Retail space welcomes local children's museum

If kids learn by playing, then what better place is there to learn than Franklin Street?

At least that's what planners for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Children's Museum and one local business likely were thinking last week when they announced plans to locate the long-awaited museum in the heart of the downtown.

The new partners say the museum, which will share the roughly 3,000-square-foot space at 105 E. Franklin St. with the gift and apparel store Laughing Turtle Home, will be a learning enhancement for children and a boon to downtown businesses.

"Downtown is a jewel," said store owner Dana McMahan, who noted that there are few places downtown children and families can go.

Slated for completion in 2006, the museum will take up most of the building's floor space and feature both permanent and traveling exhibits, said Jonathan Mills, president of the museum's board of directors.

The store will become a gift shop, selling toys and gifts.

With small, local children's museums becoming a more popular attraction nationwide, the idea to create one in Chapel Hill was long overdue, Mills said.

"It doesn't make sense that we're the education capital of North Carolina, in many ways, and yet we're driving an hour to go to the museum in Greensboro."

The museum also will give families another reason to visit downtown the new partners said.

Liz Parham, executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, said she thinks the location will boost University initiatives such as the Arts Common along with local business.

The museum is still in planning stages, with none of the permanent or traveling exhibits yet finalized.

Mills said planners envision students volunteering at the museum.

The Laughing Turtle space, which McMahan is donating until 2007, will act as a prototype for a larger, permanent space.

Planners have been searching for more than a year for a museum location, Mills said. They pursued Wicked Burrito building at 214 W. Franklin St. until it was sold to Carolina Pros Inc., another nonprofit group.

But Mills said the East Franklin Street location will work out fine for the children's museum.

"Oh, we're not sorry at all," Mills said. "This is frankly a better opportunity."

 

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.