Julian’s– A Chapel Hill Legacy

Making it on Franklin Street can prove to be mission: impossible for some, but according to most of the store owners in town, the key to success is finding a niche and sticking to it.  Franklin Street is adorned with many specialty boutiques and shops.  I would like to take this opportunity to highlight one of the most famous and popular boutiques on Franklin Street, Julian’s. 

Julian’s has been a mainstay on Franklin Street for over 60 years.  Alexander Julian, the current owner and manager, is world-renowned men and women’s clothing designer as well as home furnishings and sportswear designer.  He was a graduate of the University of North Carolina and has always been committed to remaining in Chapel Hill.  Julian is known for his specialty textures and brilliant use of craftsmanship and color.  His signature design is the pastel argyle that adorns the store.

Julian’s just recently in February of 2007 moved across the street to a new store front.  Julian’s moved into the old Polo Rugby location after Rugby was unable to make it in on fickle Franklin. 

Alexander Julian is a five-time Coty Award winner and youngest inductee to the Fashion Hall of Fame.  His textile designs are in the Smithsonian National Design Museum’s permanent collection.

Who knew such a historical and important stronghold in the fashion industry began and continues in the middle of Franklin Street?

   

Obama Supporters Land on Franklin St.

If you haven’t noticed, there is a new addition to Franklin Street that could bring a lot of attention to Chapel Hill and the surrounding area in the coming months.  The Barack Obama local headquarters is now located in the old Shorty’s Bar and Grille location on West Franklin. 

The new façade is hand-painted red, white, and blue, reading “North Carolina for Obama.”

Just a few weeks ago, the Franklin Street location was a hollow haunting, but now it is bustling with volunteers pushing local Orange County residents to register to vote for the upcoming primary on May 6.

The location has been the site of banner and billboard painting and phone-a-thons asking for local volunteers and donations.  Activities will increase as May approaches. 

As reported by The Carrboro Citizen, Dave Tillery is the local headquarters director.  He has been planning for the headquarter’s opening since February.

It will be interesting to see the attention that is brought to Chapel Hill as the primary draws near; however, the question that resounds in my mind is, how can they afford that $3,000+ rent per month?

 

Franklin Street Prepares for Victory!

The Tar Heels will face the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday night at 8:47 P.M. and downtown Chapel Hill is battening down the hatches in hopes for a Final Four victory! However, many downtown businesses do not welcome the victory celebration that ensues after a big Tar Heel win. 

There is a lot of preperation and precaution when preparing for a big win.  Franklin Street customers are not welcome to drive to downtown busineses on the evenings of a big game which hurts business on game day.

The police department will close down Franklin Street between Mallete and Columbia Streets if the Tar Heels win.  No matter what, there will be no parking on the street after 3:30 pm and all cars remaining in the area will be towed after 7:00 P.M.

For those readers who may not be familiar with the reasoning behind such drastic measures when the Tar Heels play a big game—you have to watch what could be to come Saturday night.  For those that know, enjoy and hopefully I’ll see you in the crowd on Saturday night.

 The Town of Chapel Hill has issued a formal notification about the Final Four and has set out plans for the street celebrations following aUNC victory.  The Chapel Hill police have issued the following tips for a safe celebration: “don’t drive downtown” and “batten down the hatches.”  The Town of Chapel Hill has made the following requirements/ recommendations for downtown businesses:  

• If your establishment sells paint, please restrict sale of CAROLINA blue paint for the next week. 
• No alcoholic beverages will be allowed in the closed area. This restriction is authorized by a Town ordinance making it unlawful to possess alcoholic beverages on streets, sidewalks, parking lots, and alleys within the closed area. 
• Discourage employees and customers, from parking in North Alley and South Alley.  When the streets close, vehicles parked in these alleys will not have access to the street to leave. 
• If your establishment sells alcohol, please restrict all servings to paper or plastic cups and all bulk sales should be in cans so that we can keep glass out of the area.
• If your establishment has an awning or any removable signs, we recommend removing or securing them in order to keep them from being damaged.  
• If possible, ensure that interior and exterior rooftop doors are secure to keep people off the roof.   
• Many businesses keep extra staff on the premises during celebrations to prevent or report problems.  Make sure that the Orange County Communications Center  (919) 933-2600  has an up-to-date emergency call back number.

