Saturday’s tornado destroyed Earp’s Seafood Market, a South Saunders Street landmark for more than 40 years.  The family said this week they will rebuild.

The market lost its roof when the tornado made its way through south and east Raleigh.

Nancy Earp Salmon – whose father, Herbert, and mother, Mary, founded the market —  said she hopes that Earp’s will open again soon.

Nancy learned Wednesday from the insurance adjuster that they will likely have to rebuild, but she said he told her he is not sure yet.

Nancy’s contractor told her it will take two months to rebuild. Nancy said she is trying to maintain a positive attitude despite all that is going on.

The market had been in business 43 years as of March 29.

David said they were getting ready to put up a sign commemorating the years in business right before the storm hit.

David Salmon, manager of Earp’s Seafood Market, looks at damage at Earp’s Seafood Market on Wednesday.

15 Seconds

David learned of the storm’s impending arrival on Saturday when he received a phone call from his daughter. After taking a look outside, Salmon directed employees and customers to the back of the store, warning them of the storm.

He said there were about eight customers in the store at the time.

David said customers didn’t seem to realize the seriousness of the situation until they saw a woman with two kids banging on the glass door and then they lost power. David let the family inside and then herded everyone to the back. He said the storm lasted about 15 seconds.

“I was praying to God this store would hold together, and no one would get hurt,” he said.

Hunter Hornback was one of those inside that day with his son, Jackson, 5, his friend, Wes Wright, and Wright’s son, Stockton, 3. Hornback said that during and before the storm store employees were “very concerned about everyone in the store’s wellbeing.”

Hornback said that the store lost power and that when cinder blocks pulled away from the building to reveal the daylight from outside, “That was when everyone realized it was quite severe.”

Hornback said his wife makes fun of him for driving 25 minutes for seafood.

“It is a well-known establishment,” Hornback said of the market. “There are probably people that have grown up going to that establishment and have a lot of memories. I know my son has a memory after this.”

Herbert Earp started the market with just $50, said his daughter, Nancy, who also worked at the store for 15 years. She said Earp used to peddle fish and produce and say “he would love to have a fish market.”

Herbert later went to work for a bottling company for 18 years, and when the work became too strenuous, he decided to go into business for himself.

Mary Earp, Herbert’s wife, later took over the business when Herbert passed away, and has since fallen ill, leaving son-in-law David to manage daily operations.

Nancy said Mary, who learned of the tornado through the news, was very upset. Mary was unable to comment for the story, but her granddaughter, Kimber Salmon, said this in a Facebook message of her grandmother: “My Grandma Earp always taught us to stay strong and pull together.”

David said that many have stopped by, called, and left Facebook messages of support for the store.Similar Posts:

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The deal for 7.61 acres would allow for some major growth and development of the church, said Nate Williams, executive pastor of Vintage 21. “We love Raleigh,” he said. “We want to be a little city within the city.”

The church has been under contract to purchase the land at 600 New Bern Avenue since last November.

“We’re all excited,” said Williams.

The growing congregation of Triangle residents is spread across three campuses in East and West Raleigh, and Durham, and church organizers have been planning to find a property to expand upon for about a year.

Looking for land

The campaign to break new ground began early last year when Vintage 21 organizers started to draft fundraising plans. Incorporated in 2010 as a Protestant religion-based 501(c)3, the nonprofit relies on donor contributions  for operations, Williams said.

The church began collecting towards a new location in June 2010, and after a couple potential options fell through – both along Capitol Boulevard – organizers discovered the property at 600 New Bern Ave.

“It was all about timing,” Williams said.

Wake County real estate records show the land assessed for about $1.3M on Jan. 1, 2008. Vintage 21 Church is under contract for a $1.7 million price tag, according to Williams.

“We’ve raised about 400k so far,” he said, with plans to continue raising money for the rest of the year.

The church is “definitely” firm on cutting a check for the property later this fall, he said, adding that, “If [by the closing date] we need to take out a loan, we will.”

The church’s roots

Vintage 21 Church was established Nov. 18, 2002, after being founded, or “planted” by Lead Pastor Tyler Jones.

“Church planting is also known as church revitalization,” Williams said.

Through the organization’s Advance the Church initiative, Vintage 21 acts as a consultant to other churches in need of direction, in addition to its regular Sunday services.

Executive Pastor Nate Williams has been with Vintage 21 Church since 2005.

“Whether it’s finding a new pastor or figuring out how to operate,” Williams said, a church planting is “working to bring life back into the church.”

Williams joined the church in 2005 as an intern after moving with his wife from Oklahoma, hopeful that he would pick up the necessary training for a church planting of his own. Quickly, though, he and his wife decided to plant their own roots in Raleigh, and Williams joined Pastor Jones on staff at Vintage 21.

“We haven’t looked back since,” he said.

Its headquarters at 12 1/2 E. Hargett St., is between two downtown staples — the Raleigh Times and its caffeinated sister operation, the Morning Times.

The church “really wanted to remain a part of downtown Raleigh,” Williams said, while still accommodating their increasing membership.

The Vintage 21 set is a little different from what some people may expect. While Williams asserts that the church’s mission is not unlike any other religious institution, he agrees that some non-traditional means like Twitter, podcasts and satirical “Jesus” videos have enabled the church to reach more people.

Vintage 21, Williams said, “is a result of the people that come.”

“We have people that are creative, savvy and think through issues,” he said, adding that social media “is an avenue that we want to use, but we want to use it well.”

By the numbers, it seems to be working. The church began with 37 members in 2002 is now clocking attendance in at more than 1,400, which Williams said is a modest estimate.

“Our western campus was totally full, so we knew we needed to find a new place,” he said.

The 7.61 acre lot at the corner of Swain and New Bern Avenue has been under contract with Vintage 21 Church since November 2010, with plans to close the deal on November this year.

Plans for the land

With the deed still a few months from completion, the exact plans for the land will be up for consideration, but a few ideas have been on the table.

“Our initial concept is to start a co-op,” Williams said.

The church’s concept for the land is to develop an office facility to accommodate about 15-18 organizations that need space for their own “change-oriented” visions.

“We want to be a catalyst for change,” he said. “We hope to develop facilities to bless others, and possibly give away office space to other organizations” that otherwise couldn’t afford it, he said.

One centerpiece of the future development will be another base for the Vintage 21 Church network of campuses. Of the aesthetic plan for its new shared worship space, Williams said, “It probably won’t be a traditional church.”

He added that it will be more than two years before any ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“We plan on going out into the community and asking what their needs are,” he said. “We don’t assume to know.”

For at least one business owner in the neighborhood, which is located on the northern edge of Raleigh’s South Central district  and just south of the Historic Oakwood neighborhood, any addition is welcome.

“I’ve been here 11 years, and there’s never been anything over there,” said Gina Weaver, owner of Kinky Concept Hair Salon, located across the street from the vacant lot. “I think a church would be positive.”

For others, while development to the land would be invited, they see other potential uses for the space.

Nathan Croom has been a resident of the area for five years and said, “Anything would be good there, but if that neighborhood needs anything, it’s a grocery store.”

Croom said the lot was once home to a thriving community garden, and in recent years, a perimeter of fencing kept out a lot of unwanted activity.

“It used to be pretty sketchy,” Croom said of the steady foot traffic across the property.

According to the last 30 days of crime data released by the city and county, the area immediately surrounding the property had one instance of an auto theft, one count of larceny and one home burglary.

Organizers at Vintage 21 said they understand the neighborhood has its own identity and needs.

“It’s in the middle of two extremes,” Williams said. “To the north, [the area is] richer  – and to the south, poorer,” he said. “Our direction can change because of the people in the area,” he said.

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Using a service called SeeClickFix along with the capabilities of the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android mobile phones, Raleigh residents will be able to report problems like potholes or downed power lines.

