All up in your business for June 12

Rivers Agency helps with public relations

The strategic communications firm Rivers Agency is moving into Greenbridge Condominiums at 601 W. Rosemary St.  

The firm performs a wealth of services for their clients, from advertising to print design. 

“It’s pretty much anything you can do in the public relations sphere,” said Sarah Lamm, public relations director for Rivers Agency. “We build with clients to improve their brand.”  

The firm has been based in Chapel Hill since it was founded in 1993, and they decided that it was time to expand to commercial property. They chose to open a space in Chapel Hill because they wanted to contribute to the growth of the town, Lamm said. 

The space they have taken at Greenbridge Condominiums is a 4,700 square foot area that they have renovated from the inside to make it more appealing. 

“We really wanted to make it functional and beautiful,” Lamm said. “We don’t have much office space, but we have a lot of room for more collaborative space.”

From Manhattan to West Franklin

Mina’s Grill is an Italian-American restaurant which opened at 401 W. Franklin St. on June 2. Its first location was only a block away from the World Trade Center on 9/11. 

“When it collapsed, dust covered the entire place and they found bodies on the traffic lights outside our store,” owner John Hanna said. 

And eight months ago, Hanna contemplated moving to Chapel Hill after visiting a friend in the area. 

“I liked the area and I liked the neighborhood,” Hanna said. “I thought it was nice and safe and I feel much better being here, more so than any other place.” 

Hanna visited Chapel Hill again in March and decided that he would move Mina’s to Franklin Street. 

Mina’s Grill serves many homemade Italian dishes and sauces, which Hanna said sets his restaurant apart. He says even the salad dressings are homemade.

“We wanted to try to do something different in the area and we are trying to bring in something new,” Hanna said. 

Chapel Hill Barber Shop Relocating 

The Chapel Hill Barber Shop has been cutting hair at University Square since 1967, but that’s going to change in the next two months. 

The father-son duo that owns the Chapel Hill Barber Shop, Don and Drew Ingle, plan to relocate the business to The Courtyard across from the Carolina Brewery at 431 W. Franklin St. in Suite 310. 

“It’s a father-son store, though we’re hoping for that to become more of a son-father store soon,” Don Ingle said. 

The owners decided to relocate after they were told the University Square would be torn down. 

“We were the first in University Square and the last to leave,” Ingle said. 

All businesses must vacate University Square by August. Demolition is slated to begin later this year. 

“We’re very sad to leave,” Ingle said. “We really don’t want to move, we’ve been very well treated here.” 

The shop hopes to move towards the end of July, Drew Ingle said, but the wait for permits from Chapel Hill mean it could take until August.