{"id":20557,"date":"2013-10-17T12:54:55","date_gmt":"2013-10-17T16:54:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/raleighpublicrecord.org\/?p=20557"},"modified":"2013-10-18T11:07:03","modified_gmt":"2013-10-18T15:07:03","slug":"old-businesses-new-buildings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/news\/2013\/10\/17\/old-businesses-new-buildings\/","title":{"rendered":"Old Businesses, New Buildings"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Sadlack\u2019s Heroes moves downtown in January, leaving its longtime building to make way for an Aloft hotel, staples like the Turkey Applejack and Philly Sub will still make the menu. The same crew will man the bar and longtime owner Rose Schwetz will still scurry around day and night running the whole operation. <\/p>\n

She\u2019s working on a patio to offer the same live music and atmosphere that\u2019s drawn NC State students to the Hillsborough Street hot spot since 1973.<\/p>\n

But Schwetz is making other bets risky for a small business, let alone one of Raleigh\u2019s longest standing ones. And she\u2019s certainly not the first or the last legendary Raleigh company to take a chance on a new location after years of success in an old one.<\/p>\n

\"Sadlack's<\/a>

Laura Baverman \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p>

Sadlack's on Hillsborough Street<\/p><\/div>\n

In coming months, Clyde Cooper\u2019s Barbeque will move its 75-year-old restaurant on East Davie Street to make room for a six-story retail and residential building called the Edison. Reliable Jewelry Company, open on Wilmington Street since 1949, will move into that building just in time for its own historic property to be demolished to make room for more development.<\/p>\n

All three expect business to be at least as usual following the moves. In each case, upgrades and expansions are planned. The owners expect long-time customers who want them to succeed to frequent the new spots. And news of a move may draw new people to come in for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I\u2019m supposed to be feeling sad, but so far it hasn\u2019t hit me,\u201d Schwetz said. \u201cI\u2019m not feeling sad\u2014I\u2019m looking forward to a new challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"berkeley<\/a>

Laura Baverman \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p><\/div>\n

Through each generation of a business, the odds of failing grow. New leadership isn\u2019t as eager as the last. Menus and inventory don\u2019t evolve with the times. A location popular decades ago doesn\u2019t have quite the draw. There\u2019s no one to succeed the patriarch or matriarch. Competition from newer establishments is just too great.<\/p>\n

But part of what makes these businesses special is the sameness. And how they adapt to the changing world around them, mixing their historic charm with the newness that customers want, could guide the future of other Raleigh businesses that hope to keep their followings for years to come.<\/p>\n

The Downtown Move<\/strong>
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a tough balance\u2014having to learn things you never learned,\u201d said Evelyn Scruggs-Murray, who helped move her family\u2019s 139-year-old Briggs Hardware from downtown to Capital Boulevard in 1996. \u201cBut I think that\u2019s what\u2019s kept us going through generations. We used to be a wholesaler and then we did government contract work. There was always something new to change with the times. And now we\u2019re on Facebook. Who knew?\u201d

\"Briggs<\/a>

Briggs Hardware around 1910. The building remains today, now operating as the Raleigh City Museum.<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Schwetz\u2019s plan is to move Sadlack\u2019s into the now-closed Berkeley Caf\u00e9 on Martin Street. She\u2019ll merge the two restaurants\u2019 menus and enlarge the kitchen. She\u2019ll remodel the interior and back patio. She\u2019ll continue to book live bands. She recognizes she may leave behind some students who walked to the bar each day or night, but her new market includes all of the residents and workers downtown. <\/p>\n

Reliable Jewelry, in coming years, will get a new storefront in the Edison at the corner of Davie and Wilmington streets. Alan Horwitz, a third generation owner in business with his dad Philip, said he\u2019s not worried about the move. More customers are already coming downtown because of the new businesses to visit and places to work and live. That\u2019ll only grow by the time Reliable is a few steps down the street from its longtime home.<\/p>\n

\"Reliable<\/a>

Karen Tam \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p><\/div>\n

The City of Raleigh helped Cooper\u2019s find a new location just around the block by the parking deck on Wilmington Street, a building that owners Randy and Debbie Holt plan to purchase early next year. It\u2019s significantly bigger\u2014besides room for outdoor seating, there\u2019s a much larger kitchen to grow the catering business that already makes up 75 percent of its sales. There\u2019s talk of opening up for dinner and serving beer and wine for the first time.<\/p>\n