The program uses a map of the city to display exact locations of various problems in the area. Any issue can be reported by clicking a specific spot and leaving a description. From there, existing concerns, which appear as little flags on the map, can be commented on and seconded.

Raleigh city councilor Bonner Gaylord has purchased the pro version of SeeClickFix to use on his website. As a city council member Gaylord said he recognizes the potential that this program has in terms of providing quick, up to date information about the many problems that arise in the city everyday.

The problem that Gaylord and the city face right now is awareness and adoption of the new technology. “It comes down to accountability and acceptance. People need to know that this works,” said Gaylord.

Currently there are 31 little flags on Gaylord’s district E map. These posts date back to mid summer when the program was first added to his website. One report reads, “A tree fell in the forest and no one heard it.” Several people want this fixed.

The proposed solution to the infrequently inhabited online version of Raleigh’s district E map is to go mobile.

In early January, Tucson became the first city to use the SeeClickFix smart phone application. Andrew Greenhill, the mayor’s chief of staff, worked closely with SeeClickFix’s CEO, Ben Berkowitz, to create something that would streamline the process, taking SeeClickFix another step higher than the “pothole hotline.”

“Smart phones provide better quality data for street maintenance workers. The GPS helps with locating the 311 issue and the photos let us know if it’s a crack or a crater,” Greenhill said.

The advantage of the mobile phone application is that people will be able to access SeeClickFix while they are actually moving around in the city, experiencing any problems first hand. Raleighites will literally be able to see a problem, click their phone (whether it be picture or text), and city officials can view the posts and hopefully fix the issue.

WRAL and Capitol Broadcasting have offered to cover the cost of the app for the city of Raleigh. There is no contract with the city and WRAL, but there is one between the popular news outlet and SeeClickFix.

A Capitol Broadcasting representative could not be reached for comment.

Berkowitz, the SeeClickFix CEO, said that if the deal goes through this will be the first time that a news organization has purchased the software for a municipal government.

WRAL will be paying for, “branding and full monitoring capabilities for the city of Raleigh’s implementation of SeeClickFix,” Gaylord said. The app will not be used for WRAL advertising, said Gaylord, but will create a street team of citizen reporters who are constantly providing live updates for both city officials and WRAL.

SeeClickFix is not meant to replace existing modes of notification. The city will still be taking calls and responding to reports. The app, Gaylord said, is simply a new outlet to obtain the information needed to do the job in a faster, more efficient way.

The Bloomsbury Estates, which sits at the corner of Hargett Street and Boylan Avenue, is the subject of a string of lawsuits against the developer.

A bank filed a lawsuit in late January against John Bruckel and David Iauco, developers of Bloomsbury Estates. The seven story estate is perched on the corner of Boylan Avenue and Hargett Street overlooking Raleigh’s cityscape and the convention center’s prismatic oak tree.

Despite Bloomsbury Estates’ striking Second Empire design and downtown location, some potential buyers have shown signs of disappointment. Three complaints have been filed against Brucknell since construction of the condominiums began. Two are still pending and one has been voluntarily dismissed. And then there is the most recent complaint.

The lawsuit, filed in Wake County’s Superior Court, demands payment in full on a $17 million loan from Fifth-Third Bank for the construction of a 62-unit condominium structure. The suit maintains that Iauco, of South Carolina, only shares liability for five-million dollars of the loan, while Bruckell is, allegedly, fully liable.

The other three complaints were brought against Bloomsbury and its developers by people who say they deposited money for Bloomsbury Estates condos. Each demands full reimbursement of moneys deposited and alleges that Bruckell informed the plaintiffs construction of the building would be complete by late 2007. Construction was not complete until the summer of 2009.

Bloomsbury’s Bruckell refused to comment on the lawsuits. Fifth-Third’s attorney, Christian Kennedy, has not returned the Record’s call.

