experience local bands, contests and games and an original BBQ cook-off contest at Hog Day in September • Join chefs and market farmers for Harvest Dinner, a locally sourced meal at Town Commons in September • Browse more than 100 artists’ booths along West Franklin Street during Festifall in October • Have a day of family-friendly music and community featuring local food and beer during River Park Concert in October • Attend readings, workshops, and panels during the West End Poetry Festival in October • Celebrate Halloween in a big way on Franklin Street • Watch films of every length and genre during the Carrboro Film Festival in November

Local artists helped add more color to downtown crosswalks.

46 Cross the street in one of the colorful crosswalks 47 Find great gifts at This & That 48 Dine out for a cause on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Glasshalfull 49 Sip wine on the roof deck at West End Wine Bar 50 Sit a spell at University Baptist Church’s Memorial Garden 51 Finish a blue cup at He’s Not Here 52 Be wowed by Patrick Dougherty’s stickwork sculpture on the Riverwalk and in front of the Ackland while they last 53 Check out live, local bands at Nash Street Tavern or Hot Tin Roof 54 Stroll the sidewalks and gallery hop during Last Fridays in Hillsborough 55 Explore the vendors at the food hall Blue Dogwood Market 56 Watch a UNC game at Four Corners 57 Find vegetarian-friendly dishes at Vimala’s and The Spotted Dog

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INSIDERS I opened my business downtown because... I love the energy and spirit of downtown. Chapel Hill has its own seasons (dictated by UNC rather than Mother Nature). My favorite event in downtown is... UNC basketball championships. My favorite spot for shopping downtown is... Brown’s Hardware. It’s like a timewarp. My go-to meal downtown is... Vimala’s and Ms. Mong. I’m looking forward to... quiet summers and no traffic.

DAVID CHONG,

In three words, I would describe downtown as… energy, potential, friendliness.

co-owner of Northside District

The one thing I’d love to see downtown is… I’d love to see moving sidewalks.

Carrboro

Keep it local

The best place to soak up a little culture downtown is... the Ackland, of course!

Voted Favorite Gift Store – Best of Chapel Hill 2018 –

118 East Main Street Carrboro | 919-636-3092 Facebook.com/thisandthatgiftgallery

The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 17

U L T I M A T E

C H E C K L I S T

58 Dig through the vintage finds at Rumors

ANNUAL MUST-DOS

59 Ride the Sky Blue Express to home football games after a beer at Carolina Brewery

WINTER • Stroll the downtowns to check out the decorated shop windows

60 Shop for unique jewelry at Melissa Designer Jewelry, 108 Churton or Spiral Studios

• Grab a seat for the Light Up The Night Holiday Parade in December in downtown Hillsborough

61 Take advantage of the margarita special at TRU on Wednesdays

• Ring in the Christmas season with the Chapel HillCarrboro Holiday Parade in December • Deck the halls with festive meals, breakfast with Santa, cookie decorating, holiday teas, holiday markets during the Twelve Days of Christmas at The Carolina Inn in December • Tour homes decorated for the holidays during the annual Hillsborough Candlelight Home Tour

62 Grab some ‘cue at Hillsborough BBQ Company or CrossTies Barbecue 63 Explore the historic Alexander Dickson House which also serves as Hillsborough’s Visitors Center 64 Grab a Cuban sandwich at Cuban Revolution Express 65 See a movie at the Varsity Theatre 66 Go on a burger tour with stops at Hops Burger Bar and Buns 67 Take your pick from all the different salsas at Carrburritos CHM

PHOTO BY BRIANA BROUGH

• Experience local history during Revolutionary War Living History Day in February

Margaritas and tacos are a winning combo at Carrburritos.

18 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

Charting Our Future is a unique Town project designed to chart the next course; to think about what the future holds for Chapel Hill. The project will unfold in two phases. The first phase will hone the Future Land Use Map (FLUM), which is called the Land Use Plan in Chapel Hill 2020, the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. This phase should be complete by December, 2018 when the Town Council will adopts the new map as an amendment to Chapel Hill 2020. The second phase will rewrite the Town’s Land Use Management Ordinance (LUMO), with the overall goal of improving the town’s land use tools and processes so that they are more predictable, functional, and intentional.

ChartingOurFuture.info

Project Area The graphic above shows the areas to be studied during the FLUM Refinement Project. This Project gives the Town the Opportunity to knit together previous planning efforts, examine gateways into Town, and provide cohesion between existing areas of development along major corridors.

Subscribe to Updates Join our email list, on the project website, to stay in-the-know about the project and receive news about upcoming events and ways to stay involved.

CHAPEL HILL

THE ‘CURRENT’ STATE OF

THE ARTS BY MAT T WHITE

E CAREFUL OUT THERE. Last year, a simple stroll down Franklin Street past Carolina Square might have gotten you drafted as

a foot soldier into a bohemian revolution. Soon, you may stumble into a gang of robots demanding you join their dance party, or find an entire false storefront with the walls, signs, aisles and products all molded from plastic shopping bags. These are the perils of downtown Chapel Hill’s rising arts scene and the interactive exhibits and acts at its newest theater, CURRENT. An offshoot of Carolina Performing Arts, CURRENT wrapped up its premier season this spring and represented a double leap of faith for CPA. For one, CURRENT is designed to be an integrated part of Chapel Hill’s rapidly changing downtown, even closer than the on-campus Memorial Hall, CPA’s longtime home venue. And, second, CURRENT’s goal is to showcase a variety of experimental and interactive acts that would not normally fit at Memorial. “We want the experiences to be immersive,” says Amy Russell, the director of programming for Carolina Performing Arts. “Hopefully you’ll never go and sit in the dark and watch something and then go home.” Last season’s acts included the Gob Squad, which recruited passersby from outside the theater to come inside and join them onstage in a bohemian-styled, revolution-themed show, and 600 Highwaymen, whose “Fever” drew audience members out of their seats as participants. This year’s season, which starts in 20 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

Whimsical Italian theater ensemble Compagnia TPO blurred the lines between art and play this season at CURRENT.

COURTESY CAROLINA PERFORMING ARTS

September, includes acts as varied as installation pieces, lectures by art critics and more audiencecollaborative musical troupes. Robin Frohardt, an artist-in-residence, opens the season with “Plastic Bag Store,” an installation created entirely from plastic bags (a puppet show reveals the store’s backstory). New Yorker theater critic and Pulitzer Prize-winner Hilton Als will present a work-in-progress play, “Lives of the Performers.” The season wraps with Kid Koala, a DJ, whose final two performances are dubbed Robot

Parties, with attendees expected to create their own robot-like costumes from cardboard and other materials at the theater. “The first season was an exciting learning experience for us,” says Christina Rodriguez, CPA’s associate director of marketing and communications. “The community got to see how much excitement and hunger there is for a space like this.” If CURRENT represents a leap for CPA, it is also a major step forward for downtown’s art The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 21

T H E

A R T S

he one constant about art in downtown Chapel Hill is that it’s always changing. While some elements – like the string of beloved murals on town buildings, painted by local artist Michael Brown – remain in place, the town’s street-level art continues to engage visitors and residents alike in new ways. This spring, local artist Carter Hubbard planted the sixth iteration of what she calls “Floraffiti,” words and messages spelled out with plants. The project, which ran through June, added color to Chapel Hill’s streetscape while asking passersby to engage with its messages. The plants spell out words like “fun” and “pause.” “Floraffiti provides a new way of exploring how to communicate and work together, something that can be challenging at any age,” Carter says. “I have seen Floraffiti bring people together in conversation and connection by sharing their ideas and life experiences, when it might not happen otherwise.” Elsewhere, the Partnership Sculpture Vision project brought 15 pieces of large, visual art to spots around Chapel Hill, including three downtown. Hanna Jubran’s 10-foot “Blooming Cube” – a yellow tower of dramatic, intersecting shapes – sat at Rosemary and Roberson streets. “It’s placemaking,” says Meg McGurk, who was executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership when it sponsored the Floraffiti display this spring. “It’s the sense of being someplace unique because of the environment downtown. Often art is a very strong element of drawing people to a place, with a large economic impact.” The Partnership has teamed with local artists in the past to paint the town’s crosswalks and otherwise boring utility boxes. Those projects, Meg says, add unexpected color to the public spaces. “We’re hiring professional artists, so it’s not just some random design, but is actually supporting local arts,” she says. Perhaps most dramatic of all the downtown art on display is usually whatever the Ackland Art Museum is cooking up. Last year, it was the vivid, hard-to-miss “Los Trompos,” an interactive installation of spinning tops. Currently, it’s the “Step Right Up” exhibit, by Chapel Hill artist Patrick Dougherty, featuring a line of massive teapot-style sculptures crafted from thousands of tree branches, inspired by ancient pouring vessels in the Ackland’s collection.

22 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

scene, which traditionally has taken a backseat to the area’s reputation for shopping, food and student-focused services. “CURRENT is very discoverable from downtown in a way that Memorial Hall is not,” Christina says. “Even if you just walk past it, you can see things going on in there and what other groups are booking in the space. We’re going to learn a lot more about drawing people in from Franklin Street-proper, but just having people passing through the lobby to see our video screen, it [becomes] something to go look at because something amazing is going to be going on there.” The downtown location, says Amy, is exactly what CURRENT needs. “The idea is that someone could just stumble upon the space is exciting,” she says. “I think Chapel Hill is absolutely becoming a destination for artists.” “They say it takes five of something to become a destination,” says Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger. “Five performing venues help people think of you as an option to go check out what’s happening.” Along with CURRENT, Pam points to the on-campus Memorial Hall and PlayMakers Repertory Company, increased live acts at The Varsity Theatre and the launch of The Peoples Improv Theater this year in the former DSI Comedy Theater space on West Franklin Street. Headed by UNC alum and former “Saturday Night Live” writer Ali Farahnakian, the Chapel Hill location is the first expansion outside of New York City for The PIT, which owns five theaters in the city. After a bumpy post-construction permitting process that saw the space open in early 2018 then close, Ali says the space was finally ready this summer.

T H E

A R T S

LIVE MUSIC

or places dedicated to music, Cat’s Cradle is one of the nation’s most legendary venues, with a history of hosting acts from Nirvana to Public Enemy to G. Love and Special Sauce. But with space for 750, it’s still an intimate venue. For more local acts, try Local 506, an all-ages club known for up-andcoming artists and a grungy charm, or longtime Carrboro institution The ArtsCenter. The Station is an old train depot that today features barbecue and brews with a mix of live music, DJ events and other acts on weekend evenings. The Chapel Hill staple, He’s Not Here, is a popular college bar that features outdoor music on the patio. Grab a Blue Cup and enjoy the tunes! Or descend down a set of alleyway stairs to The Cave, a dimly lit nook featuring live music, a full bar and billiards. But watch your head! The Cave earns its name with its small size and low-ceilings. –Sam Bermas-Dawes

READERS’ FAVORITE

BEST OF CHAPEL HILL MAG AZ IN E

Thank you for voting us your Favorite Performing Arts Venue!

