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Is Fosters returning?
NC Courage Event at Union Station Thursday, April 25th (buy tickets to the Women’s ICC)
New building planned at Meredith
Uncle Julio’s restaurant coming to Crabtree
Restaurant coming to former Burger King on Hillsborough Street
South Street getting a Mini-Mart
Year-Over-Year rent increases higher than average in Raleigh
Music for Me Fine (4/26) tickets available – click here to purchase
Brewgaloo (4/26-4/27) tickets available – click here to purchase
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Is Fosters Returning?
We have received countless text messages and questions regarding the recent work being done at the former home of Felson’s (Fosters + Nelson’s).
Is Fosters coming back? Are they preparing for another block party? Is the dance floor being remodeled?
Sadly, Felson’s is not returning. The headline we used is called “clickbait.” It’s supposed to attract clicks, even though it can sometimes be misleading. But hey, that’s showbiz baby!
What’s actually going on is a massive renovation project at Raleigh’s most beloved Harris Teeter. Many years ago, Harris Teeter took over the space that was once home to Felson’s. They are now gutting Felson’s as part of a larger renovation to the store.
More than 20 separate permits were issued to Ashland Construction for the project. The total combined value for the 24 renovation permits comes to a staggering $5,239,200, or roughly one snow day’s worth of sales at Harris Teeter. We’ll have a separate post that details the changes coming to the CVHT in a few weeks. Yes, there are rumors of a pizza island, and yes, they are true.
We realize a lot of you are in a state of shock and/or mourning right now after thinking Fosters was possibly returning. We’ll leave you with this;
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International Champions Cup Event At Union Station Plaza Thursday
The International Champions Cup (ICC) is coming to North Carolina on August 15th and 18th, and the NC Courage are ready to defend their title. This Thursday, April 25th, the NC Courage will join fans at Union Station Plaza to celebrate the upcoming tournament.
From 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, fans can meet the players, get autographs, play games, and more. The event will also serve as a celebratory sendoff for Courage players departing to prepare for the FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer.
Held on August 15th and 18th at WakeMed Soccer Park, the Women’s ICC will feature four of the top clubs in the world, including the NC Courage (who won the tournament in 2018), Olympique Lyonnais, Manchester City, and Atlético de Madrid.
This year’s Women’s ICC, considered the premier women’s international club tournament, will feature two official Women’s ICC ambassadors, World Cup winner and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Heather O’Reilly (NC Courage) and the first ever Ballon d’Or Féminin winner Ada Hegerberg (Olympique Lyonnais).
Fans can purchase tickets for the Women’s ICC at the event on Thursday. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 26th. Use code ITBSOCCER to purchase tickets early, starting at 10:00 am on April 25th. Buy tickets here.
In addition to their 2018 Women’s ICC championship, the Courage won the 2018 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship and the 2018 NWSL Shield (an annual award given to the team with the best regular season record). The Downtown Raleigh Alliance, in partnership with Relevent Sports Group, the owner and operator of the Women’s International Champions Cup, will host the event with the North Carolina Courage.
Meredith Expands Communication and Exercise and Sport Science Programs
Meredith College announced that its Board of Trustees had approved “construction of a new academic building on the College’s Hillsborough Street campus.” The vote took place at a meeting held March 20-21, 2019.
According to the press release, the new facility will be constructed near the Weatherspoon Gymnasium/Lowery Fitness Center, and “will replace Weatherspoon Annex, providing new, cutting-edge instructional space for Meredith’s growing communication and exercise and sports science programs.”
The release goes on to note that enrollment in Meredith’s “undergraduate communication and exercise and sports science programs has increased by 29% and 52% respectively” since 2011. Construction is expected to be completed by the Fall of 2020.
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New Restaurant To Replace McCormick & Schmick’s
For the longest time, we thought McCormick & Schmick’s was a law firm. Apparently, it was a seafood restaurant, but none of that matters because it’s gone now. Uncle Julio’s, a high-end chain specializing in made-from-scratch menu items, will soon be moving into the space previously occupied by McCormick & Schmick’s.
A pair of permits with a combined value of more than $625,000 were issued to the Florida-based construction firm RCC Associates for the fit-out of the 8,527 sq. ft. restaurant and accompanying 132 sq. ft. entryway. Uncle Julio’s recently opened its first North Carolina location at the Streets at Southpoint in Durham.
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Hillsborough Street Burger King to Become Vietnamese Restaurant
For more than 20 years, the building at 3701 Hillsborough Street served as a Burger King. Since the King left the building at some point in late 2016/early 2017, the longtime restaurant has sat vacant, its signage stripped away but its surroundings well kept.
The property was eventually sold in February 2019 to a well-regarded physician living in Raleigh, who will be turning the place into the Hieubowl Vietnamese Kitchen.
Permits were issued for the $136,284 transformation of the 2,324 square-foot space into a Vietnamese restaurant. The work is being handled by SBC Contracting Inc. out of Wake Forest.
South Street Mini-Mart
Our friend Dan Meyer recently shared a photo on Twitter showing a banner advertising a new Mini-Mart coming to South Street in what looked to be the Extra Space Storage Building.
An ABC Inspection Permit – typically one of the final bureaucratic hurdles a business owner is required to jump through if they intend on selling booze to the public – was issued for the space last week. While this isn’t definitive proof that the new South Street Mini-Mart will be open by, say, the end of the month, we’d say it’s still a pretty safe bet.
Renovations had begun on the space back in February after US Structures Corp received a permit valued at just under $75,000 for the interior alteration for a new convenience store.
Raleigh Rent Increases Outpace National Average
Our friends over at RentCafe put out a report detailing the average year-over-year rent increases across the country; on average, rents in March 2019 were up 3.2% over March of 2018.
Raleigh and several surrounding cities exceeded this national average with Cary leading the pack at a 5.2% increase, followed by Durham at 5.1%, and finally Raleigh at 4.5%.
