This Raleigh grocer is adding a pharmacy + big changes for 2 Triangle record stores
We know what you’re thinking: The Raleigh Wegmans already has a cock-a-doodle-dooing rooster and a train suspended from the ceiling. What else, pray tell, could it need?
A pharmacy, apparently.
The store at 1200 Wake Towne Drive opened a pharmacy this month, giving shoppers an opportunity to fill prescriptions and get immunizations.
“Wegmans has been in the pharmacy business for 52 years, and we’re excited to bring our personalized approach to pharmacy to our Raleigh-area customers,” Wegmans Pharmacy operations manager T.J. Yantsides said in a news release.
While other grocery stores in the Triangle — such as Harris Teeter, Walmart and Publix — have pharmacies, the Raleigh Wegmans is the grocer’s only location in the area that has a pharmacy. Wegmans does not have plans to add a pharmacy to its other North Carolina stores, according to the press release.
▪ Speaking of grocery stores, they’ve been front of mind in the politics world recently. Vice President (and now Democratic presidential nominee) Kamala Harris said at a campaign event in Raleigh that she wanted to put an end to “corporate price gouging” in the grocery and food industries. We looked into why Triangle shoppers may still be seeing high numbers on their receipts.
Here’s what else is happening with retail in the Triangle.
Chapel Hill’s Schoolkids Records is closing
It’s the end of an era for a local record store.
Schoolkids Records, which has been open on Chapel Hill’s Franklin Street since the ‘70s, is set to close by the end of the year, The News & Observer’s Josh Shaffer reported.
Owner Stephen Judge cited changes in the music industry, challenges in local real estate and post-pandemic inflation as reasons for the closure.
While the Chapel Hill location is leaving, the Raleigh store near N.C. State University will remain.
“This may be the end of an era in Chapel Hill, but I will remain dedicated to keep our brand on task and with consistency to support the entire music community,” Judge wrote in a GoFundMe post asking for help with the business transition. “... The most important thing you can do is live your life, not the life of or for others but yours. As you grow and find your peace, you realize that you don’t get the years back.”
Hunky Dory plans move to new home in Raleigh
That’s not all the news we have about record stores.
Another local favorite, Hunky Dory, is closing its Seaboard Station store and moving to another place in Raleigh.
Owner Michael Bell hopes to have the store at Raleigh Iron Works open by November, in time for Black Friday.
“The vibe is awesome,” Bell said. “There’s life on the weekend. The place is packed. Very friendly neighbors. I couldn’t dream of a better spot for what I’m trying to do.”
Shoppers will find “vinyl and vibes”: vintage, new and reissued albums, along with craft beer (much of it local) and some wine and cider.
Target is coming to Johnston County
Target is opening its first Johnston County store in Selma.
But any eager shoppers will have to wait a while. Construction isn’t supposed to start until 2025, setting the store up for an early 2026 opening.
The retailer is one of the businesses joining the brand-new Eastfield development, along with Academy Sports + Outdoors, Hobby Lobby and Old Navy, to name a few. In addition to the shopping center, the AdVenture Development project will have a business park, medical space, entertainment and hospitality venues, and residential options.
It’s bringing more than jobs to the community, Selma Mayor Byron McAllister told The N&O.
“We’re excited to create an environment where the folks that live in Selma don’t have to leave Selma to get anything they need,” McAllister said.
Social district opens at Durham mall
The Streets at Southpoint launched a new Common Area Entertainment Zone, which is like a city’s social district. Anyone who’s at least 21 years old can take an alcoholic drink purchased at a participating restaurant — and served in a designated cup — and walk around the shopping center with it.
Signs placed around the property show the boundaries of the zone, The N&O’s Mary Helen Moore reported. Note that some retailers may not allow beverages in store.
The participating restaurants are:
- California Pizza Kitchen
- Firebirds
- CO
- Uncle Julio’s
Jersey Mike’s Subs is opening several Triangle stores
The popular sandwich shop Jersey Mike’s Subs is expanding in the Triangle.
A new restaurant opened last week on Wade Avenue in Raleigh, at the Whole Foods-anchored Ridgewood Shopping Center. The sandwich shop is next to Drift, the cafe that opened in June.
The sandwich chain has plans to open a few more stores in the area, though opening dates haven’t been announced:
- Garner: NC Hwy 50 & Hwy 42
- Wake County: 5100 Forestville Road
- Raleigh: 6220 Battle Bridge Road
- Rolesville: South Main Street & Jonesville Road
- Wendell: 2839 Wendell Blvd.
Burlington, HomeGoods opening this fall in Knightdale
Two large retailers are coming soon to the Raleigh area.
Burlington and HomeGoods are both expected to open this fall at Knightdale Marketplace in Knightdale.
And the retailers are continuing to expand in North Carolina:
▪ Burlington, which offers discounted apparel, home decor and other items, is also planning to open in Henderson and Selma this fall.
▪ HomeGoods is joining Shops at Gaston Mall in Gastonia. The grand opening is scheduled for Aug. 29.
This story was originally published August 26, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "This Raleigh grocer is adding a pharmacy + big changes for 2 Triangle record stores."
