However, Sree seems to take the most pride in the store’s freshly brewed coffee, something he describes as “the Maserati of coffee.”
Within the next few weeks, Valluru plans to expand hours to include breakfast and Sundays, in addition to adding beer and wine to the menu as an attraction for a more late night crowd.
Valluru would also like to work with the app Uconnection to make deals available for students.
Freedom app
UNC faculty member, alumnus and researcher Fred Stutzman is the founder of Eighty Percent Solutions, the company known for creating the new app Freedom.
Freedom is an app that shuts off a user’s internet access and social media notifications from sources like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram for up to eight hours.
Stutzman said the app exists for creative workers who need to focus to complete their work, as well as for busy undergraduate and graduate students that don’t have time for these distractions.
Stutzman doesn’t want to be mistaken for someone who is against social media, but known as someone who wants to avoid interruptions.
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“Facebook is a positive thing,” he said. “Do we really need Facebook notifications all the time?”
Freedom stems from an older app that Eighty Percent Solutions created call Anti-Social. The original app simply shut off notifications for all social media apps.
“Freedom was the next step,” Stutzman said.
He is now working with his company to improve Freedom before figuring out what he does next.
“We’re trying to find a way to manage these distractions,” Stutzman said.
Wildflower Preschool
Wildflower Preschool is a new business venture, run by Meg Hanks, based around teaching children, from ages 2 to 5 years old, to appreciate the outdoors, while also providing them with a traditional preschool education.
Hanks said she has worked in the child care industry for 25 years now, but has only decided in the last five years that her real passion is teaching children how important and beautiful the outdoors is.
“I have mostly worked in fully licensed, full-day centers,” she said.
The preschool, which is located at Hanks’ home in Chapel Hill, contains a large play area with chickens and a vegetable garden. A turtle enclosure is also being built nearby.
Hanks said she feels parents will be very responsive to the school.
“Parents are more and more interested in backyard chicken flocks,” she said.
Hanks also said she believes that parents share her feelings about kids being too close to technology.
The school has yet to host any open houses, but it is currently open for individual visits.