In January 2009, the Triangle Business Journal quoted Mr. Bruckell as saying that 37 units in Bloomsbury Estates were under contract. Currently, the Triangle Multiple Listing Service lists four of the Bloomsbury Estate units with sales pending.

Sitting across the street from Bloomsbury Estates enjoying a beer at the Boylan Bridge Brewpub, the vacant windows and empty parking lot of the estates seem to tell the story. Crossing Boylan Avenue and checking the digital register of occupants at Bloomsbury Estates, there are nine contacts listed, one of which is Bruckell and one a Bloomsbury listing real estate agent, Mike Richmond.

The real estate agent has not yet returned the Record’s call as to just how many of the Bloomsbury condos have sold, but in October the N&O reported that number as zero. A property search of 710 Indepence Place on the Wake County Government website shows the only owner there to be Bloomsbury’s corporation.

Paul Reimel, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance’s economic development manager, said that while he can’t back up the information statistically, most DRA restaurateurs in the 110-block Business Improvement District in the heart of Raleigh have told him their business has been up. The western boundary of that BID is about a mile east of the Hillsborough Street project area.

Reimel also said while monthly food and beverage tax revenues for downtown establishments were down 4 percent in August from July, they were up 7 percent in September from August.

Reports of construction-related inconveniences as the Hillsborough Street Project moved along the street’s south side contiguous to N.C. State during late summer and this autumn may only be a harbinger of what’s to come when work moves soon to the business-lined north side.

But project officials said recently that it’s not as if the merchants didn’t see it coming.

Hillsborough Street construction in front of Global Village.

Mike Ritchey, who owns Global Village Organic Coffee, 2428 Hillsborough St., directly across from NC State’s Ricks Hall, begs to differ.

“I feel like I’m one of the lucky ones,” he said. “I’m only down $10,000 a month since August. Customer count is down 150 a day. But the real impact will be next summer. I use these fall and winter months to build up the war chest for then, but because of the construction, I’m not going to have the bank account to make it through.”

Especially hard-hit were his pre-9 a.m. folks who’d stop outside the shop, rush in to make a buy, then zoom off to work. That group — 33 percent of his business — disappeared when construction started and parking slots in front of his store dwindled.

“And this is classic,” Ritchey said. “They didn’t leave enough holes in the concrete barriers to start with, then the contractor chose to relocate underground wires, shutting off our utilities, on was what is usually my busiest single day, moving day on campus in mid-August.”

Phil Sykes, general manager of Red Hot and Blue, at 1900 Hillsborough, near the Oberlin Road intersection, also suffered a hit that day.

Sykes, who said his business has been cut in half since the city “brought out the bulldozers in August,” said construction began on two new roundabouts outside his door just as students returned to classes.

The timing couldn’t have been worse, he said.

“It’s been very tough,” said Sykes. “We’ve barely been able to survive. If we do get guests, we don’t get their repeat business because of the way it is. With the economy we had in the summer, we never were able to rebound the way we usually do when the students come back.

“We were all about the project because we know what the long-term effect is. It will add value and increase the business in this part of town,” he said. “But the city didn’t do enough to let people know we were open.

“I was even threatened with a fine by the city for a 3-by-10-foot white banner we secured to the building to let people know we were open,” Sykes said. “And when I contacted WRAL-TV about a story to let people know businesses were open, the next week they did a story on how people should avoid Hillsborough Street.”

Keith Getchell, manager of Two Guys Pizza, 2504 Hillsborough, also has seen business drop by more than 50 percent, especially in the evenings.

“It’s bad,” he said. “And it might have been worse, except in anticipation of this work, we put in a lunch buffet — which has been our only saving grace — added TVs in the back room and generally brightened up the place. But parking is a problem day and night and people fear construction: most tend to avoid it.”

That’s especially true for N.C. State alums, who see Two Guys as an institution and try to visit when they return to campus, Getchell said. “Most of the long-time customers are older and that makes parking even more of a problem,” he said. “They don’t see us as a destination anymore.”

