All Up In Your Business: Outdoor seating is the new model for downtown

Some businesses in Chapel Hill have been forced to transition due to the coronavirus pandemic, and others are opening for the first time. He's Not Here is transitioning to become a to-go bottle service, and a new bagel shop opened last week on Rosemary Street.  

He’s Not Here

Local bar He’s Not Here re-opened on Aug. 4 after closing in March due to COVID-19. 

Customers can order from a selection of six-packs of different craft beers, general manager Fleming Fuller said. The selection will continue to expand as the bar moves forward, he said.

Fuller said last Tuesday would have marked the 20th week the store was closed since the pandemic started, and the to-go bottle service will be in place for the foreseeable future.

“It has been a tremendous adjustment for everyone, and we are still trying to figure out how to move forward,” Fuller said.

Bars are currently closed in North Carolina due to an executive order from Gov. Roy Cooper.  

Fuller said customers can come inside the store for the grab-and-go drink options, and sit in the courtyard afterward to enjoy their drinks. He said customers must wear masks inside the store, and social distancing is strictly enforced. 

The bar's new hours are 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday. 

Fuller said because the bar usually relies on sports crowds from UNC as frequent customers, the future of He's Not Here is uncertain.  

“Franklin street is just a really tough market right now," he said.

Brandwein’s Bagels

Those looking to get New York style bagels don't need to look further than Rosemary Street now that Brandwein's Bagels has opened. 

The new bagel shop opened Aug. 7 on 505 W. Rosemary St. 

Owner Alex Brandwein is a 2020 UNC graduate of the Kenan-Flagler Business School and a New York native. 

He said he had the idea to start a bagel shop in Chapel Hill while he was a graduate student in search of a place downtown to get an authentic New York style bagel. 

“As a New Yorker, I would literally have bagels every day, even twice a day,” Brandwein said. “For me, bagels have always been comforting, and there is nothing like a bagel on a Saturday morning.”

Brandwein said he found a supportive network of professors and family friends in Chapel Hill that ultimately made him decide to pursue his business idea.

Brandwein's Bagels is open from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every day, and masks and social distancing are required inside the store, kitchen manager Sean Monson said. Brandwein said customers can order inside and use outdoor seating, or they can do contactless curbside pick-up if they prefer.

Last year, Brandwein’s Bagels did a handful of pop-up events out of its current location. This made the official business opening easier because Brandwein already knew the kitchen well, he said. 

He said at the beginning of the pandemic, Brandwein's began donating bagels to UNC Health Care workers, and started a contactless delivery and pick-up service on Saturday mornings.

Brandwein said he initially planned to open in the summer with enough time to prepare before students came back, but the pandemic slightly delayed the opening and caused students to return to campus earlier than normal. 

Opening during a pandemic comes with a lot of responsibility, Brandwein said, but he is excited by the response he's gotten so far from the community. 

“While we are only an inch wide, it feels like we are a mile deep in this community,” Brandwein said.

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