“It’s an older building and we’re finding stuff on top of stuff on top of stuff,” says Ali. “AC vents turned around, dead pipes with no reason to be there. It’s had a lot of tenants.” Having roots in the area and, Ali says, “being on the back nine of life, having turned 49,” he jumped at the chance to lease the theater when DSI Comedy closed last August. “We are not here to save comedy in Chapel Hill,” he says. “We’re here to save a building. We are seeing what the space needs to be and what the community needs.” The theater offers a wide range of comedy classes, open mic nights, improv jams and touring artists, along with a podcast studio. He believes the space will work as well for TED Talklike lectures and live bands as for the sketch and stand-up comedy of a PIT show. CHM

Take time to create.

• Art Classes • Summer Camps • Performances • Exhibitions

Serving Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Orange County for over 40 years

artscenterlive.org

@ artscenterlive

300-G East Main Street, Carrboro, NC • (919) 929-2787

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MUSEUM HOURS WED – SAT 10A – 5P

SUN 1P – 5P

2ND FRIDAYS 10A – 9P

MON + TUE CLOSED

Free. Always. For all. ACKLAND.ORG

THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL

101 S. Columbia Street, at Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC

The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 25

CHAPEL HILL | CARRBORO | HILLSBOROUGH

PARK IT IN ANY DOWNTOWN, PARKING CAN BE A HASSLE IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK. THANKFULLY, CHAPEL HILL HAS MADE FINDING A SPACE CLOSE TO YOUR DESTINATION MUCH EASIER WITH IMPROVEMENTS TO ITS PARKING RESOURCES AS PART OF THE #LOTSTOLOVE CAMPAIGN. Follow these five tips to park like a pro:

 FIND A SPACE Visit ParkontheHill.com before you go. The website includes an interactive map of parking for vehicles and bicycles, plus handicap spaces, park-and-ride locations and valet parking.

 KNOW GO-TO SPOTS If you’re visiting the heart of downtown, head to the CVS Deck at 125 E. Rosemary St. Grab one of its 200 spaces and take the short walk to Franklin Street’s hottest destinations, passing motorists circling the block as you go. For West Franklin Street locations, go to Carolina Square, where more than 850 structured parking spaces have recently become available.

 PAY WITH EASE Use the ParkMobile app to pay for your space on your phone. (You can always use the new, on-site Parkeon meters, too.)

 VISIT DOWNTOWN ON SUNDAYS Parking is always free on Sundays, so it’s the perfect day to step out for brunch or visit local businesses.

 PAY ATTENTION TO PROMOTIONS Parking is free each Saturday in July and on all holidays. Check ParkontheHill.com for more free parking days. 26 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

DOWNTOWN CHAPEL HILL

1 Cameron/Graham St. Lot (602 W. Cameron St.) Available after 5 p.m. & weekends

E Rosemary Street

E Franklin Street

Raleigh St

2 Graham St. Lot (108 S. Graham St.) Available after 6 p.m. & weekends; Free after 8 p.m., $1.50/hr

3 427 West Franklin Lot (next to Lantern Restaurant) Free after 8 p.m., $1.50/hr (4-hour max)

Henderson St

6 West Franklin Valet (400 W. Franklin St.) Mon-Sat, 5-9 p.m., Free to participating restaurants; $5 for others

7 440 South Lot (400 W. Rosemary

rti

North St

5 415 West Franklin Lot (next to 411 West) Free after 8 p.m., $1.50/hr (4-hour max)

UNC CAMPUS

Old Well

ing

TOWN HALL

St.) Available after 5 p.m. & weekends

Columbia Street

8 440 North Lot (401 W. Rosemary St.) Available after 5 p.m. (not available 9 p.m.-6 a.m., Fri-Sat)

11 Pritchard Ave

9 UNC Development Lot (307 W. Rosemary St.) Available after 5 p.m.

10 140 West Parking Garage (access

Rosemary St.) Free after 8 p.m., $1.50/hr (4-hour max)

12 PNC/Sea Turtle Lot (164 N. Columbia St.) Available after 6 p.m.

Nightime All Day

Valet Metered

14 CVS Plaza Parking Deck (125 E. Rosemary St.) $1/hr

15 Porthole Alley Lot (access near 101 S. Columbia St.) Available after 5 p.m. & weekends

Metered Parking

Mit

Kenan St

che

ll Ln

Free after 6 p.m. & all day Sunday $1.50/hr accepting cash & credit (2-hour max)

Mallette St

13 Rosemary/Columbia Lot (100 E. Rosemary St.) $1.50/hr (first 15 minutes free)

W Franklin Street

Church St

at 201 W. Rosemary St.) $1/hr (first 15 minutes free)

11 West Rosemary Lot (104 W.

CAROLINA SQUARE

5 Yates Court

3 Rob

erso

S Roberson St

n St

17 Wallace Parking Deck (150 E. Rosemary St.) $1/hr (first 15 minutes free)

18 Morehead Planetarium Lot (250 E. Franklin St.) $1.50/hr

All lots are free on Sunday except the Morehead Planetarium & 140 West Garage

Carrboro

16 Swain Lot (access on E. Cameron Ave.) Available after 5 p.m. & weekends

Cameron Avenue

Roberson St.) Free after 8 p.m., $1.50/hr (4-hour max)

4 Courtyard Lot (access from S.

S Graham St

2 Merritt Mill Rd

All paid lots accept coin and card The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 27

Fidelity St

P A R K I N G

Bim St

DOWNTOWN CARRBORO Carrboro Town Hall

Farmers’ Market

1 Town Commons/Farmers’ Market

Ashe St

Additional parking available to Saturday Farmers’ Market patrons.

Laurel Ave

Jon erry es F

1 n

2 Chapel Hill Tire Lot

Lot available to Saturday Farmers’ Market patrons.

Elm St

3 Akai Hana Lot 3

Lot available to Saturday Farmers’ Market patrons.

Lindsay St

4 West Weaver Street Lot 4 5

5 PNC Bank Lot

Oak Ave Poplar St

W Main St

W Weaver St

Enter off Weaver Street across from PNC Bank.

Center St Short St

Across from the Century Center, behind Cliff’s.

GR E E N S B OR O S T

7 Fitch Lumber Park here when Fitch is closed – after 5 p.m. weekdays, afternoon Saturdays, and all day Sundays.

Carr St

6 Municipal Parking Lot

Fitch Lumber

EA V

Carr Mill Mall

Maple Av

8 Carr Mill Parking

Harris Teeter

E Main St

Roberson

Lot available to Saturday Farmers’ Market patrons.

Weaver Street Market

Spaces for Carr Mill Mall only. Free for customers.

9 Municipal Parking Lot across Roberson Street from Open Eye.

10 Municipal Parking Lot behind ACME. Follow the municipal signs and enter the lot off East Main Street and Roberson Street.

Lloyd St

Cat’s Cradle

Municipal Parking 2-hr limit 7am–5:30pm; unlimited after 5:30pm

ArtsCenter

Farmers’ Market Parking 14

Hampton Inn

St ain

On-Street Parking

W Rosemary

Boyd

Additional Public Parking

Lot available for long-term parking on weekends.

12 Municipal Parking Gravel lot across the street from the Armadillo Grill.

13 ArtsCenter Lot Sunset Dr

15 d ill R

itt M

rr Me

11 Carr Mill Employee Lot

Free parking for customers only.

14 Hampton Inn Parking Deck Access to deck behind Hampton Inn is off East Main Street and Boyd Street. See signage for free parking directions.

15 Rosemary Street Lot Enter off Sunset Drive.

28 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

FIND WHAT YOU LOVE DOWNTOWN. PARK NEAR IT. REPEAT. Get up close and personal with everything there is to love in Chapel Hill. Our total parking makeover means it’s easier than ever to find and pay for parking all over town. Head downtown and find your sweet spot!

Try the new interactive parking map now at parkonthehill.com

LOVE TO WIN $50? Enter to win a $50 Gift Card in our #LotsToLoveContest. Post a pic of you parking and kissing on your personal Instagram account, tag #LotsToLoveContest, and mention us. There’s a winner every month for a year! Get full rules at ParkOnTheHill.com

THINGS TO KNOW 1. Download the Parkmobile app and pay using your smartphone! 2. Parkeon smart meters accept coins, cards or payment from your Parkmobile app. 3. Feel free to PARK FREE on Sundays, holidays or with your Handicap placard!

To find true convenience downtown, park your browser at PARKONTHEHILL.COM

P A R K I N G

To US 70, NC 86N, NC 57

St Ma ry ’s R

Hillsborough Police Station

N Churton St

DOWNTOWN HILLSBOROUGH

4 E King St

Wake St

Orange County Public Library

Orange County Campus West Office Building

Orange County Courthouse

Hillsborough Visitors Center

Link Center

Gateway Center

Public Market House

Nash & Kollock St

Public Parking No Time Limit

Pa r ge an Ex ch

Public Parking 3-Hour Time Limit

To I-85, I-40, NC 86S

On-Street Parking On-Street Parking Parking time limits applied 8am to 6pm, Monday-Saturday

1 Eno River Parking Deck Public parking. No time limit.

2 Link Center/Cameron Street Lot Public parking. No time limit.

3 Mayo Park Parking Lot Public parking. 3-hour time limit.

4 King Street Parking Lot 3-hour time limit.

5 David Price Farmers’ Market Pavilion Parking Lot Public parking. No time limit.

30 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

Public parking is FREE!