Alan Lovette, who owns Melvin’s Hamburgers, 2508 Hillsborough, said business owners he surveyed recently along the construction-impacted parts of the street report their business is off from at least 23 to 30 percent.

“We have three issues here,” said Lovette, who calls Charlotte home. “The first is parking; the second is the atrocious begging situation. I’ve been almost knifed and gunshot and they tried to hold me up twice to get my briefcase, and I’ve only been here five years.

“The third issue is that N.C. State University won’t let freshmen eat over here. They force them to eat on campus their freshman year,” said Lovette, who owns three other Melvin’s: in Fuqua-Varina, Elizabethtown and Pembroke.

“Those with several restaurants will probably survive. Those who don’t are really going to struggle,” he said.

Global Village’s Ritchey, one of the sole-business owners, calls the city’s actions “the worst kind of eminent domain.” He said the city reneged on several promises it made to business owners at an April meeting before the project kicked off.

“They said they were going to do three things to sustain the businesses,” he said. “One was that they would only do one block at a time to minimize the effects on businesses. That hasn’t happened.

“Second, we were promised parallel parking on the north side of the street except for the one block where construction was going on. That hasn’t happened.

“And third, when we they moved to the north side of the street, we were promised that we would have five-foot sidewalks for customers. The contractor has backed out on all three of those promises,” Ritchey said.

To some degree, however, the speed of the construction seems to be outdating Ritchey’s concerns. Tim Sudano, the city’s project engineer, said recently that work along the seven-block target area is running almost two months ahead of schedule.

“We’re about to wrap up the utility work on the south side, then they’ll cross over to the north side of Hillsborough Street, if not by December, then by January, if all goes well. Then we’ll take that side a block at a time. We have to tie in sewer and electric conduits to the side streets,” he said.

One lane of parking was restored on Hillsborough’s north side, in front of North Hall as far as Logan Street at the project’s east end until Monday, November 23. However, red cones blocked that parking area again on Nov. 23.

As for long-range parking problems, Sudano noted that the Hillsborough Street Improvement website states that the project will add more than 100 spaces to the 77 now permitted.

As for Ritchey’s comments on inadequate pedestrian crossing gaps in the roadside concrete barriers, Sudano said. “We’ve been very quick to put in mid-block pedestrian crossings. Once we got into it with calls from him, we were popping in openings like candy.”

November 18 and 20 drives down Hillsborough showed the street’s south side from Enterprise to Chamberlin streets completely free of concrete barriers, with three openings in existing barriers from Chamberlain to the bus stop in front of D. H. Hill Library at Gardner Street. But both barriers and openings shift as the construction focus shifts.

Sudano also said the contractor can build new sidewalks on the street’s north side and still keep a walking corridor open.

“No matter how you try to tell people up front what will happen in a project of this size,” he said, “until it starts, I don’t think the average businessperson, the average person on the street, can really realize how disruptive it can be. It has to get done and we knew some people would be inconvenienced.”

A student walks along Hillsborough Street.

But Ritchey, with north-side parking still eliminated and concrete barriers now in front of his shop, considers himself more than inconvenienced.

“Somebody will benefit from this, but it’s not the merchants,” he said. “All you have to do is look at the Fayetteville Street and Glendale Street projects. In both cases, they gave the developers a chance to squeeze out the little businesses.

“A ‘real’ city would provide compensation for the merchants,” Ritchey said.

Red Hot and Blue’s Sykes empathizes. “I’m sure glad that we were the first stage, because we’re through with it. On the other hand, it wasn’t easy.”

But Sykes had nothing but praise for Lynn Craig, who manages the project for contractor Hamlett Associates Inc. “They’ve communicated with us and tried to help us out in every way they can,” he said.

Craig said, “We’re all in business and we know the quicker we can finish, the better. And if anybody has any constructive criticism, we’d be glad to hear from them. Communication is important.”

And inconveniences as construction moves towards a projected summer 2010 completion might not be the only player in business downturns along the street.