 So come on Heels… let’s not have done all this planning in vain.  Bring us home a Final Four victory and a trip to the championship!   GO HEELS!

The Shrunken Head Stays Ahead

Awarded “Best place to stock up on Carolina paraphernalia” by The Daily Tar Heel for 2007, the Shrunken Head Boutique on Franklin Street is the longest standing Carolina souvenir shop in Chapel Hill.  Hopefully, fingers crossed, the cash registers will be ringing more than usual in the upcoming weeks as UNC vies for a national title and Tar Heel fans rush to buy their national championship memorabilia (from Shrunken Head, I hope!)!

Genny Henderson Wrenn, daughter of owner Shelton Henderson, 74, attributes the business’s 39 years of survival on fickle Franklin to her father and their family tradition.  Wrenn said her father has always prided himself and his employees in customer service.

You cannot enter Shrunken Head without a hello and you’re never left wanting for more assistance.  The Shrunken Head has the retail business down to an art.

On home game days, Shrunken Head gives out free Tar Heel tattoos and buttons to their customers.  It is a way to bring people in and support the Heels.  Wrenn says people appreciate that and “they just know that.”

Wrenn said, “We treat our customers like family.  We do a lot of hugging around here.”

Wrenn said the NCAA championship Rounds 1 and 2 have brought a lot of people into the store. 

Wrenn is preparing for the possibility of a final four victory and national title.  She explained the immense amount of preparation that goes into having a successful season.  Wrenn has been planning for March Madness since mid-January.

Wrenn explained that the she places orders with designers all over the country on an “if win” contingent.  Wrenn said when the buzzer sounds declaring a Carolina victory, her madness begins.

The Shrunken Head employees will break down the store and fill their walls with championship gear and souvenirs.  Wrenn will have to meet truck drivers who have driven through the night at 7:00 AM to receive all the merchandise. 

I had the awesome opportunity of getting a sneak peak at the national championship designs, but all I can say is… I’m getting every single one!

Wrenn said it is a lot of hard work, but when saying our goodbyes, Wrenn still gave me a big hug, and with a big smile said, “GO HEELS!”

  

Apologies

As I stated in a previous post, I had planned to interview the head of the Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership, but with the current tradgedy in Chapel Hill, the interview did not occur.  I have not been successful in reaching any of the town council or Downtown Partnership over the past couple of weeks.  I am sure that they are overwhelmed with interview requests and safety procedure updates so I have not pushed very hard.  I plan to continue further with my investigations of downtown development in the coming weeks.  Please stay tuned!

Bruegger’s Bagels Bites the Dust

So if you haven’t noticed, there’s another dark hole on Franklin Street these days, Bruegger’s Bagels shut its doors recently and does not plan to reopen that location.  Now, if you want a hot, fresh bagel, your only options are Panera, Alpine on UNC’s campus, or get in your car and drive down to the West Franklin Street Bruegger’s in Ram’s Plaza. 

Everytime I went to Brueggers I felt like it was busy, but employees at the West Franklin Street location said the downtown location just was not making any money.  The commercial real estate company just raised the rent per square foot on Franklin Street—I believe that they have claimed another student favorite. 

It’s a shame that such a busy college town does not even have a good bagel shop anymore.  I feel that a good bagel shop is a staple in any bustling community, like Chapel Hill. 

UNC graduate student, Casey Deak, said, “There’s kind of a void on Franklin Street, there should be a good ole’ mom and pop bagel shop where we can get bagels and bagel sandwiches.  I think it would do very well in the area because bagels are quick and easy to take on the go, like to class or to work.”

Franklin Street offers a range of fare from Italian, Chinese, gourmet, and you typical burger joint; but, the area is lacking in quick breakfast options for students and professionals on their way to work.  The typical Chapel Hill resident does not have time to sit down at Ye Old Waffle Shop, Coffee Shop, or Breadman’s for a hot meal in the morning; we need a quick coffee and bagel to get us going to work or to class. 