Cameron St

Margaret Ln

Historic Courthouse

Court St

S Churton St

Wake St

W King St

Sophisticated Farm to Table Dining in the heart of Downtown Carrboro

COME EXPERIENCE THE ROSÉ GARDEN OUTDOOR DINING & DRINKING TROPICAL OASIS Lunch • Brunch • Dinner • Drinks

East Main Square • 310 East Main St., Carrboro, NC (Next to Cat’s Cradle) • 984.234.0054 • oakleafnc.com Lunch: Mon-Fri 11-2 • Brunch: Sat & Sun 10-2 • Dinner: Mon-Thurs 5-9, Fri & Sat 5-10 • Bar & Patio Open All Day

A NEW WAY TO LOUNGE at AC Hotel Chapel Hill Downtown Sunday-Thursday: 5-11:30pm | Friday: 5pm-midnight | Saturday: 3pm-midnight

@ACHotelChapelHill

@ACHotel_ChapelHill

214 W. Rosemary Street, Downtown Chapel Hill | 919.969.2800 | achotelchapelhill.com

The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 31

32 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

CHAPEL HILL

BUSINESS IS

BOOMING WITH SOME HELP FROM LAUNCH, DOWNTOWN CHAPEL HILL SERVES AS AN INCUBATOR

BY MAT T WHITE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETH MANN

ICK GHITELMAN’S ROUTE TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP has followed a distinctly Chapel Hill path. A UNC graduate, Nick left a stint at Carybased SAS early in the decade for a job as an executive at Southern Season, the venerable food and cooking emporium that has long evoked a quintessential Chapel Hill business spirit: proudly local, a bit eccentric and grounded in only-find-it-here retail. Then when he and two friends from SAS founded Quantworks, a data analysis firm, they quickly ran into a reality that tech-savvy startups have faced for years: Downtown Chapel Hill has long had more opportunity for retail and restaurants than small businesses. That’s when they landed at Launch Chapel Hill, the accelerator space off Rosemary Street. Founded as a joint project between the town, UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business

The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 33

we know

DOWNTOWN REAL DOWNTOWN REAL ESTATE ESTATE we know

Individual Members

919-942-1141 • morriscommercial.com morriscommercial.com 919.942.1141 Development • InvestmentPROPER Properties • General Brokerage & Leasing & LEASING DEVELOPMENT • INVESTMENT TIES • GENERAL BROKERAGE Buyer & Tenant Representation • Property Management BUYER & TENANT REPRESENTATION • PROPER T Y MANAGEMENT

B U S I N E S S

School, county officials

and private backers, Launch offers 7,000 square feet of workspace to entrepreneur teams in startup-size slices. The organization picks between eight and twelve teams of entrepreneurs every year and offers low rents on workspaces as small as single desks. The facility offers entrepreneurs like Nick and his partners the chance to work and share tips and ideas with other teams, each trying to launch their own business. “It was very much connecting the dots,” says Nick. “Everything around Launch is an ecosystem built for small business.” Since leaving Launch for space in a former yoga studio on Rosemary

Street, Quantworks has ballooned to 25 employees, plus interns who are mostly UNC and Duke students. Launch is one of the centerpieces of a new attitude in downtown real estate that local leaders hope will draw in more small businesses like Quantworks. The story of Quantworks, says Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger, and the other Launch startups is exactly what town officials had in mind when they envisioned Launch as anchoring an ‘innovation’ zone in the heart of downtown. The area town officials point to is the stretch between West Franklin and Rosemary streets near Launch and tech behemoth Google. Though traditional retail remains on the block, much of the offstreet space is now focused on tech office space. “Launch is the cohesive space,” says Pam. “What it provides is an innovation ecosystem to grow this network with the availability of office space and finding resources you need to make your business grow.” Pam says the town, the downtown partnership and UNC hope to soon establish Launch as its own nonprofit, formalizing its downtown role. According to Launch’s program director Dina Rousset, alumni companies had raised over $20 million by the end of 2016 and created 250 jobs in Orange County. And word is starting to spread in the tech world about Chapel Hill, said Dina. The program recently received 25 applications for its 12 spots in the next class. She expects the round after that to bring in four applicants for every spot. 

It was very much connecting the dots. Everything around Launch is an ecosystem built for small business.

36 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

years Trinity Partners is proudly celebrating 20 years of service in the Carolinas and our people are the well-known secret to our success. Motivated by our unrivaled market knowledge, entrepreneurial approach, and competitive spirit, we get the job done.

C O M M E R C I A L R E A L E S TAT E S E R V I C E S T R I N I T Y- PA R T N E R S . C O M

919.674.3690

COOLCOMPANIES

B U S I N E S S

long with being a place for great food, shopping and celebrating basketball wins, downtown Chapel Hill has a healthy and growing core of small, tech-savvy businesses. Entrepreneurs are finding great spots to set up shop and a wealth of resources to help them. Among the startups that are hitching their wagons to downtown’s star: Fanalytical – Based on Rosemary Street, this Launch alum provides sales and fan-engagement services to college athletic departments. Jury-X – Housed in the building previously home to the Daily Tar Heel on Rosemary, Jury-X provides legal teams with real-time jury consulting services. enrollmentFUEL – Based at Launch and looking to expand, enrollmentFUEL makes data tools for higher education finance professionals. VIVA Biliteracy – Founded by former teachers, this startup develops curriculum in both English and Spanish for the growing number of dual language schools. Let’s Room Together – Another Launch alum, this online tool lets grad students heading toward an unfamiliar campus connect with other grad students to arrange housing.

38 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

DIRECTORY OF BUSINESS RESOURCES WHERE TO GET STARTED Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce 104 S. Estes Dr., Chapel Hill 919-967-7075; carolinachamber.org Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership 308 W. Rosemary St., Ste. 202, Chapel Hill 919-967-9440; downtownchapelhill.com Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce 121 N. Churton St., Ste. 1C, Hillsborough 919-732-8156; hillsboroughchamber.com

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Chapel Hill Economic Development 405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill 919-969-5010; open2.biz What they provide: Information about retaining and supporting existing jobs and attracting new jobs within the context of the Town of Chapel Hill’s adopted comprehensive plan. Carrboro Economic and Community Development 301 W. Main St., Carrboro 919-918-7319; townofcarrboro.org What they provide: Business support, including three revolving loan programs available to new and existing Carrboro endeavors. Orange County Economic Development 131 W. Margaret Ln., Ste. 205, Hillsborough 919-245-2325; growinorangenc.com What they provide: Free information and assistance on topics including demographics and statistics for the county and region, available office and industrial space, explanations of local government regulations and procedures and contacts for small business counseling and financing. CHM

INSIDERS My favorite event in downtown is… Festifall. My go-to meal downtown is… the Very Veggie burger at Buns. I’m looking forward to… everyday exploring downtown. In three words, I would describe downtown as… changing, diverse, lively. The one thing I’d love to see downtown is… more people walking around and enjoying downtown. The best place to soak up a little culture downtown is… Mama Dip’s. ALLEN BUANSI,

Chapel Hill Town Council member and attorney-fellow at the UNC Center for Civil Rights

WHAT TO WEAR

TO WORK 48

OUR AREA’S

TOP DENTISTS 56

The one thing I’d tell a visitor not to miss downtown is… the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day rally from the Peace and Justice Plaza down to Roberson Street. What makes Chapel Hill’s downtown special is… the mix of people of different ages, races, backgrounds and cultures.

LIFE IN

BRIAR CHAPEL 68

DON’T MISS A SINGLE ISSUE! SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

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MAY/JUNE 2018 CHAPELHILLMAGAZINE.COM

women’s issue } page 34

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Read about health educator

Anita Woodley

and 11 other women who make our community a better place

}

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The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 39

CHAPEL HILL | CARRBORO | HILLSBOROUGH

BRUNCH SPOTS WORTH GETTING OUT OF BED FOR Brunch has become more popular than ever in our area after the passage of a state law allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages at 10 a.m. on Sundays. These brunch offerings will make you an early riser. Carolina Coffee Shop | Saturday & Sunday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Dish Stay classic with biscuits and gravy or try the Parisian salad. Sips The usual coffee bar staples along with coffee-inspired cocktails like an espresso martini and Absolut latte. 411 West | Sunday, 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Dish Go the savory route with smoked salmon Benedict, the 411 Caesar salad or a pesto omelet.

40 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

Sips Perk up your Sunday with a range of espresso beverages, a peach bellini or a red eye – a Budweiser mixed with tomato juice and a variety of spices. Carolina Brewery | Saturday & Sunday, 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Dish Chow down on some eggs Benedict along with cold bar offerings included with each brunch entree. Sips $1 mimosas and $3 bloody marys. Top of The Hill | Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Dish Sample the bananas Foster French toast or Cajun pork Benedict with TOPO beer cheese sauce. Sips Choose from a range of brunch cocktails like sangria or try a Franklin 155 (named in honor of the “brunch bill”) made with TOPO Piedmont Gin and topped with prosecco.

Mint | Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Dish $14 brunch buffet including Indian favorites like tandoori chicken, naan and chicken tikka masala. Sips Added bonus? Bottomless mimosas included.

made bloody mary mix from scratch and pours a unique twist on a mimosa. Tandem | Sunday, 10:30 a.m - 2:30 p.m. Dish Get your eggs fix in multiple ways – Benedict, Florentine, in an omelet or Moroccan shakshukastyle. If eggs aren’t your thing, other offerings include BLTs, pancakes and grilled cheese. Sips Pair your brunch dish with a bellini or martini featuring herb vermouth made in-house.

PHOTOS BY BETH MANN

Crook’s Corner | Sunday, 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Dish Brunch dishes here are seasonal – recent plates include ginger-raisin cinnamon rolls with lemon-cream cheese frosting and barbecue enchiladas. Sips Choose from a full bar menu, including brunch classics like mimosas and the restaurant’s specialty cocktail list, which includes favorites like a frozen mint julep. Oakleaf | Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Dish Come for the Gruyere and egg sandwich; stay for the blueberry-mascarpone flapjacks. Sips Their fancy day drinking menu includes fun offerings like citrus vodka punch made with jasmine tea. ACME | Sunday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Dish Go old-school with eggs and bacon or taste southern classics like fried green tomato sandwiches and pecan-crusted fried chicken. Sips Every week, the restaurant makes their house-

U N I Q U E

Venable | Saturday & Sunday, 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Dish Indulge with a variety of salads, burgers, egg dishes and waffles. There’s also a kid’s brunch menu for your little one! Sips The brunch cocktail menu features staples along with housemade shrubs and signature cocktails like the Morning Ritual composed of vodka, cold-brew coffee and chocolate bitters. LaPlace Louisiana Cookery | Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Dish Get a taste of NOLA with the red beans and rice with eggs or beaucoup meal bol (house-cured meats and sausages served over grits). Sips Wake up with a drink from the LaPlace Bloody Mary Bar or enjoy a cup of Carrboro Coffee Roasters coffee. CHM

J E W E L R Y

G I F T S

121 E FRANKLIN ST, CHAPEL HILL | THE STREETS AT SOUTHPOINT, DURHAM | CAMERON VILLAGE, RALEIGH

 L I G HT YEA R SJ E W E L RY.CO M Stay up to date with the latest merchandise and promotions through our website and on our social media!

The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 41

INSIDERS My favorite event in downtown is... a football Saturday! My favorite spot for shopping downtown is... Julian’s, of course. My go-to meal downtown is… cheeseburger on a plate at Sutton’s and a Diet Coke with their crushed ice. Addicted! I’m looking forward to... UNC Visitors’ Center moving to Franklin Street. In three words, I would describe downtown as… Chapel Hill’s heart. The one thing I’d love to see downtown is… more of our history and stories told. MISSY JULIAN-FOX,

The best place to soak up a little culture downtown is… the Ackland.

longtime director of the UNC Visitors’ Center

The one thing I’d tell a visitor not to miss downtown is… Julian’s and my family! And an orangeade at Sutton’s. What makes Chapel Hill’s downtown special is… the people!

What makes Carrboro’s downtown special is… The ArtsCenter and WCOM community radio. My favorite event in downtown is… the Music Maker [Relief Foundation] concerts at Carrboro Town Commons. My favorite spot for shopping downtown is...Carr Mill Mall. My go-to meal downtown is…a local brew at Steel String. I’m looking forward to... The Carrboro Music Festival each September. The one thing I’d love to see downtown is… more wacky public art. “TOFU DAVE” BELLIN,

cohousing realtor and community radio DJ

I love working downtown because… of the people who actually smile and say, “hi.” The best place to soak up a little culture downtown is… the lawn at Weaver Street Market. The one thing I’d tell a visitor not to miss downtown is… The ArtsCenter.

42 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

DINING CHAPEL HILL

Ms. Mong Mongolian BBQ, banh mi, fusion burritos. 163 E. Franklin St.; 919-933-5277;

[B]SKI’S Specialty wraps. 147 E. Franklin St.; 919-969-9727; bskis.com

Roots Bakery, Bistro & Bar Farm-to-table American and Central American fusion. 161 E. Franklin St.; 919-240-7160; rootschapelhill.com

East Franklin Street

Bandido’s Mexican Cafe Burritos, salads, quesadillas, tacos. 159-1/2 E. Franklin St.; 919-967-5048; bandidoscafe.com Benny Cappella’s Pizza, by the slice or whole pie. 122 E. Franklin St.; 919-240-5286; bennysva.com/BennyCappellas Buns Serves gourmet burgers, fries and shakes made from fresh ingredients. 107 N. Columbia St.; 919-240-4746; bunsofchapelhill.com Carolina Coffee Shop Casual American cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 138 E. Franklin St.; 919942-6875; carolinacoffeeshop.com Cosmic Cantina Burritos, salads, quesadillas, tacos. 128 E. Franklin St.; 919-960-3955 Four Corners American fare, nachos, wings, pasta. 175 E. Franklin St.; 919-537-8230; fourcornersgrille.com Hibachi & Company Japanese fast-casual spot serving healthy hibachi- and teriyaki-style dishes. 153 E. Franklin St.; 919-903-8428; hibachicompany.com

Sawasdee Thai Restaurant Thai cuisine such as red curry and pad thai. 110 N. Columbia St.; 919-960-0440; sawasdeechapelhill.com Shanghai Dumpling Dumplings, pork buns, hotpots. 143 E. Franklin St.; 919-914-6737; shanghaidumplingnc.com Sugarland Cupcakes, gelato, pastries. 140 E. Franklin St.; 919-929-2100; sugarlandchapelhill.com Sup Dogs Creative hot dogs and sides. 107 E. Franklin St.; 919-903-9566; supdogs.com Sutton’s Drug Store Classic spot serving burgers, sandwiches, breakfast and milkshakes. 159 E. Franklin St.; 919-942-5161; suttonsdrugstore.com Tama Café Tea beverages plus smoothies, coffee, desserts, salad bowls and sandwiches. 105 E. Franklin St.; 919-391-3706; tamatea.com Time-Out Southern comfort food 24 hours a day. 201 E. Franklin St.; 919-929-2425; timeout247.com Top of the Hill Chapel Hill’s only distillery also offers beers and American food. 100 E. Franklin St.; 919-929-8676; thetopofthehill.com

IMBIBE Bottle shop and restaurant featuring pizza, salads and appetizers. 108 Henderson St.; 919-636-6469; imbibenc.com

TRU Deli & Wine Sandwiches and wine. 114 Henderson St.; 919-240-7755; trudeli.com

Kurama Sushi & Noodle Express Dumplings, salads, noodle dishes. 105 N. Columbia St.; 919-968-4747; kuramasushinoodle.com

Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe Waffles, pancakes, eggs. 173 E. Franklin St.; 919-929-9192; yeoldewaffleshoppe.com

Linda’s Bar & Grill Local beer, sweet potato tots, cheese fries, burgers. 203 E. Franklin St.; 919-933-6663; lindas-bar.com

West Franklin Street

Lula’s “Simple food made the hard way,” like fried chicken and biscuits. Meals served family-style upstairs. 1101 E. Franklin St.; 919-967-2678; lulaschapelhill.com

“Simple food made the hard way” Introducing “Upstairs at Lula’s,” featuring Family Style Dinners 1101 E. Franklin St. ~ Chapel Hill ~ 919.967.2678 Lunch & Dinner 11-9 ~ lulaschapelhill.com

MidiCi Authentic Neapolitan pizza made with allnatural ingredients, plus appetizers, salads, desserts, craft beer and wine. 100 E. Franklin St., Ste. 100; 919-240-7454; mymidici.com

Newest member of the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group: Squid’s ~ 411 West ~ Mez ~ Page Road Grill ~ Lula’s ~ CHRG Catering

411 West Fresh pasta, seafood and pizzas inspired by Italy and the Mediterranean, with a healthy California twist. 411 W. Franklin St.; 919-967-2782; 411west.com Al’s Burger Shack Gourmet burgers and fries with local ingredients. 516 W. Franklin St.; 919-904-7659; alsburgershack.com

The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 43

D I N I N G

G U I D E

B. Good Seasonal, sustainably sourced burgers, salads

For Special Occasions... Cuban Revolution Express Wraps, pressed sandwiches and empanadas. 401 W. Franklin St.; 919-240-5276; cubanrevolutionexpress.com

Coming and bowls. Carolina Square; bgood.com Soon

Beer Study Bottle shop with in-store drafts and growlers to go. 106 N. Graham St.; 919-240-5423; beerstudy.com Bread & Butter Bread, cinnamon rolls, scones, desserts. 503 W. Rosemary St.; 919-960-5998; chapelhillbakery.com Breadmen’s Burgers, sandwiches, salads and grilled meat. All-day breakfast. Catering available. 324 W. Rosemary St.; 919-967-7110; breadmens.com Carolina Brewery The fifth-oldest brewery in the state features Carolina cuisine. 460 W. Franklin St.; 919-942-1800; carolinabrewery.com

like Dinner.

Elaine’s on Franklin Fine regional American cuisine, made with the freshest local ingredients. 454 W. Franklin St.; 919-960-2770; elainesonfranklin.com 454 W. FRANKLIN ST. • CHAPEL HILL 960.2770 • www.elainesonfranklin.com

Silver Medal: Best Restaurants of 2011, News & Observer

Frutta Bowls Bowls with bases of acai, pitaya, oatmeal and kale, in addition to smoothies. 140 W. Franklin St., Ste. 120; 984-999-4427; fruttabowls.com Guru India Restaurant Tandoori, thali, curry. 508-A W. Franklin St.; 919-942-8201; guruindianc.com

Cholanad Restaurant & Bar Contemporary and traditional South Indian cuisine. Catering. 308 W. Franklin St.; 800-246-5262; cholanad.com

Heavenly Buffaloes Chicken wings (bone-in and boneless) and vegan wings in more than 25 rubs and sauces. 404 W. Franklin St.; 919-914-6717 heavenlybuffaloes.com

Crook’s Corner Southern classics like shrimp and grits and jalapeño-cheddar hushpuppies. 610 W. Franklin St.; 919-929-7643; crookscorner.com

Hops Burger Bar Build-your-own burgers made from Angus beef, turkey, yellowfish tuna and bison. 140 W. Franklin St.; 984-234-3298; hopsburgerbar.com

Crossroads Chapel Hill at the Carolina Inn New American cuisine and seasonal specialties. 211 Pittsboro St.; 919-918-2777; crossroadscuisine.com

44 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

oked Home-co isine Indian cu g Casual dininut inside and o

T here’s nothing bland about the cuisine

at Vimala’s. The food here is inspired, vibrant, fresh and local. Irresistable dishes are the norm. And memorable meals are standard fare.

431 W. Franklin St. Chapel Hill inside the Courtyard, corner of S. Roberson St.

919.929.3833 curryblossom.com

 

Chef Vimala Rajendran Peoples Choice Winner at the Chapel Hill Shrimp & Grits Throwdown Photo by Donn Young

D I N I N G

G U I D E

Italian Pizzeria III Pizza, calzones, subs. The “place to be” in Chapel Hill for 35+ years. 508 W. Franklin St.; 919-968-4671; italianpizzeria3.com Kipos Greek cuisine in a relaxed, upscale setting. 431 W. Franklin St.; 919-425-0760; kiposchapelhill.com Lantern Pan-Asian cuisine. 423 W. Franklin St.; 919-969-8846; lanternrestaurant.com La Residence French-inspired cuisine made from fresh ingredients. 202 W. Rosemary St.; 919-967-2506; laresidencedining.com Lime & Basil Vietnamese fare. 200 W. Franklin St.; 919-967-5055; limeandbasil.com LOTSA Stone Fired Pizza Choose a signature pizza or build your own. 100 W. Franklin St.; 919-391-4100; lotsa.com

Mellow Mushroom Classic Southern pizza. 310 W. Franklin St.; 919-929-1941; mellowmushroom.com Merritt’s Store & Grill Sandwiches, breakfast biscuits, burgers. 1009 S. Columbia St.; 919-942-4897; merrittsblt.com Might As Well Bar & Grill Bar favorites like cheese fries plus pizza, wings and more. 206 W. Franklin St.; 984-234-3333; chapelhill.mightaswellbarandgrill.com Mint North Indian subz korma and chicken jalfrezi. 504 W. Franklin St.; 919-929-6188; mintunc.com Moe’s Southwest Grill Made-to-order burritos and more. 110 W. Franklin St.; 919-914-6217; moes.com The Northside District Specialty cocktails and international small plates. 403 W. Rosemary St.; 919391-7044; thenorthsidedistrict.com Perennial Coffee and pastries; 403 W. Franklin St.; 919-869-7517; perennial.cafe

Mama Dip’s Traditional Southern specialties, including a country breakfast and brunch and dinner classics. 408 W. Rosemary St.; 919-942-5837; mamadips.com

The Pizza Press Build your own pizza or choose a signature pie. Also enjoy salads and a large selection of craft beer. Carolina Square; thepizzapress.com

Mediterranean Deli Healthy vegan and gluten-free options and delicious meats from the grill. 410 W. Franklin St.; 919-967-2666; mediterraneandeli.com

Chapel Hill Join us this summer for weekly lunch specials! Don't forget about brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. $1 mimosas and $3 bloody marys!

local hang out

upgraded private dining space

Make your reservations now!