“I visit lots of places across the state in my work,” Craig said. “And I don’t think it’s the construction that’s affecting the businesses. I think it’s the economy. The people I talk to all over say business is down 50 percent.”

Nevertheless, he said, “If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”

Regardless of differing opinions on the construction process, all involved seemed to agree with the city’s Sudano: “I’m just looking forward to it being complete,” he said.

Photos by Art Latham.

Greg Wood of Village Auto Werks. Photo by Andrew Mayo.

Despite the barrage of talk about recession, massive bailouts, and staggering unemployment numbers, local Raleigh businesses seem to have quite a rosy outlook. Not booming, not collapsing, but cozy.

Pam Wood of Raleigh’s Village Auto Werks isn’t letting the economic pit intimidate her. Her business, and other similarly-minded businesses have such a close connection to the community that supports them that they haven’t seen much of a change in the last year.

While big business may call on legions of analysts and accountants, Wood’s said her first action to plan for what lies ahead was, “I called my mother.” They’ve cut back on inventory, but little else. Advertising? They give customers free t-shirts and maintain a good reputation with their clients and their community.

“You can’t buy advertising like that,” Wood said, speaking of a recent article featuring their business. Many Raleigh businesses rely solely on word-of-mouth advertising, and maintaining a good standing in the community is a priority.

Village Auto Werks recently relocated from their Cameron Village location to a new garage in Boylan Heights, where they share the space with Bill Harris, who also runs a well-respected garage. While remaining exclusive businesses, they share customers. “Whatever we can’t do, he does. Whatever he can’t do, we do,” Wood said. Even with the initial confusion from moving a business, longtime customers have found their new location and continue to bring their cars there.

The auto repair industry is remaining a necessity as people are tending to maintain the old instead of buying new. Ed Gaddy of Raleigh’s Cycle Logic has been relying on repairs in his shop as well. After a surge in business last summer, which he attributes to the rising gas prices, he has seen a dip in customers. He has already built his business in a way that will get him through, running a bare-bones repair shop.

Ricky Davis of City Market Produce. Photo by Andrew Mayo.

Gaddy’s enthusiasm for bicycles helped built his relationship with local cyclists. A woman walks in to Cycle Logic with her son looking for new tires for his mountain bike. He pulls out the specific tire from a rack and describes its benefits down to the pattern of tread, while talking with the woman about their shared interest in flying. He doesn’t advertise, has minimal employees, and has been running his business steadily since 1974.

The produce stand at City Market has been in business since 1913. They have seen a 25 percent decrease in recent sales, but they are not hurting. Ricky Davis, one of the market’s owners, says he has sees the same customers shopping weekly and does not worry about losing business.

Around the corner, Vic’s Italian Restaurant has a similar story. A 25 percent decrease, but a consistent and loyal clientele. Mario Longo, the owner of Vic’s has cut down on his staff and inventory in preparation. He has no doubts about his businesses success: “We’re gonna make it through – cut a little here, cut a little there – we’re here to stay”

Greg Wood of Village Auto Werks. Photo by Andrew Mayo.

Transportation and food are necessities, but some luxury businesses in Raleigh are also doing well. Dawn Bender of The Glam Lounge, a local salon, said “people are still coming in, but waiting an extra week between appointments”. Even so, their business has picked up recently. Across town at the Rather Unique barber shop, owner Chris Gillette has seen a similar pattern: “instead of coming in every week, people are coming every two weeks”.

Rich Kilby, owner of Raleigh’s Barefoot Press has seen an increase in orders in the last few months. He attributes this growth to new businesses opening in town and to established businesses looking to reach new clientele. And while he is busy marketing for local businesses, his car is being repaired at Pam Wood’s shop right down the road.

Raleigh has been recognized in the current slump as being a “recession proof” city, according to a recent Bizjournal study. The paper also recently ranked Raleigh as being the “best place to start a small business”.Similar Posts:

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