Chapel Hill mall tears down building, adds ice cream. Here’s the latest business news.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams fans in Chapel Hill won’t have to drive far for a sweet treat when a new shop opens at University Place mall this year.
The storefront is one of two spots anchoring The Commons, a public green replacing the eastern end of the mall where A Southern Season once stood. No tenant has been announced yet for the other one-story building on the green.
Jeni’s features made-from-scratch, buttercream-based flavors that provide a smoother texture. Founder Jeni Britton Bauer is a 2012 James Beard award winner.
The Ohio-based company opened a store in Raleigh’s Village District last year, and also has shops in Durham and Charlotte.
It’s known for its unique flavor combinations, including Wildberry Lavender, Banana French Toast, and Biscuits with the Boss (a collaboration with the Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso”).
The latest on University Place construction
The mall is actively leasing roughly a dozen other storefronts at its eastern end, according to online documents.
Demolition work is happening at the former K&W Cafeteria near Fordham Boulevard and Binkley Baptist Church. It will be replaced with a new Chick-fil-A restaurant with two drive-through lanes. Curry Up Now will also add Indian street food this year.
On the western end of the property, crews are almost finished with 500 Willow, a 253-unit apartment building on Willow Drive. It will have a parking deck and ground-floor incubator storefronts for creators and startup retailers.
A Ram Realty spokesperson said in an email that current construction could wrap by fall, including new storefronts on the eastern side of the 1970s-era mall and two single-story buildings with five storefronts. Tenants will move in through spring of 2025.
It has not been confirmed whether the Chapel Hill Farmers Market will move from the parking lot along Estes Drive to The Commons. The market is “part of the long-term vision for University Place,” Ram officials said
The massive redevelopment project is transforming the traditional mall by turning storefronts inside-out and creating an open-air shopping center with 350,000 square feet of retail space, 60,000 square feet of offices, apartments and a hotel.
Other local business news
▪ Another restaurant will enter downtown Chapel Hill’s acai-bowl scene this summer when Playa Bowls opens at 104 E. Franklin St. The business founded by surfers inspired by exotic coastal destinations offers bowls, smoothies, juices and cold brews.
The 1,320-square-foot store will be the first in North Carolina for the Chapel Hill franchise owners, said Dave Eynon. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and seat 20 customers.
▪ Zayka Indian Bar and Grill will bring northern Indian flavor to 105 E. Franklin St., said co-owner Dolly Kalia, whose husband Keshav Kalia has over 25 years of cooking experience. The family also owns Zayka Indian Cuisine in Brier Creek and Chaat Mandi in Morrisville.
Chapel Hill’s Zayka restaurant will be a fine dining experience and also offer catering, Kalia said. They hope to open by early summer in the former Basecamp Chapel Hill restaurant space.
▪ David Kaminski, who started River Mill Cycles in Saxapahaw about two years ago, has moved the business to 615 Hampton Pointe Drive (next to China Fuji) in Hillsborough. River Mill Cycles offers mobile and in-house bike service and repairs, classes and events.
General Manager Gregg Dodson said they loved working in Saxapahaw, but made the move because more customers were in the Mebane and Hillsborough areas. The new location is closer to the Brumley Nature Preserve on New Hope Church Road and Old N.C. 10, he said, and will give them more opportunities to sponsor bike rides.
▪ Chapel Hill’s downtown Starbucks is opening a bigger store across the street on the ground floor of the Top of the Hill building. The space at 100 E. Franklin St. was home to Midici, which closed its pizzeria in 2019. No word yet about when it will open.
Raising Cane’s, which opened in November at 101 E. Franklin St., owns the Starbucks building at 103 E. Franklin St. The restaurant occupies the entire second floor. It has not responded to questions about whether it could expand.
▪ Dame’s Chicken & Waffles closed at 147 E. Franklin St. after two years. The restaurant still has locations in Durham, Greensboro and Cary.
