Around Town News

Tears flowed after the last meal had been served at Spanky’s, the landmark restaurant that has anchored the northeast corner of Franklin and Columbia streets in Chapel Hill since 1977. read more

UNC’s Carolina Square development in downtown Chapel Hill continues to fill in with entertainment, retail and restaurants. The showpiece is Current ArtSpace + Studio, a flexible and immersive performing arts venue with a 4,000-square-foot… read more

Ali Farahnakian ’90 has debuted his People’s Improv Theater — otherwise known as the PIT — in Chapel Hill. Farahnakian, a former Saturday Night Live performer who has two PIT locations in New York, opened the third in the building… read more

Will the longtime showplace for indie films be sold or closed? Bruce Stone, who previously also owned the Varsity Theater in downtown Chapel Hill, opened the Chelsea Theater in 1990 in the Timberlyne shopping center. The Chelsea became the… read more

Berkeley Grimball Jr. ’73 will close Grimball Jewelers after more than three decades in business, rather than face finding another location and re-establishing the business. read more

The region of shopping centers that straddle Fordham Boulevard now has a singular identity: Blue Hill District. read more

Until now, Gray Squirrel Coffee Co. has nested itself inside other places. Bookworms who stepped into the lobby of the Chapel Hill Public Library recently have been greeted by the aroma of its coffee. And the original shop was inside… read more

Students and the rest of the University community now have a new major shopping option in downtown Chapel Hill and a top-to-bottom renovation of a campus hub. read more

The Barnes and Noble College-managed facility unveiled the renovations in August, which include an expanded cafe on the main level. read more