check out Franklin St

46 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

new garage doors

inside out dining

Walk up bar to our brew house

D I N I N G

Pizzelle Gluten-free Italian bakery with pizzelle and other sweet and savory options. Blue Dogwood Public Market, 306 W. Franklin St.; 919-9435130; pizzellebakery.com The Purple Bowl Acai bowls, toast, smoothies, coffee. 306-B W. Franklin St.; 919-903-8511; purplebowlch.com Spicy 9 Sushi Bar & Asian Restaurant Sushi, Thai curries, bibimbap and other Asian entrees. 140 W. Franklin St.; 919-903-9335; spicy9chapelhill.com Talulla’s Authentic Turkish cuisine. 456 W. Franklin St.; 919-933-1177; talullas.com Trolly Stop Specialty hot dogs and burgers. 104 W. Franklin St.; 919-240-4206; trollystophotdogs.com Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe Traditional Indian tandoori and thali. 431 W. Franklin St.; 919-9293833; curryblossom.com

G U I D E

YaYa Tea Japanese cafe with a variety of bubble teas, onigiri (rice balls) and imported Japanese snacks. 157 E. Franklin St.; 919-914-6302; yayatea.com/nc Yogurt Pump Frozen yogurt and shakes with unique flavors. 106 W. Franklin St.; 919-9427867; yogurtpump.com

CARRBORO Downtown

Acme Food & Beverage Co. Soups, salads, seafood and entrees with a Southern touch. 110 E. Main St.; 919-929-2263; acmecarrboro.com AKAI HANA Japanese cuisine including sushi, tempura and teriyaki; 206 W. Main St.; 919-942-6848; akaihana.com Armadillo Grill Tex-Mex burritos, enchiladas, tacos. 120 E. Main St.; 919-929-4669; armadillogrill.com Carrburritos Burritos, tacos, nachos and margaritas. 711 W. Rosemary St.; 919-933-8226; carrburritos.com

West End Wine Bar Pastries, light tapas, wines. 450 W. Franklin St.; 919-967-7599; westendwinebar.com

Glasshalfull Mediterranean-inspired food and wine. 106 S. Greensboro St.; 919-967-9784; glasshalfull.net

Windows Restaurant at the Franklin Hotel New American breakfast cuisine. 311 W. Franklin St.; 919-442-9000

Gourmet Kingdom Sichuan cuisine. 301 E. Main St.; 919-932-7222; thegourmetkingdom.com

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401 West Franklin Street, CH CUBANREVOLUTIONEXPRESS.COM The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 47

D I N I N G

G U I D E

Market Street Coffee & Ice Cream Locally sourced coffee, ice cream and pastries. 100 E. Weaver St.; 919-960-6776; marketstcoffee.com Mel’s Commissary & Catering Open for lunch, Mel’s serves up a changing menu of comfort food. 109 West Main St.; 919-240-7700; melscarrboro.com Milltown Pub fare with an extensive beer list. 307 E. Main St.; 919-968-2460; dininganddrinking.com

Spotted Dog Vegetarian-friendly appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, desserts. 111 E. Main St.; 919-933-1117; thespotteddogrestaurant.com Tyler’s Restaurant and Taproom Specialty import beers on tap and traditional pub fare. 102 E. Main St.; 919-929-6881; tylerstaproom.com Wings Over 18 flavors of wings. 313 E. Main St.; 919-537-8271; wingsoverchapelhill.com East Main Square

Neal’s Deli Traditional deli fare. 100-C E. Main St.; 919-967-2185; nealsdeli.com

Amante Gourmet Pizza Create-your-own pizzas. 300 E. Main St.; 919-929-3330; amantepizza.com

Oakleaf The daily changing menu includes “immediate” cuisine like handmade pastas and ingredients from the chef’s own garden. 301 E. Main St..; 984-234-0054; oakleafnc.com

Esperanza Empanada & Tequila Savory and sweet empanadas, 50 kinds of tequila. 370 E. Main St.; 919-617-1674; esperanzanc.com

Open Eye Cafe Locally roasted Carrboro Coffee, tea, beer, wine and baked goods. 101 S. Greensboro St.; 919-968-9410; openeyecafe.com

Hickory Tavern Burgers, sandwiches, salads. 370-110 E. Main St.; 919-942-7417; thehickorytavern.com One Fish Two Fish Poke restaurant with raw fish over rice, salad bowls, burritos and more. 370 E. Main St., Ste. 140; 919-240-5532; onefishtwofishpoke.com

Pizzeria Mercato Pizza, antipasto, soups and fritti. 408 W. Weaver St.; 919-967-2277; pizzeriamercatonc.com

Rise Biscuits and Donuts Carrboro Biscuits, doughnuts and coffee. 310 E. Main St., Ste. 100; 919-929-5115; risebiscuitsdonuts.com

Provence Southern French cuisine. 203 W. Weaver St.; 919-967-5008; provenceofcarrboro.com

The Shoppe Bar and Meatball Kitchen Meatballs, sliders, sides. 370 E. Main St; 919-240-5851; theshoppenc.com

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48 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

206 WEST MAIN STREET CARRBORO 919.942.6848 LUNCH & DINNER

D I N I N G

Carr Mill Mall B-Side Lounge Small plates and inspired cocktails. 919-904-7160; b-sidelounge.com Carrboro Pizza Oven Pizza, calzones. 919-904-7336; carrboropizzaoven.com CrossTies BBQ A variety of barbecue, sides and desserts. 919-918-3923; crosstiesbbq.com Elmo’s Diner Homemade Southern and American classics. 919-929-2909; elmosdinercarrboro.com Oasis Organic coffee, tea, beer and wine. 919-904-7343; oasisincarrmill.com Tandem Farm-to-table, modern American cuisine with full service bar. 919-240-7937; tandemcarrboro.com Venable Rotisserie Bistro Upscale comfort food made with locally sourced and seasonal ingredients;. 919-904-7160; venablebistro.com Weaver Street Market Hot bar and salad bar for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 919-929-0010; weaverstreetmarket.coop

HILLSBOROUGH Antonia’s Italian cuisine. 101 N. Churton St.; 919-643-7722; antoniashillsborough.com

G U I D E

El Restaurante Ixtapa Authentic from-scratch Mexican dishes. 162 Exchange Park Lane; 919-6446944; ixtapa.homestead.com/homepage.html Hot Tin Roof Games and specialty cocktails; 115 W. Margaret Ln.; 919-296-9113; hottinroofbar.com LaPlace Cajun cuisine. 111 N. Churton St.; 919-245-0041; laplacehillsborough.com Matthew’s Chocolates Gourmet chocolates, frozen treats and baked goods. 107 N. Churton St.; 919732-0900 Panciuto Southern Italian cuisine. 110 S. Churton St.; 919-732-6261; panciuto.com Radius Wood-fired pizzas, housemade pastas, salads and desserts. Outdoor dining; all ABC permits. 112 N. Churton St.; 919-245-0601; radiuspizzeria.net Saratoga Grill New England-style cuisine; 108 S. Churton St.; 919-732-2214; saratogagrill.com Weaver Street Market Hot bar for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 228 S. Churton St.; 919-245-5050; weaverstreetmarket.coop Wooden Nickel Pub Pub fare. 105 N. Churton St.; 919-643-2223; thewnp.com

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The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 49

CHAPEL HILL | CARRBORO | HILLSBOROUGH

PHOTO BY BETH MANN

BEHIND

WE ASK FOUR BARTENDERS FOR THEIR DRINK PICKS, CRAZIEST REQUESTS AND WHEN TO STOP BY

BY SAM BERMAS-DAWES

COLIN WILLIAMSâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; THE CRUNKLETON WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT BARTENDING ONCE YOU STARTED WORKING BEHIND THE BAR?

How similar it is to being a line cook in a restaurant! Tight spaces, working around other people and the fast pace is addicting to me. The other thing that surprised me is the depth of knowledge needed to be successful as a bartender. Everything from knowing how to make classic cocktails to different flavor profiles of a wide variety of whiskeys to even knowing how to best serve a guest! Bartending is much more than just serving a drink. WHEN IS YOUR BAR THE MOST LIVELY?

Usually between 9 p.m. to midnight. Chapel Hill definitely livens up more at night. 50 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST DRINK YOU’VE BEEN ASKED TO MAKE?

I’m not sure about weird, but it is odd when someone asks us to make a whiskey cocktail such as an old fashioned with a very high quality spirit. We chose our well bourbon specifically because it mixes well and expresses itself in a cocktail. Instead of spending a lot of money on an unnecessary upgrade, let us make you the best drink we can with ingredients that we know will work well. WHAT DO YOU WISH FOLKS WHO FREQUENT YOUR BAR KNEW ABOUT YOUR JOB?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions! We have more than 500 bottles of liquor in our bar and it can be overwhelming. Sit down, get comfortable and let us help you.

place that, while it has an upscale feel, isn’t intimidating. I like seeing different kinds of folks having fun together. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BAR SNACKS AT B-SIDE LOUNGE?

Hands down: the truffle prosciutto flatbread. WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST DRINK YOU’VE BEEN ASKED TO MAKE?

I would say most people don’t want some crazy drink because they are going to have to sit there and enjoy it once the novelty of ordering something weird has worn off. Once, we were tasked with making something with jalapeño and lime. Nothing crazy, but we named it the D’Artagnan... because that musketeer is ALSO not on the menu. WHAT’S YOUR SECRET TO KEEPING YOUR

ALISON HINKS B-SIDE LOUNGE WHAT’S YOUR FIRST MEMORY OF BARTENDING?

My dad was a bartender, server and line cook. Anything you could be in a restaurant, he has done. I remember begging him to teach me wine service when I was a kid! Recently, I’ve paid that forward by getting my 2-year-old nephew delivering beers from the cooler. WHEN IS YOUR BAR THE MOST LIVELY?

I don't know that we have [a] set schedule for lively nights, but it’s the most fun when we get a mix of regulars who love us, new adventurers and industry folks. B-Side is the kind of

CLIENTELE COMING BACK?

There is no big secret. We are big nerds that get excited about making drinks and we love talking about that. I think our clientele likes that a lot.

ERIC SCHRAMM CAROLINA BREWERY WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT BARTENDING?

I think it would be that no matter how hard you try you’re not always going to make everyone happy. You do your best to try and fix that with a drink or a lending ear. The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 51

WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST DRINK YOU’VE BEEN ASKED TO MAKE?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions! We have more than 500 bottles of liquor in our bar and it can be overwhelming. Sit down, get comfortable and let us help you.

place that, while it has an upscale feel, isn’t intimidating. I like seeing different kinds of folks having fun together. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BAR SNACKS AT B-SIDE LOUNGE?

Hands down: the truffle prosciutto flatbread. WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST DRINK YOU’VE BEEN ASKED TO MAKE?

ALISON HINKS B-SIDE LOUNGE WHAT’S YOUR FIRST MEMORY OF BARTENDING?

I don't know that we have [a] set schedule for lively nights, but it’s the most fun when we get a mix of regulars who love us, new adventurers and industry folks. B-Side is the kind of

CLIENTELE COMING BACK?

There is no big secret. We are big nerds that get excited about making drinks and we love talking about that. I think our clientele likes that a lot.

ERIC SCHRAMM CAROLINA BREWERY WHAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT BARTENDING?

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T HAPPENS TO THE BEST OF US. We get stuck in a routine of going to the same places. There’s nothing wrong with old favorites – I’m looking at you, caprese pizza at Italian Pizzeria III. But sometimes you need to shake it up and experience Chapel Hill as a visitor might, whether that means staying somewhere downtown or visiting the one place you’ve always been meaning to try. Recently I did just that.

54 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

PHOTO BY JUSTIN EISNER

It was a Sunday night when my partner and I checked in to the AC Hotel Chapel Hill Downtown. He’s never one to make note of decor but the minute we walked into the sleek, very European lobby, he was wowed. Instantly we were transported and forgot about the dishes sitting at home in the sink. A year ago, I had watched the hotel being built as the construction crew stacked the already built rooms on top of each other; now I was staying in one of the modern rooms with a view. Walking out of the lobby right after sunset, we were now within walking distance of everything. We landed at Hops Burger Bar, the Greensboro-based business with seemingly endless options for toppings ranging from jalapeño bacon to wasabi slaw. It was a gorgeous night for sitting outside and people-watching. We took a long walk, really slowing down to notice The Franklin Hotel’s renovated bar and new businesses like Cha House. We found our way over to The Crunkleton for belated celebratory cocktails. There was just the right amount of buzz in the air as we saddled up to the bar. Here we were at one of the best spots in town – on a Sunday night! It felt like vacation The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 55

S T A Y C A T I O N

with our phones tucked away and nowhere to be. Our last stop was The Carolina Brewery for Key lime pie in a Mason jar, a sweet way to end the evening. Looking to try something similar? Here are my three ideas for a Chapel Hill staycation:

PHOTO BY BETH MANN

SCHOOL SPIRIT Up the Carolina blue in your wardrobe with a visit to Chapel Hill Sportswear and then don’t forget your pup. CHS and others carry UNC leashes. When you get hungry, head to The Yogurt Pump for Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet and short lines in the summer. Or if it’s a Monday night, try Sup Dogs. With the students on break, grab one of the outdoor seats and get your mug – bring the biggest one you’ve got – filled on the cheap. Count on Julian’s and Gentlemen’s Corner

You’ll find avocado toast, açaí bowls and more at The Purple Bowl.

56 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

for more tailored clothing options. Toast with a blue cup at He’s Not Here and be sure to read about towngown relations in the exhibits lining the hallways at The Carolina Inn before you tuck in for the night. THE ULTIMATE DATE NIGHT A favorite way of mine to experience as much as possible on vacation is a progressive eating tour. Start off with a view and a half pint of

S T A Y C A T I O N

the perfect summertime beer, the Blue Ridge Blueberry Wheat at Top of the Hill. Then cross the street for fried chicken at the newest eatery from Chapel Hill Restaurant Group, Lula’s, a Southern-inspired restaurant. Head over to La Residence for a glass of prosecco on the patio. Stroll down to Schoolkids Records – maybe you’ll get lucky and find your song on vinyl. Try the cheese plate at Elaine’s on Franklin or split the shrimp and grits at Crook’s Corner at the bar. You can’t go wrong with dessert at ACME (two words: butterscotch pudding) or Oakleaf. Stop off for a nightcap at The Dead Mule Club that’s conveniently right next to your hotel, The Franklin Hotel.

TREAT YOURSELF Kick off your morning with a massage at Moshi Moshi. In your state of bliss, walk a few doors down to Uniquities where the helpful staff can help you pick out something you’ll love. In need of a new ‘do? Try DB Sutton & Co. Order something healthy and delicious at Purple Bowl. Perennial will keep you cool with an iced latte for your walk to Bread & Butter Bakery & Coffeeshop for a brioche cinnamon roll. Walk down to Ceremony Salon’s apothecary to stock up on beauty products. Continue to Carr Mill Mall to shop for sandals or boots at Sofia’s Boutique. Head to Milltown to split their frites and end the night at the Hampton Inn & Suites Chapel Hill/Carrboro. CHM

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@AlumniHallUNC The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 57

WHEN IN

CARRBORO THREE LOCALS SHARE THEIR

PHOTO BY BETH MANN

MUST-VISIT SPOTS

58 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

THE FOOD SCENE PHOTO BY BRIANA BROUGH

E ARE TRULY SPOILED

SCOTT CONARY

owner of Carrboro Coffee Roasters, Open Eye Cafe and Caffe Driade

in our fully walkable town with city-like experiences! National award-winning producers are found on every corner, like the Carrboro Farmers’ Market, where you can find Just Bee Apiary honey and Carrboro Coffee Roasters. In between, you can walk to Pizzeria Mercato for James Beard-nominated food, Bon Appétit’s suggestion for delicious pizza and more; or a few paces away to visit wonderful Mediterranean-inspired cuisine at Tandem. If you don’t want to “travel” for your food, you can take just a few steps for great twists on delicious American grill food from Tyler’s or vegetarian delights from The Spotted Dog. For the optimist, there are the bistro stylings of Glasshalfull with a wonderful wine selection and Carrburritos for a fresh Cali/Mex experience. Recent newcomer from Pittsboro Oakleaf is kicking things off in an elegant and delicious manner! After dinner, you can recharge with award-winning coffee and more at Open Eye Cafe, or grab a beer at Steel String Brewery, to get you ready for a night of music at The Station, The ArtsCenter or Cat’s Cradle. Your nightcap, a mere 100 yards away, could come from the B-Side Lounge or perhaps the relaxed setting of Bowbarr. The next morning, you can revive with a yummy breakfast at Elmo’s or brunch at ACME before walking a bit more in our parks and green spaces. There really is too much to mention in one quick walk around town, so be sure to allow for more days to roam about this historic mill town. 

The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 59

C A R R B O R O

THE RETAIL SCENE ERE AT CAMERON’S, we love

BRIDGET PEMBERTON-SMITH,

chair of the Carrboro Business Alliance and co-owner of Cameron’s gift gallery

everything Carrboro, and since we’re located right next to the Hampton Inn we get to share our love with lots of out-of-town guests. With a high percentage of locally owned retail shops, Carrboro offers a truly unique shopping experience. For folks looking for gifts or souvenirs created locally, we suggest WomanCraft Gifts and the North Carolina Crafts Gallery. This & That also features local artists as well as a great collection of Carrboro T-shirts. At Cameron’s, we’re known for our greeting cards but also carry everything from plastic cockroaches and yodeling pickles to beautiful jewelry and fair-trade fashion. Speaking of fashion, Carrboro has a little something for everyone. When you’re walking around Carrboro it’s hard to miss all the runners and their great athletic gear. Why are there so many runners? Because Fleet Feet Sports nurtures a great running community by organizing running groups while sharing the latest trends in athletic wear. If you are more of an “off-road” exerciser, Townsend Bertram & Company will get you outfitted for all your outdoor adventures. Every town needs a beautiful boutique and for Carrboro, Sofia’s Boutique is just that. Owner Chrystina has honed in on the Carrboro vibe with her fashion-forward but comfortable clothing lines. And perhaps because Carrboro is so environmentally conscious, the town boasts two thrift stores: the PTA Thrift Shop and Club Nova Thrift Shop. Turn in the clothes you’re tired of and then buy a whole new look without breaking the bank. Now that’s some fun recycling! And don’t forget the kids! Ali Cat Toys has the charm of an old-fashioned toy store while stocking the trendiest toys. While Balloons and Tunes is known for their fun balloon bouquets, they also have the best party favors around. And last but not least, before you head home for the day, stop in at Weaver Street Market for any groceries you might need. The co-op is truly the heart of Carrboro. 

60 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

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The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 61

C A R R B O R O

THE ARTS SCENE RT PENETRATES EVERYTHING in Carrboro, from the

GARY PHILLIPS,

Carrboro’s poet laureate and owner of Weaver Street Realty

beautiful public architecture of the Carrboro Farmers’ Market to the Michael Brown mural gracing the facade of Weaver Street Realty. Check out Leo Gaev, a metalworker on Lloyd Street whose sculptural work includes staircases, lighting and furniture, or the extraordinary Mike Roig, whose large kinetic sculptures undulate and spin from the yard of his studio on Hillsborough Road. The ArtsCenter is one of the linchpins of our regional art scene, featuring classes, galleries and performance space. Then there’s

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C A R R B O R O

The Clay Centre on Lloyd Street, and LIGHT Art + Design, a unique contemporary gallery off

Rosemary Street and on the Carrboro/Chapel Hill line. Carrboro sponsors a lively 2nd Friday ArtWalk, hangs art on the walls of the Carrboro Town Hall and sports several coffeehouses with galleries, including Open Eye and Looking Glass Cafe. I think it’s also right to point out Glenn’s Tattoo Service on Rosemary, which has over 3,000 Instagram followers, and Adam Phillips, who has

a beautiful little dance studio in the Peck and Artisans building across from the PTA Thrift Shop. It’s all art, all over town. Then there’s the famous Carrboro Music Festival, with over 200 acts across 29 Carrboro venues, and the Carrboro Film Festival in November, and the four-day West End Poetry Festival every October. Words are important in Carrboro, the only town in the South that begins each of its Board of Aldermen meetings with a poem. – Holly West CHM

The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 63

LIKE A LOCAL EDITOR JESSICA STRINGER SPENT AN AFTERNOON IN HILLSBOROUGH, ASKING LOCALS WHERE SHE SHOULD GO NEXT

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETH MANN

12:07 P.M. THE WOODEN NICKEL PUB All the outdoor tables at The Wooden Nickel Pub are occupied on this sunny spring day in Hillsborough, so I take a seat at the bar. With the bartenders busy, I turn to my left for guidance. Matt Novik, communications and visitors services coordinator at The Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, is finishing up a patty melt and tater tots, but points to the daily

64 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 65

H I L L S B O R O U G H

specials on the wall, saying the sandwiches are not to be missed. I order a Nickel-Fil-a, a picklebrined chicken breast sandwich, and make a mental note to come back for a pint, given the extensive beer list. Matt suggests going to Purple Crow Books. “During my lunch breaks, I often wonder around town and pop in to look at new titles,” Matt tells me. “They’ve got a section on North Carolina authors.” When Matt leaves, I tell the bartender what I’m up to and how much I enjoyed my first visit. He says, “You’ve been to Hillsborough but haven’t been to the Nickel before today? This is Hillsborough’s living room.”