I continue to see unique stores and restaurants open on Franklin Street, take for instance Bubble Tea and Sugarland.  These stores serve very specific niches in the community.  Many of these niche stores will not meet the bottom line with high rents, high overhead, and a poor student customer base.

So… calling all entrepreneurs, we need you to fill this void and bring something to Franklin Street that the students really want!

The End of the Road for Schoolkids Records… Who’s Next?

After more than 30 years as a mainstay on Franklin Street, Schoolkids Records will close its doors on March 18, 2008. In a town where music seems to thrive and audiences of all different kinds of music abound, one would wonder why such a unique music store would be forced to shut its doors.

Part-time employee, Freddy (choosing not to give me his last name), said, “I don’t think it has anything to do with Franklin Street. It’s the record business. It’s different than it used to be.”

Freddy said that Schoolkids serves the general college student and now to survive you need to fill niches.

On March 11, 2007, Schoolkids was forced to close its annex and downsize to its original size and location which currently stands. Now it will be forced to close completely because it has become unprofitable to remain open.

The next couple of weeks, patrons of Schoolkids will see reduced prices of all the CDs and records in an attempt to clear the shelves. What merchandise does not go will be sent to the Schoolkids location in Raleigh.

As reported by Daily Tar Heel reporter Jordan Lawrence in his article “A fond farewell to Schoolkids,” local artists will have to use CD Alley to get their music out in the future. It’s a sad loss.

So, as I walk Franklin Street these days I am seeing more and more businesses close. Brueggers Bagels and Yeats Pub shut their doors just last week. A couple businesses seem to close down each month. Each week, it seems that my classmates are asking me if I’m covering the closing of a different business.

This week I discovered one piece of information that may help to answer some of our questions. The typical rent on Franklin Street is $23.00- $30.00 per square foot according to Riddle Commercial Properties. That means some businesses are paying way over $3,000.00 per month, making it difficult for any business to stick around. This is something I plan to look into in the coming weeks.

Next week look for an interview with the director of the Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership and her thoughts on the recent closings on Franklin Street.

Can you see this on Franklin Street?

After no response from Economic Development Officer Dwight Bassett to my invitation for response to comments made by the Ryans, owners of Sugarland; I decided to delve into what Mr. Bassett may be spending his time doing instead of defending his post. Interestingly enough, Mr. Bassett is busy, along with the Town Council planning a $75 million development project for Parking Lot 5 in downtown Chapel Hill.

The development project involves the construction of a three-section complex with condos, retail space, office space and parking. The complex will be eight stories high at its highest points. The development boasts that it will have 345 parking spaces and 137 condo units.

For those of us not familiar with the public lot numbers, public parking lot 5 is that lot that sits at the corner of Franklin St. and Church Street, across from the Aveda Institute and Los Patrillos. (Off-campus pedestrians, say farewell to your handy short-cut to campus across lot 5!)

The Town Council believes that sales tax and property tax revenues will estimate at $1.6 million in the project’s fifth year. This complex is part of an economic development initiative for downtown Chapel Hill that has been underway since 2003.

The overall goals of the initiative are to stimulate the town center, decrease reliance on the automobile, and increase the tax base.

The project has entered into the review phase required by the Town including reviews by various departments of commission. The Town Council hopes that a building permit will be issued in early 2008.

Many residents have expressed concern about the development project and its impact on the aesthetics of Franklin Street and the parking situation. Currently, Lot 5 is utilized frequently by visitors, tourists, and shoppers; where will these people park when construction begins? Will an eight story building detract from the historical appeal of Franklin Street? What are your thoughts?

Sugarland bakery opens on Franklin Street, but not without hassel

If you have not heard about it, you’ve probably smelled the sugary sweet aroma wofting down Franklin Street from Sugarland Bakery.  However, this delicacy has been a long time coming for owners Randolph and Katrina Ryan, no thanks to the Chapel Hill town officials. 

