#ShopSmall on Hillsborough Street!

Support small businesses when you shop and dine small this holiday season.

When small businesses thrive, we all thrive! To help ensure their success, American Express officially launched Small Business Saturday in 2010. Since its inception, U.S. customers have spent an estimated $85 billion at independent retailers and restaurants across the country on these Saturdays alone. And here in the Hillsborough Street district, we have plenty of local business owners ready to make sure your holiday season is the best it can be...or any other time of the year! 

Need another reason to #ShopSmall? Check out the stories of some of our small business owners here in the Hillsborough Street district!

Stories from 2019:

The Green Monkey 1217 Hillsborough Street

“I absolutely love to shop. One of my passions was shopping and researching new products, and the reason we decided to do the shop the way we did, the gift shop & the neighborhood bar, is because I wanted to create a totally different shopping experience for the monkey fans. I wanted a place where everyone would feel welcome, but it would be centered around socializing and not just a product or not just a bar. We get asked a lot of times about why we just don't do one or the other? But I say then we would just be like everybody else. What we wanted was a social shopping experience and so we knew we needed a bar to do that and I am happy to say that we just celebrated our 5th year anniversary so something is working. I truly enjoy my business and one of my top priorities is making sure every monkey fan that comes through that door leaves a little happier than they came.” 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

 

Cycle Logic 1211 Hillsborough Street

“It started when I came to NC State for college, and I got rid of my car and I started riding around. I started enjoying riding on bikes and realized that this is a really cool way to do life. So, I came into this exact store when I was 17, and I said that I will work for free because I truly just wanted to learn about the cycling industry. The owner at the time still paid me, I worked for almost 2 years here back then, and the wisdom he gave me in those years taught me a lot. After a few years, I came back and now I’m the co-owner of this store. It’s amazing to see how Hillsborough Street has developed so much over time, and it’ll be more important to ride bikes because the density of the cars is already at the point where it just can’t keep going like that. So, it’s cool to be a part of informing the city of how it’s possible to commute instead of driving. Plus, It’s one of the jobs that make people generally happy. It’s not like the dentist, it’s a bike shop and people who come in really enjoy riding a bike, so it’s a great way to spend my time and make a living, because I like to fix things and the social aspect is really nice. I enjoy just connecting and getting to know people, because if I am here just for a transaction, then there’s no difference between being a credit card scanner and a person. So, for me, just hearing about what college students are studying or listening to the retired people telling me about the trips they’re gonna take and just getting an idea how the bike comes into their whole life is always interesting and that’s what makes it so fun.” 

Website | Facebook | Instagram

 

Jasmin & Olivz Mediterranean 2430 Hillsborough Street & 3801 Hillsborough Street

“My father first started this Mediterranean business back in 2005. At that time Hillsborough Street had no healthy options because that’s what people thought students wanted but my dad had a different vision, he knew people would prefer healthier options. And it turned out to be perfect for the students and everyone loves it. Our brand is family oriented, Mediterranean food is what we grew up on and that’s what makes it the best thing, because that encourages us to just keep pushing. Coming to work and seeing everyone enjoying your food just keeps you going, they are our biggest supporters and motivators. I believe that it’s not the money that will take you somewhere, it's people’s appreciation and your army of family and customers that help you succeed.”

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Readers Corner  3201 Hillsborough St

“The reason why I created Readers Corner is because I was always interested in reading, I taught myself to read even before I went to school. It all started back in freshman year in high school, our town library was closing down so I went there and asked the mayor if I could have the books, and they let me have them; so since then, I have been surrounded with books. 

I knew I was gonna do this since 1948, and I stayed true to my vision. I have always loved messing around with books, it’s a whole different world, anything you want to know, you can find it in a book somewhere, that’s the beauty of it. And that’s my goal, to provide customers with the same joy that I find in these books." 

Facebook 

Lucky Tree 3801 Hillsborough St

“There is nothing more satisfying than working with our own neighbors and to keep it all close to home - that’s what makes it fun. The goal is to collaborate with local artists and producers to create a resourceful shared space. We are providing something we believe in and that, to me, is success.

I really believe that one of the main things in this line of business is to stay focused - though the monetary part is important - but if you are only driven through that lens, then you are gonna miss out on a lot; however, if you stay more focused on the passion and the innovation, then I believe there’s greater success in that, and that’s what I follow.

We have been here for three years, we worked hard towards it and it has paid off. We couldn't feel any luckier.” 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Meraki Salon 1301 Hillsborough St suite 102

“Our name, Meraki, means to take a piece of yourself, whether it’s a piece of your heart, soul or passion, and use that in your creative work. And it moves right into our slogan, which is Creativity, Heart, Purpose.

We really wanted to create a business that had some meaning behind It and as being hairstylists for over a decade, that ideology really speaks to us. We wanted to channel that creativity into creating a safe supportive environment for everyone that comes through our doors.

It’s satisfying to see that we can expand our reach with our business and are able to reach out to the community. We recently helped raise funds for an individual in need, and that’s one of the reasons why we started this business which is to help people in any way we can. That’s always been the goal, we want to provide the best service to our staff, to our clients and to our community.”

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram