Raleigh’s retail scene changed in 2024. Some openings & closings to remember this year
The end of the year is a time of reflection for many.
In 2024, the Triangle’s retail landscape changed, with several large and small retailers shutting their doors, and others opening them.
We can’t make a list of every business that closed or opened this year, but we can round up some of the significant ones.
Triangle businesses that closed in 2024
American Freight, Raleigh
Furniture retailer American Freight shuttered all of its 300-plus stores amid bankruptcy proceedings of its parent company, Franchise Group. A dozen American Freight locations were open in North Carolina, including in Raleigh and Rocky Mount, when the news was reported.
Big Lots, Raleigh and Durham
Four Big Lots stores in Raleigh and Durham, two in each city, closed this year. The discount retailer said it would close 35-40 locations in a June filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
City Club Raleigh, Raleigh
After 45 years, this private club in downtown Raleigh said it would close its doors Tuesday, Dec. 31. When news of the closure was announced, the club had more than 1,000 members.
Lowes Foods, Raleigh
The grocery store at 8201 Rowlock Way was one of three in the Carolinas the company announced would shut down as it was “adjusting its store portfolio” and focusing on “broader growth strategy to invest in new stores and remodel existing stores.”
Regal Beaver Creek, Apex
Apex’s only movie theater closed in August, while Regal’s other Triangle locations in Cray, Garner and Raleigh remained. The Apex theater was one of nearly 40 U.S. theaters that Regal’s parent company planned to close.
Triangle businesses that opened in 2024
Aldi, Hillsborough
After delays, Orange County’s second Aldi opened in March. The German grocer is known for its affordable prices and rotating selection of home goods and other specialty products, nicknamed the “aisle of shame.”
Food Lion, Johnston County
The North Carolina-based grocer opened a new Triangle store at 55 Ford Meadows Drive in Johnston County in July. The company has four other stores in nearby Garner.
Harris Teeter, Apex
Among the first retailers to open at the new Sweetwater Town Center in Apex, Harris Teeter’s new store came with all the bells and whistles, including a hot bar, a craft wine and beer bar, a full-service Starbucks, a pharmacy and a fuel center.
Hobby Lobby, Raleigh and Selma
The popular arts and crafts store opened two new locations in the Triangle, in Raleigh and Selma, in October. These were the retailer’s 39th and 40th North Carolina stores.
HomeGoods, Knightdale
A new HomeGoods opened in Knightdale Marketplace East, a shopping center that also hosts stores such as Target, The Home Depot, Michaels and PetSmart. There are now seven HomeGoods stores in the Triangle.
RH Raleigh, The Gallery at North Hills, Raleigh
A high-end, two-level furniture store with a rooftop wine terrace and restaurant opened at Raleigh’s North Hills in November. The 60,000-square-foot gallery was the company’s second in North Carolina, following a Charlotte store.
Nordstrom Rack, Raleigh
The Seattle-based retailer known for discounted prices on popular brands opened a new Triangle location in Raleigh’s Triangle Town Place, on Sumner Boulevard off Capital Boulevard, in October. Nordstrom Rack also opened a store in Mooresville.
Trader Joe’s, Raleigh
The Triangle’s newest Trader Joe’s came to North Raleigh in mid-November. The 10,000-square-foot grocery store on Creedmoor Road joined the existing store in Raleigh’s Midtown area, along with the locations in Chapel Hill, Cary and Morrisville.
Triangle businesses on the radar for 2025
New Publix grocery stores
Publix is planning to open three locations in 2025, in Rolesville, Garner and Raleigh.
Gym replacing Apex movie theater
A company called Onelife Fitness will move into and remodel the old Apex Beaver Creek theater. The sports club will have among its amenities an indoor saltwater pool, cardio and strength equipment, class studios, outdoor training space and spa-inspired locker rooms.
Nordstrom Rack expands in the Triangle
The company opened a new location in Raleigh in 2024, and another Triangle store is projected to open in Morrisville’s Park West Village in spring 2025.
Japanese lifestyle retailer plans first North Carolina location
A Japan-based company called Ebisu Life Store is making its North Carolina and Triangle debut with a location near Raleigh’s N.C. State University. The store, which sells home decor, snacks and drinks, toys, beauty products and other items, will occupy a 3,644-square-foot space on Hillsborough Street.
This story was originally published December 30, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Raleigh’s retail scene changed in 2024. Some openings & closings to remember this year."
