2 micro-retailers join Raleigh shopping center & 1 grocer dominates the market
Two new “micro-retailers” will bring a variety of new shopping and beverage-focused experiences to Raleigh’s North Hills.
A Lil’ R & R, owned by artist and product designer Emily Petrilla, will sell gifts such as stationery, home goods and puzzles, self-care items and pet products.
The shop, which will host creative workshops and community events, will also have a rotating selection of items from local makers and small businesses.
“My goal is to create a cozy, inviting and accepting environment for creatives (which can be everyone!) to help you gain confidence and take some time for yourself or your loved ones,” Petrilla wrote in an Instagram post.
Jessie Williams and Derek Keller, who also own downtown Raleigh’s Edge of Urge boutique, will open a new version of Unlikely Professionals in Makers Alley, the collection of micro-retail spaces in the North Hills Innovation District.
Unlikely Professionals will be located in two connected spaces. One side will be a bar and home goods store, and the other will sell apparel, accessories, gifts and other items.
The store will have a beer and natural wine program and host the regular “Tarot & Toast” night, which features wine tastings and tarot readings.
Both A Lil’ R & R and Unlikely Professionals are expected to open at North Hills this spring, according to a press release. Makers Alley, which includes retail spaces as small as 485 square feet to as big as 1,081 square feet, is located at 540 St. Albans Drive. It already includes businesses such as Bofemme, Green Rabbit Plants and Hellbent.
Here’s some more Triangle retail news you might have missed.
Triangle grocery chain with the highest market share
For the third year in a row, the grocery chain with the highest market share in the Raleigh core-based statistical area, which includes Wake, Franklin and Johnston counties, is Walmart.
The Arkansas-based store also had the highest market share in the Durham-Chapel Hill core-based statistical area, which includes Durham, Orange, Chatham and Person counties.
That’s according to a new report from Chain Store Guide, a sales-tracking firm that works directly with grocery stores to determine which ones have the highest market share.
Harris Teeter and Food Lion took the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively.
Another Nordstrom Rack will open in the Triangle
The popular retailer, which offers discounts on top brands, will open a new location in Morrisville’s Park West Village (3121 Market Center Drive).
Doors open at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 10.
Nordstrom Rack is moving into the space that formerly housed Buy Buy Baby.
More retail and restaurant tenants are expected to be announced for the shopping center, but one we do know about already is Dutch Bros, an Oregon-based coffee chain. No word yet on when Dutch Bros will open, though.
This story was originally published April 7, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "2 micro-retailers join Raleigh shopping center & 1 grocer dominates the market."