But much of the decor that lines the walls floor-to-ceiling will stay. And there\u2019s still debate about whether to accept credit cards from walk-in customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe fought long and hard to keep this old place. We wanted to keep some of Raleigh\u2019s history,\u201d said Randy Holt. \u201cA lot of cities lose their history by trying to revamp everything and keep it nice and shiny. It\u2019s sad. But we have to look at the positive side instead of dwelling on things out of our hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Evening<\/a>

Karen Tam \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p>

Evening falls over the old Cooper's building.<\/p><\/div>\n

But with all of the hope and expectations about the moves, there\u2019s also careful planning and consideration required. <\/p>\n

For example, there are costs associated with moving after a long time, in equipment, lease or mortgage rates, moving and renovation costs (and the down time associated with the move) and marketing expenses that businesses like Sadlack\u2019s or Cooper\u2019s had never incurred. <\/p>\n

The More Things Change<\/strong>
\nAnd for every new expense, a small business has to bring in enough new sales to account for it, said Wayne Rivers, president and co-founder of the Family Business Institute in Raleigh. For many, no amount of marketing can make up for time not spent making and selling sandwiches or barbecue.<\/p>\n

A strong neighborhood following is essential for small businesses to survive, said Karl Larson, a local historian and volunteer with the North Carolina State Archives. Cooper\u2019s and Reliable aren\u2019t moving far from their existing locations, but Sadlack\u2019s will have to appeal to a new audience. And there\u2019s no guarantee it will be as eager for the particular genre of live music, sandwiches and beers that attracted the students.<\/p>\n

\"East<\/a>

East Davie Street in Raleigh in the 1950s <\/p><\/div>\n

Change will be required in each move. Customers will expect it. That\u2019s why Briggs relocated its hardware store after the Fayetteville Street mall plan failed and the department stores moved out, Scruggs-Murray said. It\u2019s why Mecca Restaurant had to reopen its bar, add dinner service in the evenings and offer brunch on Sundays, Larson said.<\/p>\n

And why Askew-Taylor Paints shifted to an art supply store from paint sales, because most painters picked up their supplies from Home Depot or Lowe\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe department stores left downtown and we had a virtual ghost town, but they managed to survive because they adapted to the market,\u201d Larson said.<\/p>\n

\"Mecca<\/a>

Karen Tam \/ Raleigh Public Record<\/p><\/div>\n

Plenty of storied Raleigh businesses have stood the test of time. Besides Brigg\u2019s, Askew-Taylor and Mecca, there\u2019s Flythe\u2019s Bicycles and the Hamlin Drug Co, There\u2019s Johnson-Lambe Sporting Goods, Quail Ridge Books. the Rialto and the Hayes Barton and Person Street pharmacies. Player\u2019s Retreat and Mitch\u2019s Tavern have spent decades serving students.<\/p>\n

But plenty of others haven\u2019t. Recent examples of closed Raleigh staples include Clark Art Shop, Jolly\u2019s Jewelers, the Raleigh Sandwich Shop, and now, the Berkeley Cafe.<\/p>\n

Most of a business\u2019s success ends up coming down to the motivation and drive of the owner, Rivers said, not the location or menu or decor. And not every family member, employee or anyone else is cut out for that job.<\/p>\n

A recent day spent sorting through files of customers he\u2019s helped with succession-planning since the 1980s revealed many examples of times it didn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly believe the statistic that 70 percent fail after the first generation,\u201d Rivers said. \u201cAnd another huge percent fail after the second. The secret of success in any business, especially a small one, is having one or more super dynamic, energetic and ambitious hungry people.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cBusinesses don\u2019t go into cruise control, someone has to be driving the accelerator all the time,\u201d Rivers said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With big moves coming, how Sadlack\u2019s, Cooper\u2019s and Reliable will balance their futures with their historic Raleigh past. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24062,"featured_media":20549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[42,15],"tags":[708,1443,1039],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20557"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24062"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20557\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}