12:58 P.M. PURPLE CROW BOOKS Randy Campbell welcomes

me to the bookstore as I look for the local section. Given that Hillsborough’s home to dozens of writers and authors, I ask whether he ever spots them. “They are very interactive with this community,” he says. “They are very good about stopping by. They aren’t hidden away.” That might explain how Randy knows that author Allan Gurganus is working on something new and that Lee Smith comes in while walking her dog. (Another fun fact I learn that day – Purple Crow Books

66 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

welcomes well-behaved pups!) Randy works two days a week at the bookstore that Sharon Wheeler opened nearly a decade ago and says he moved to town after living in Durham. We chat about the Riverwalk and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. He tells me to check out Dual Supply Co. and some of the art galleries in town so off I go.

1:22 P.M. DUAL SUPPLY CO. Whether you’re looking for firestarter, cords or a broom, you’ll find it here. “It’s not easy to browse but they know where everything is,” Randy had told me of the family-owned hardware store. A customer walks in and owner Jeff Woods greets her, asking “Are you here for the wheelbarrow?” Lost among the long aisles of things I’m not in the market for and with all the customers waiting for help, I head outside. The shop’s Carolina blue rocking chair outside makes for a good people-watching spot as I figure out which of the many art galleries to visit. Across the street, a couple sips iced coffee at Cup A Joe while two guys peer into the not-yet-opened King Street Bar as the lanterns flicker. A radio is humming with a WHUP broadcast. 

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H I L L S B O R O U G H

1:34 P.M. MARGARET LANE GALLERY It’s quiet in the gallery space that Mary Knox and her husband, David (above), opened

of talented people,” she told me. “We have had people find us and ask to be included.” Mary

in January 2017. But come Last Fridays in Hillsborough, the porch of the building is a lively scene with an interactive puppet show and families strolling about. She says the atmosphere those evenings is truly festive which still delights the couple a year and a half into their new venture. “We both retired and decided that it was time for a new adventure,” Mary says. “We had never owned a gallery, never done anything with retail.” Mary says the art in the main room changes the Wednesday before a Last Friday but to stop by anytime to see paintings and sculpture from local artists, including David’s photography upstairs. “It’s amazing in this area the number

advises me to take the short walk to Volume, a record store and bar, to visit Tony Lopez. “He is obviously doing the things he loves and it shows in the atmosphere,” she says.

68 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

2:18 P.M. VOLUME Grammy-winning band The Stereotypes is playing on the record player as I grab a stool. Tony, who grew up in Durham, says it was an easy decision to open. “To the best of my knowledge, there’s never been a record store

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H I L L S B O R O U G H

I left Hillsborough that afternoon armed with an even longer to-do list since I know I barely scratched the surface

in Hillsborough,” Tony tells me. “I fell in love with the building.” Customers have been extremely welcoming since he and co-owner Nathan Andrews opened in October 2017, bringing their favorite records and enjoying the throwback in time. “People have come in and shared stories about vinyl that has meant a lot to them,” Tony says. He suggests I head over to Mystery Brewing Public House for their fantastic seasonal menu.

2:47 P.M. CARLISLE & LINNY VINTAGE JEWELRY While I would love to be sipping a Letter 23, Mystery’s limited release Strawberry Lavender Saison, I’m on the clock and have more exploring to do. I walk up to Carlisle & Linny Vintage Jewelry, which would

celebrate its fourth birthday that weekend. As I look through the selection of one-of-a-kind pieces culled from all over the country, owner

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Lindsley Bowen stops in with shop dog, Tucker.

She tells me how she ended up moving to town: “I didn’t actually choose Hillsborough – Hillsborough chose me! It felt like a small town where I could make my mark as a real member of the community.” Lindsley says the widening of the sidewalks in downtown is not the only improvement to make a difference to locals and visitors. “I hear griping about lack of parking, but that is few and far between – and a complete myth. We have a huge parking deck that is easy to access and right downtown. Plus, there is parking all along King Street,” she tells me. “One just has to be willing to walk a bit more than they used to – but it’s pretty here, so a walk should be appreciated!” Having walked all over town myself, I happen to agree. I left Hillsborough that afternoon armed with an even longer to-do list since I know I barely scratched the surface – Pasta at Panciuto! Pizza at Radius! Vintage cowboy boots at Uniquitiques! – thanks to some very helpful locals. CHM

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CHAPEL HILL

ABOUT FAMILIES SHARE A SLICE OF LIVING IN DOWNTOWN CHAPEL HILL

BY JESSICA STRINGER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIANA BROUGH

FINALLY AT HOME

RADLEY CUMMINS AND Kristen Prescott have always gravitated toward

living downtown and have called Barcelona, Buenos Aires, London, Stockholm and most recently, New Bern home. “For us, living downtown was a given. I worked from home for many years, and it was always important for me to be able to take a break and walk to a coffee shop,” Bradley says. “Perennial has opened around the corner, and they’re doing a great job.” Their home search in 2010 resulted in a house on West Cameron Avenue that ticks off several boxes. “We love the activity and energy, and it was important for us to find this when moving to the area,” he says. “We were fortunate to purchase a home from a lovely group of siblings whose family had lived there since it was built in the early 1920s and whose father had worked at 72 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

T Kristen Prescott, daughter Harper and Bradley Cummins on Franklin Street, photographed right before daughter Ada was born. The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 73

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Artist Linda Prager and Chapel Hill Town Council Member Michael Parker live only steps away from Bread & Butter Bakery & Coffeeshop.

The Carolina Inn for 50 years.” It’s a sweet

coincidence given that Kristen is the senior catering manager at The Carolina Inn. Bradley also works nearby as a software engineer on campus. The couple has found downtown living quite amenable for their family, which includes 3-yearold daughter Harper and newborn Ada. “We’re able to walk or bike to work and even pick up our daughter from daycare on the bike,” Bradley

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says. “She’s very proud of her ladybug helmet!” Harper also loves walking downtown, going out to eat and taking the stroller to the park at Hargraves Community Center.

‘BEST OF BOTH WORLDS’ hen Chapel Hill Town Council member Michael Parker attended graduate school in neurobiology at

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UNC a few decades ago, Franklin Street looked

a lot different. He says his haunts were “Tijuana Fats on Rosemary, the Porthole on Franklin and, of course, The Rathskeller. And I bought a lot of vinyls at the Record Bar.” Now he and his wife, Linda Prager, have some new favorites ranging from Kipos to Mediterranean Deli. The couple lived in Chelsea in New York City before moving back in 2010 and starting the search for a downtown dwelling. “We knew we didn’t want a private home and were pretty certain we wanted to live downtown,” Michael says. “Greenbridge was by far the best option.” Despite choosing to live in a bustling area like their home in New York City, that’s where similarities between Chelsea and Chapel Hill

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end. “It’s the best of both worlds,” Michael says of their proximity to parks and greenspace. Michael and Linda eat dinner outside as often as they can when the weather permits and they walk everywhere. “We both make an effort to walk as much as possible – me to events and meetings downtown, my wife to her ceramics studio in Carrboro, and both of us to events on campus – particularly Memorial Hall and Kenan Stadium.”

TRUE TAR HEELS hen Gail McKinley and Bill Poteat, UNC class of ’64, were moving to North Carolina in 2008, they knew

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WHY WE LOVE IT HERE

“T

here are countless fun activities for our family, whether it’s dancing at Fridays on the Front Porch at The Carolina Inn, a delicious weekend brunch at Carolina Coffee Shop or fun date night at 411 West or Lantern. We feel fortunate to be able to walk to all of these and feel the unique energy of the town. It’s not just the places, though, it’s really about the people and the sense of community. From our neighborhood happy hours to the local business people (like Al!) who wave at us and our daughter when we walk by and, even better, know our order when we walk in. The shape of downtown may change, but the fabric of it stays the same, and we love getting to be a part of it.” – Clay Schossow, who lives in the CameronMcCauley Historic District with wife Sarada and daughter Ruby, 1 “I love the history of the neighborhood, the friendliness of neighbors and the sense of rootedness and place. And I’m Southern, so I

love that we neighbors acknowledge each other when passing on the street, even if it’s a simple head nod. A lot of that sense of place comes from our involvement with the Marian Cheek Jackson Center, which has helped connect us to people who have lived in the neighborhood for generations and helps document the powerful history of the area. That said, it can get loud to live so close to downtown. And it can feel crowded – even to those who have lived here for decades – as Chapel Hill grows. I feel strongly that our neighborhood is more valuable than walkability and convenience. It has a rich heart and soul and layered collection of interesting, compelling people.” – Whitney Robinson Rivers, who lives in the historic Northside neighborhood with husband Louie and son Lou, 3 “We live adjacent to the UNC campus and downtown Chapel Hill. We can walk uptown every night and grab dinner, visit friends and shop at local businesses. We have actually been doing this for over 20 years! We also now take our grown daughters along with us, as we did when they were small, along with our dogs. We meet so many students and love talking with them as well as merchants and other local folks. We get waved at by the town bus drivers, UPS drivers and other people who recognize us on a daily basis.” – Janine Holland, a Chapel Hill native who lives off South Columbia Street with husband Lantz, who also grew up here “We love spending time in our vegetable garden or on the front porch. We’re close with several of our neighbors and appreciate the diversity in our area. Becky and I met at UNC, and we loved Chapel Hill so much we spent the years after graduation working and living here. We both recently decided to go back to UNC for our master’s. We’ll hang out at Weaver Street, or bike to one of the local parks. We love being able to cheer on the Tar Heel 10 Miler and walk to art and music festivals. Our house is always the hangout spot for weekend nights and big UNC games. We feel where we live allows for community connection and a low-impact lifestyle.” – Brian Stark Godfrey, who lives near West Franklin Street with wife Becky Jepson

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that living downtown was a priority. “We found a little house just inside the Cameron-McCauley Historic District, a block from Franklin Street,” Gail says. Now nearly a decade into living downtown, they’ve gotten used to exploring or running errands on foot, especially with the new Target nearby. “We enjoy being able to walk

‘our’ squirrels and birds, or in cold weather by the fireplace in the front living room, where we can watch folks walking and biking to work or class along Cameron Avenue.” On weekends, the Tar Heel fans especially appreciate the proximity to campus and often walk to football and women’s basketball games. “Our grandchildren love to

to Franklin Street or along the Libba Cotten Bikeway to Carrboro, for restaurants or groceries or haircuts or dry cleaning or just browsing,” Gail says. “We love being able to do almost anything without taking our little car out of its garage!” Even though the couple is just a few minutes away from the heart of downtown, their home is a relaxing refuge. The early risers take turns making coffee and then “serve it either on our back deck in nice weather, where we can watch the antics of

come visit us here and share the excitement of game days – or impromptu shopping or a walk to the Yogurt Pump.” Overall, Gail and Bill say they are “deeply happy” about their life in Chapel Hill. “Our neighbors are a stimulating mix of young families dedicated to the downtown life, even younger folks who call me ma’am, and a few funny grown-ups like us,” Gail says. “When the wind is right, we can hear the hours being pealed from the Bell Tower.” CHM

The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 77

INSIDERS My favorite event in downtown is... So many to choose from, anything listed on the Downtown Partnership’s website is worth experiencing and of course, national championship celebrations on Franklin Street. My favorite spot for shopping downtown is... Light Years (best funky sock selection around). My go-to meal downtown is... any burger-fry combination from Al’s Burger Shack. In three words, I would describe downtown as... unique, welcoming, surprising.

