No Gap in Residents' Loyalty to Local Stores

But some stores are doing what they can to stick around despite the influx of chain stores.

John Woodard, the pharmacist and owner of Sutton's Drug Store said he has seen many changes in the last 24 years, and while he is optimistic about downtown, he is not always pleased to see his neighbors move on.

"If they can't make it up here then they've got to get someone who can," he said. "But it's a shame to lose the flavor of local business."

Sutton's has been a part of Franklin Street since 1923, and Woodard has owned the store since 1977.

"We try to provide the services that most chains don't," he said. "You can't be here forever if all you want to do is make a ton of money."

But while some Franklin Street merchants say they are not bitter about the arrival of chain stores like the Gap or Starbucks Coffee, some residents said they do not like the outside businesses.

"National stores suck, and they're killing Chapel Hill," said Debbie Herz-Middler of Southern Village. "I was a freshman in '85, and it was a different place then. I like the Gap ... but I don't know if its place is right on Franklin Street."

But another Franklin Street shopper said he believed chain stores were a benefit to consumers.

"I guess there's something to be said for local business, and I'm all for it," said Stephen Swartz, a freshman business major. "But I'm not against big chains coming in here and giving me lower prices."

Robert Humphreys, director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Commission, a nonprofit service organization, said chain stores bring benefits to local merchants by bringing shoppers downtown.

Humphreys also said the ratio of chain stores to locally owned stores has been about 20 percent to 80 percent and has not changed much over the years.

But owners said longstanding businesses such as Hector's restaurant, which has been around since 1969, and Sutton's stay successful because of customer loyalty.

"At least 50 percent of the people who come in for lunch everyday are regular customers," said Jose Constantino, long-time employee and now co-owner, of Hector's. "We can tell if someone is new."

But some businesses, such as Internationalist Books, rely on community support as a key to survival.

"We actually became a cooperative a year and a half ago," said store manager Dawn Peebles. "We couldn't make it without the support of the community, and they know it."

Many local merchants say their experience in Chapel Hill gives them an advantage over outside businesses. Constantino said McAlister's Deli, with its large payroll, might have trouble in the summer when business is slow.

"Summertime is bad for all businesses," Constantino said. "(McAlister's) has big money behind them, but who knows how long it will last."

Missy Julian, co-owner of Julian's, a Franklin Street staple since 1942, said it's not hard for a business to prosper downtown but does not want Chapel Hill to become like a lot of other college towns.

"What I have seen emphasized is the part of the university town closest to the campus has been turned over to one segment of the population, which is the students," she said. "I wouldn't want that to happen here."

Julian said competition from chain stores does not worry her and said she would like to see more stores downtown. "I'd like to see more retail stores on Franklin Street," she said, "We do have a lot of quick restaurants, and I think we have enough."

But Woodard said his method for staying in business is to provide personal service and to enjoy his work.

He said he misses stores like The Intimate Bookshop, but said he does not worry about Chapel Hill losing its distinctiveness.

"Chapel Hill will never lose its charm. All of the places, even the chains, will do what they can to keep that charm."

The City Editor can be reached

at citydesk@unc.edu.