University PC comes to Franklin Street
University PC, a personal computer and cell phone repair company, is coming to Franklin Street. The Raleigh-based company expanded to Chapel Hill to provide services to college students and faculty members.
“What we plan to do is to provide fast and complete services,” owner E.L. James said. “If you go to the mall because your screen is broken, they fix it in a half hour or 45 minutes.”
James said he wanted repairs to be accessible to college students, so he pursued this location. He will offer the same speedy services that a larger retailer would but at a more convenient location a few steps from campus.
University PC offers a one-price deal where customers purchase a $150 yearlong membership that covers all service fees for an entire year. Members only pay for the hardware and have access to reduced pricing on sales.
University PC will also provide one-time services.
“This is a new on-campus initiative,” James said. “Once the concept is proven here at UNC, we’ll take the show on the road.”
Ms. Mong transforms into lounge
Mongolian barbecue eatery Ms. Mong has established Kumiho, a late night pop-up kitchen. On Friday and Saturday nights, Ms. Mong transforms into a Korean and Japanese inspired lounge for those 21 and older.
“It’s as if the place were wearing a neon mask,” co-owner Isaac Park said.
Chef Patrick Kim prepares dishes such as authentic Japanese ramen and Chinese buns with unique fillings. Asian-inspired drinks are served, such as sake and soju, a Korean spirit. DJs also play music inspired by Little Tokyo, Koreatown and Chinatown.
Kumiho is a nine-tailed fox creature from Korean folklore that morphs into a woman who seduces men and eats their hearts or livers. The name reflects Ms. Mong’s transformation from restaurant to late-night lounge.
“It’s really sleek, but not too sleek to where it’s pretentious,” Park said. “We’re trying to create a comfortable atmosphere.”
Kumiho opened on Oct. 23 and will continue to pop up every Friday and Satuday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Chapel Hill Armacell headquarters
The American headquarters for Armacell LLC, an insulation foam producer, moved from Mebane to Chapel Hill into an office park off of Weaver Dairy Road.
Armacell is a global manufacturer of flexible insulation foams for equipment insulation. The company has two main operations — Advanced Insulation and Engineered Foams. Advanced Insulation creates flexible insulation foam to insulate mechanical equipment. Engineered Foams develops lighter foams with a wider range of uses.
“We have outgrown the plant location and decided to move the headquarters here to Chapel Hill,” Joanna Beckman, marketing communications manager, said.
Armacell has used the Mebane manufacturing plant since 2000. The headquarters’ move allows the Mebane space to be used for customer service and technical support among other functions.
“There are about 30 Armacell employees at the Chapel Hill location and 250 at the Mebane location,” Beckman said.
The grand opening and ribbon-cutting was on Friday.
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