Around Town: Weaver Street Market Expands in Southern Village

Posted on May 5, 2017

Not only did Weaver Street Market have its most profitable year in 2016, the co-op raised $43,500 for the region’s food banks, just by asking shoppers whether they’d be willing to round up their totals to the nearest dollar.

Such solid returns allowed Weaver Street’s Southern Village market to buy its ground-floor retail space from Bryan Properties late last summer, and now the store is adding 1,000 square feet of retail space along the front facade. A new terrace along the front sidewalk and a three-season porch along the side of the building will add another 50 seats for dine-in customers.

Southern Village’s store manager, Micki McCarthy, who formerly worked for Whole Foods, attributes Weaver Street’s success to its ability to connect customers to farmers and food producers. Also, prepared foods (bread, hot bar, takeout) now account for close to 40 percent of business.

Though the new outdoor patio looked a bit barren during construction, newly planted shade trees and bushes will make it feel as welcoming as the picnic lawn in front of the Carrboro market.

Hours at Southern Village: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.

Weaver Street Market, 716 Market St., 919-929-2009

Hyatt Finds Its Place at Southern Village

Being within walking distance is all part of the plan for the Hyatt Place hotel that just opened on the edge of Southern Village.

D.R. Bryan Jr., the developer of Southern Village, designed the 110-room hotel with sustainability in mind, building on an infill site at the village with easy access to walking and biking trails and a Chapel Hill transit hub. The architect also incorporated water-saving fixtures, indigenous plantings, passive-solar features and LED lighting. Besides overnight accommodations, the hotel offers more than 1,700 square feet of flexible meeting space.

Hyatt Place Chapel Hill/Southern Village, 1090 U.S. Highway 15-501, 919-929-9511

Trolly Stop Moves

Trolly Stop Hot Dogs has moved east a couple of blocks to a larger storefront nearer Chapel Hill’s main intersection.

The move up West Franklin next to Ben & Jerry’s near Columbia Street — the crossroads where students throng to celebrate national championships — gives the shop room to add a back room for pool, table tennis and video games. To its menu of hot dogs (made from a variety of meats or a vegetarian version, with names such as the Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, Bell Tower and Old Well, with varying combination of toppings), burgers and sides, the eatery has added Maple View Farm ice cream.

Diners waiting for their orders can mull Wilmington artist Lorraine Scalamoni’s mural of a trolley-carful of anthropomorphic animals or the Mark Twain aphorisms painted above the grill. Among them: “The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.”

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.

Trolly Stop, 104 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, 919-240-4206

Carolina Coffee Shop for Sale

Now could be your opportunity to own and operate a piece of Chapel Hill history. The Carolina Coffee Shop, the popular eatery and hangout that has called 138 E. Franklin St. home since 1922, is on the block.

Mike DePersia, a broker with the Triangle-based National Restaurant Properties handling the sale, told The News & Observer the shop’s absentee ownership group — whose members preferred not to be identified — are seeking new owners better situated to deal with things such as a water main break that shut down many Chapel Hill businesses on a February weekend expecting a flood of basketball fans.

The $145,000 listing (for the business, not the leased building) on bizbuysell.com says the 2,854-square-foot space has the potential for more late-night service, catering, private parties and outdoor dining as well as increased alcohol sales.

Other than those changes, the owners hope whoever takes over will keep the comfortably worn booths, tile floors, polished bar and other features pretty much as is until at least the coffee shop’s 100th birthday in 2022.

Departures and Arrivals

Chapel Hill Comics, the oldest specialty comic book store in the Triangle, closed after 10 years on West Franklin. … Lotsa Stone Fired Pizza moved into the building on the northwestern corner of Franklin and Columbia streets, most recently occupied by Jasmin Mediterranean Bistro. … Sweet Frog yogurt closed shop on East Franklin but plans to relocate nearby. … Khushi Salads and Wraps on East Franklin closed, but its space was quickly taken by Grk Yeero sandwich shop. … McAlister’s Deli, a small regional chain founded in 1989, with restaurants in Durham, Raleigh and Apex, pulled out after several years on East Franklin next to Linda’s. … Fans of Ethiopian food will miss Queen of Sheba, lately of the Timberlyne shopping center on Weaver Dairy Road. Owner Friesh Dabei originally opened the restaurant downtown, on North Graham Street, but the building was torn down to make way for Greenbridge condominiums.

— Ann Loftin