BRIAN LITCHFIELD,

director of Chapel Hill Transit

The one thing I’d love to see downtown is... more opportunities for people, especially families, to linger and mingle. The best place to soak up a little culture downtown is... Ackland Art Museum (don’t forget to stop by the museum store) and if art isn’t your thing, Top of the Hill Distillery.

My company bought The Franklin Hotel downtown because... I believe it is located in the best place to host guests of the community. My favorite event in downtown is... a sunny day. My favorite spot for shopping downtown is... Carr Mill Mall (yes, I consider it all one downtown). My go-to meal downtown is... the spinach and mushroom quesadilla at Cosmic, spicy green sauce required. I’m looking forward to... more creative people living and working downtown. JAY PATEL,

In three words, I would describe downtown as… easy to enjoy.

owner of The Franklin Hotel

The one thing I’d love to see downtown is... more diverse groups of people hanging out together. The best place to soak up a little culture downtown is... on the corner of Graham Street and Franklin Street. The one thing I’d tell a visitor not to miss downtown is... the “secret garden” behind the iron gate next to UNC’s ITS building.

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November Affordable Housing Bond Referendum

The Town Council has approved

putting a $10 million general obligation bond on the November ballot. Chapel Hill voters will decide whether to give the Town the borrowing authority for the bonds.

What would the $10 million be used for? • Construction of new affordable housing • Preservation of existing affordable housing • Acquisition of property to be used for affordable housing What is affordable housing? • A home that costs no more than 30% of a household’s income. • Projects that qualify for bond funding would be used to serve households below 80% of the Area Median Income. For a family of four in Chapel Hill, that’s a household making less than $64,500.

If you’re interested in this measure, vote in the November election! To learn more about Chapel Hill affordable housing efforts, visit chapelhillaffordablehousing.org.

townofchapelhill.org

CHAPEL HILL | CARRBORO | HILLSBOROUGH

FAMILY PARENTS TELL US THEIR FAVORITE PLACES TO TAKE THEIR KIDS DOWNTOWN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETH MANN

“Deciding where to eat on Franklin Street can be a challenge when my kids Benny Robertshaw, 14, and Mary Lou Robertshaw, 9, have so many favorites. Cheesy tots at Sup Dogs, the Bobo Chili Cheeseburger from Al’s Burger Shack, or the sushi-go-round at Kurama. Thankfully everyone agrees on waffle cones at Yogurt Pump for dessert!” –Meg McGurk “Since the children were in preschool Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe has been a family favorite. Now Cornelia, 11, and Graham, 9, enjoy going there for brunch before the monthly Family and Friends Sundays at the Ackland Art Museum. There’s always something new and interesting for them to discover at the museum.” –Cecily Nisbet “We love to take our 1-year-old daughter for a stroll along the Riverwalk, where she watches for animals along the Eno River. The Riverwalk connects to the Occoneechee Speedway or to Gold Park, both favorite spots of ours for their small-town feel. Churton Street, the main thoroughfare, often bustles with foot traffic and leads to one of our favorite family spots, the Orange County Public Library.” –Elizabeth Poindexter 80 chapelhillmagazine.com The Downtowner 2018

UNC grads and Hillsborough residents Elizabeth and Matt Poindexter often take their 1-yearold daughter, Cora, to the Riverwalk where artist Patrick Doughertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stickwork sculpture sits.

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“My two boys, Caleb, 14, and Charlie, 11, both enjoy the Carrboro Music Festival each September in downtown Carrboro. Avid music lovers, it gives all of us the opportunity to explore favorite and new styles of music. And we also get to eat at some of our favorite food joints – Carrboro Pizza Oven, Elmo’s, Tyler’s and Hickory Tavern.” –Susanna Schmitt Williams “The holiday parade is one of our family’s favorite annual events! I loved going when I was a kid and it’s even more fun to go as a family now. My kids, Hazel Grine, 12, and Wyatt Grine, 9, love to drink hot chocolate and wave as the floats, bands and community groups go by. They especially love to pet the rescue dogs and wave to their friends and neighbors. Some participants throw candy to the crowd and the kids always manage to amass a sackful by the time Santa’s sled goes by.” –Karen Stegman “My twin sons, Luke and Sam, 6, love Franklin Street as much as I do. One of their favorite things to do downtown is attend church at Love Chapel Hill, a congregation that meets in The Varsity Theatre on Sunday mornings. After church, it’s a tradition to walk to Sutton’s for lunch, topped off with an orangeade and a selection from the baskets full of classic candy. I’m grateful that they know many of the overlooked faces of Franklin Street by name and are learning the value of every single human soul. I hope they always keep that childlike vision of our beautiful downtown.” –Matt LeRoy “Tar Heel Born, Tar Heel Bred rings true for my kids Benny and Mary Lou, who revel in the excitement of Tar Heel Downtown. They love the marching band and cheerleaders who parade on Franklin Street and getting tons of Carolina swag. It gets us all pumped for the football season!” –Meg McGurk

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“My family and I love to spend fall football Saturdays taking in the lively atmosphere on Franklin Street and at Tar Heel Downtown on campus. Our two sons, Griff, 3, and Joe, 1, are already big Carolina fans and they look forward to our family tailgate at University Baptist Church, right in the heart of it all!” –Christy Bray Graves “Cornelia and Graham look forward to the month of April, when we explore Arts Everywhere Day and the UNC Science Expo, which both offer lots of fun, interactive activities

on the UNC campus just off Franklin Street. If we need energy to keep going, we like to swing by Sugarland for a cupcake.” –Cecily Nisbet “Anytime my family goes downtown, we love to stop by Trolly Stop for hot dogs. My kids, Hazel and Wyatt, and I are vegetarians so we appreciate that Trolly Stop has veggie dogs. We are less happy that our favorite combo is called ‘the Duke dog’ though and strongly recommend they change the name to ‘the Joel Berry II!’” –Karen Stegman

Come visit us for ALL THINGS CAROLINA

Downtown at 119 East Franklin or online at ChapelHillSportswear.com Chapel Hill Sportswear

Proud to be part of downtown CHSWear_UNC Chapel Hill and the UNC team since 1989!

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INSIDERS What makes Carrboro’s downtown special is... the people who live and work here. My favorite event in downtown is... any night I can have a drink, a bite to eat, see a show. My favorite spot for shopping downtown is... Fifth Season Gardening. All Day Records too! My go-to meal downtown is... a tie between Pizzeria Mercato, ACME and Glasshalfull for dinner and Mel’s, Akai Hana or Neal’s for lunch. The one thing I’d love to see downtown is... more retail. STEVE BALCOM,

general manager of The Splinter Group

I love working downtown because... it’s inspiring, creative and fits what we do. The best place to soak up a little culture downtown is… Cat’s Cradle. The one thing I’d tell a visitor not to miss downtown is... to spend a night eating, drinking and seeing music. Start someplace and end another!

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Festival educator and UNC student Steve Mow leads an interactive science show with volunteers from the crowd during the eighth annual UNC Science Expo.

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“You would think having a mom as a firefighter/ fire chief my boys would tire of visiting the fire station. Every trip to Carrboro we stop in so they can see the best fire department in NC, maybe even the U.S.! Caleb and Charlie especially enjoy seeing the red fire trucks and visiting with Carrboro Fire-Rescue personnel. If we’re lucky to catch them in town, we get ice cream from the blue ice cream trucks.” –Susanna Schmitt Williams “My family and I love to stop in to Sutton’s Drug Store for lunch and a cherry diet coke as often as we can. My son, Griff looks forward to their hot dogs and Joe hopes for a bite of a banana milkshake. It’s a great place to catch up with fellow locals and maybe even spot a UNC basketball star!” –Christy Bray Graves CHM –Compiled by Ashley Applewhite

PHOTO COURTESY UNC’S MOREHEAD PLANETARIUM AND SCIENCE CENTER

F A M I L Y

INSIDERS I opened La Residence downtown because… it was the place to be, in 1981 as it is now, the epicenter of Orange County. My favorite event in downtown is… the national championship events. My favorite spot for shopping downtown is… Alumni Hall. My go-to meal downtown is… the shrimp and grits here at La Residence! Second favorite is Sutton’s. I’m looking forward to... what the future holds. Downtown is sooo different now than it was 30 years ago – I can’t wait to see what comes next! FRANCES GUALTIERI,

owner of La Residence

In three words, I would describe downtown as... fluid, fun, current. The one thing I’d love to see downtown is… more parking! The best place to soak up a little culture downtown is… the Ackland. The one thing I’d tell a visitor not to miss downtown is… UNC’s campus.

STAY FRESH. THINK HEALTHY. EAT FRUTTA.

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The Downtowner 2018 chapelhillmagazine.com 87

INSIDERS What makes Hillsborough’s downtown special is… on any given day, you’re bound to run into an artist, author, poet, musician, brewer, historian or our mayor or someone just waiting for you to ask them these same questions so that they can brag about how awesome Hillsborough is. My favorite event in downtown is… The annual Winter Solstice Lantern Walk on the Riverwalk. Seeing the hundreds of beautiful handmade lanterns light up the night’s sky highlights the creativity and connectedness of this community. My favorite spot for shopping downtown is… the Hillsborough Arts Council Gallery and Gift Shop. I love that I can support a nonprofit and the local artists who consign there. It’s my go-to for gifts and cards. EILEEN FERRELL,

program coordinator for the Hillsborough Arts Council

My go-to meal downtown is… tots with one of the daily specials and a pint at The Wooden Nickel. I’m looking forward to … October in downtown: trick-or-treating with my son, the Hillsborough Handmade Parade, River Park Concert and Paint It Orange. In three words, I would describe downtown as… friendly, locally owned, creative. The one thing I’d love to see downtown is… someplace for kids and/or teenagers to call their own. I love working downtown because… we all know how special this place is. We want our town and people to thrive and visitors to feel welcome. The best place to soak up a little culture downtown is… Cup A Joe for the local vibe and LaPlace for an authentically Cajun meal. The one thing I’d tell a visitor not to miss downtown is… “A Sight to Behold” by Patrick Dougherty on the Riverwalk before it’s gone!

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