The Ryans’ goal is to restore Franklin Street back to like it was in the 1960s, but it has not been an easy endeavor.  The town of Chapel Hill created many obstacles for the Ryans to overcome before opening day. 

Randolph Ryan explained that opening a business in Chapel Hill is “hell.”  “The city bureaucracy is a nightmare,” Ryan said, “they don’t care about real downtown development.” 

Ryan explained after he submitted his building plans for a building permit, it took over five weeks to get the permit.  Ryan submitted three plans to the fire department, building codes department, and health department. 

Ryan said, “They follow their procedures for their convenience.”

Ryan explained that there was a lot of unnecessary delay and they were at everyone’s scheduling mercy.

Because Sugarland is in a building that is over 100 years old, the building falls under restoration building codes instead of new construction codes.  Ryan said the city initially inspected the bakery under the wrong codes and to get the city to understand and correct their mistake was miserable. 

When Ryan called the Chapel Hill town economic development officer, Dwight Bassett, with  his concerns about the inspection, Ryan said Bassett responded, “It’s not our job to solve your problem; It’s your architects problem.” 

Ryan said their suggestions for following code would have forced them to knock a hole in the wall shared with Carolina Coffee Shop to create a fire escape. 

After overcoming all of the turmoil, the Ryans were able to open their doors on to a packed house. 

Inside, the bakery is adorned with cedar wood shelves, old coffee machines, and black boards as menus that change according to the time of day.  One cannot miss the classic bakery cases in the windows showcasing the sweets of the day and the smiling faces beckoning you to come in and indulge yourself. 

The Ryans have kept the old Julian’s building true to the Julian’s theme of madras and plaid.  The employees all wear madras aprons and the curtains and decor are a pastel plaid. 

Katrina Ryan wakes up every morning at 4:00 am every morning to cook pastries, cookies, cupcakes, and many other sweet treats.   The doors open at 7:00 am and don’t close until midnight. 

The menu ranges from breakfast scones and coffees to specialty cocktails and gelato. 

Katrina Ryan is a professional chef trained in France.  She was the pastry chef at La Residence in Chapel Hill before opening Sugarland. 

Why Franklin Street?

On any given night you can find somewhere to hang out. At any given time, you can find every kind of person window shopping, eating, or strolling. With a background of Carolina blue skies and a 200 year old University, can you think of a better place to own a business? With the University of North Carolina’s 25,000+ students and 50,000 local residents, Franklin Street sits in the middle of a money making Mecca, or so one would think.

Being within walking distance from anywhere on campus and at the heart of every bus line in Orange County makes Franklin Street seem like prime real estate for entrapanuers. It boasts over 30 bars, great restaurants, and enough Carolina gear to clothe the entire town. So one would wonder why Chapel Hill residents have seen so many businesses come and go so quickly. Why is there so much emphasis placed by the Chapel Hill town council on the “development” of downtown Chapel Hill? Is it true, as writer for the Daily Tarheel Charles Dahan puts it, that

“the only businesses that survive are merely those that respond to the demands of the residents of downtown Chapel Hill: horny, binge-drinking college students?”

Many Chapel Hill locals lament the fact that many conventional businesses cannot make it on Franklin Street. For instance, Gap and the Sunglasses Hut, two nationally popular stores among a range of ages, had to close down because business was poor. The business retention rate on Franklin Street has been the concern of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership for years. The Chapel Hill Downtown partnership is “charged with bringing the resources of the town, University, and the downtown community together to maintain, enhance and promote downtown as social, cultural, and spiritual center of Chapel Hill through economic development.”

With all the distress over retention, one must remember, just last week, Ye Old Waffle Shop celebrated its 35th anniversary and Julian’s has been a stronghold of Franklin Street for many years as well. What makes these businesses thrive and others fail miserably?

Over the course of the next few months, I will explore the interesting dynamic of Franklin Street business. I will seek out the answers to the questions that so many Chapel Hill students and locals have been asking. I encourage all to comment and e-mail me with things you have been wondering, loving, or hating about Franklin Street.