Franklin Street -

New tenants to potentially fill vacant spaces at Franklin and Columbia intersection

By Carly Breland | February 19

The intersection of Franklin and Columbia streets, one of the busiest and most prominent intersections in Chapel Hill, currently has three empty storefronts. ...

Crumbl Cookies holds grand opening for Franklin Street location

By Vina Senthil | February 14

Chapel Hill's first-ever and highly-anticipated Crumbl Cookies held a grand opening for its Franklin Street on Feb. 10. After months of speculation about ...

Chapel Hill Transit to reimplement real-time bus tracking using new equipment

By Avery Baker | February 14

After a series of delays, Chapel Hill Transit is beginning to receive the new equipment needed to get Next Bus live bus tracking running again. Transit ...

TOPO Distillery to close Feb. 15 after more than 10 years in business

By Vina Senthil | January 31

The distillery produced a wide variety of liquors, including vodka, gin, unaged whisky and wheat whiskey. Visitors were offered a tour of the distillery ...

Saxsquatch: Local saxophone-playing Bigfoot gains national fame on The Tonight Show, Fortnite

By Phoebe Martel | January 22

Saxsquatch, a saxophone-wielding, Bigfoot-costume-wearing performer, has amassed a significant social media following and has even appeared on the Tonight ...

Ay Por Dios!, new Oaxaca-inspired restaurant, to open later this year

By Vina Senthil | January 18

Ay Por Dios! Mexican Bistro, an upscale Mexican fusion restaurant, will open on West Franklin Street early this year. The restaurant combines food from ...

Several new small businesses open on Franklin Street and in downtown Chapel Hill

By Sophia Fanning | January 17

Downtown Chapel Hill and Franklin Street have recently welcomed new businesses selling goods ranging from crystals and locally-made art to men's clothing ...

Gourmet cookie franchise Crumbl Cookies to hold grand opening on Feb. 3

By Maddie Policastro | January 11

It’s time to grab your milk and get ready for some cookies! Crumbl Cookies will hold a grand opening of its Franklin Street location on Feb. 3.

Downtown Chapel Hill visitation in 2022 surpasses pre-pandemic high

Downtown Chapel Hill sees over 1 million person increase in visitation, recovers after COVID-19

By Bridget Bendezu | January 11

Downtown Chapel Hill had over 9 million visitors in 2022 — an increase of over 1.6 million from the last year — according to the Chapel Hill Downtown ...

Al's Burger Shack changes hands, UNC graduates serve as new owners

By Carly Breland | January 9

Charlie Farris and Jason Kesler, franchise owners of Jersey Mike’s Subs and 2004 UNC graduates, purchased Chapel Hill’s Al’s Burger Shack in December ...

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Column: We should transfer maintenance of Franklin Street from NCDOT to the Town

By Samad Rangoonwala | January 9

"There's an opportunity to make Chapel Hill the gold standard for walkability in the South. We just need to take it."

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Editorial: Franklin Street safety means more resources, not police

By Editorial Board | November 30

"UNC cannot be safe if Franklin Street isn’t. It is time to seriously address these safety concerns before even more are harmed."

Here are the new establishments on Franklin Street that opened in 2022

Franklin Street, Chapel Hill businesses continue to survive, rely on community

By Eliza Benbow | November 30

Local businesses in Chapel Hill have been working to build and maintain strong community support and provide for community needs in a rapidly developing ...

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'Run the journey with you': UBC to host all-night run for mental health resources

By Tori Newby | October 27

University Baptist Church is hosting the Franklin All Nighter, where participants will walk and run a one-mile loop around Franklin Street, starting on ...

Franklin Street to be closed to traffic for Halloween for first time since pandemic

By Caroline Kelly | October 25

As Halloween approaches, Franklin Street will be closed for the first time in two years for the holiday festivities. There are also several events for ...

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Chapel Hill Historical Society to move out of public library in next 12-18 months

By Lucy Marques | October 19

The Historical Society moved to the public library from 523 E. Franklin St. in 2015, when the Chapel Hill Town Council sold the building, according to ...

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Town of Chapel Hill surveys community about the future of Franklin Street

By Bailey White | October 13

Chapel Hill Town staff invited community members to share their thoughts on the current and future design of Franklin Street in an online survey. Over ...

Stone Center hosts film festival, first showing highlights environmental racism in NC

By Joelle Adeleke | October 4

"Freedom Hill" was directed by Resita Cox, a filmmaker and UNC alumna. The film is a documentary on environmental racism and its effects on Princeville, ...

Cha House, popular Franklin Street tea and snack shop, rebrands to Tea Hill

By Annie Gibson | September 18

Cha House, an Asian-inspired tea and snack bar on Franklin Street, is rebranding and changing its name to Tea Hill. Along with a name change, the rebranding ...

UNC student forcefully arrested on Franklin Street by Alcohol Law Enforcement agents

By Emmy Martin | August 29

On Thursday, Aug. 25, at around 8:30 p.m., two Alcohol Law Enforcement agents arrested UNC junior Alexander Sumner with what eyewitnesses described as ...