All Up In Your Business, Sept. 20

Clothes Hound closes its doors

Franklin Street will have one fewer clothing store this school year.

Clothes Hound owner Bryce Batts said she decided to close her store in Chapel Hill, as well as the only other branch in Raleigh, this summer.

“Deciding to close my store was a hard personal decision,” said Batts. “I have worked on this dream for five years and just felt that closing them was the best decision for me and my family.”

Batts said the Chapel Hill location was extremely busy during the school year but very slow in December and over the summer due to a lack of student customers.

“I went to Clothes Hound a lot because one of my friends worked there, but I never bought anything,” said junior Sarah Piscitelli. “I never had the money.”

“I did not know that Clothes Hound existed,” said sophomore Sarah Love. “Franklin Street is not my first choice for clothes shopping.”

Batts is transitioning the Clothes Hound website into a fashion blog.

Greenbridge lower down payments

Greenbridge Condominiums on Rosemary Street will now be available with a 5-percent down payment — making it easier for students to purchase a condo there.

“It attracts a wide range of buyers,” said Vic Miller, vice president of sales for Greenbridge. “Homeownership is available to more people because there is less of a down payment.”

Greenbridge management is working to fill the building’s first floor with local businesses, such as To the Woods, an eco-friendly hair salon, and Integrify, a workflow management software.

There are fewer than 35 condominiums remaining, and they are expected to sell out within 12 months, Miller said.

Tire care center hits 60th birthday

As many traditional Franklin Street businesses are closing, Chapel Hill Tire Care Center is changing with the times to stay open.

Chapel Hill Tire Care Center is celebrated 60 years of business this year.

Marc Pons, owner of Chapel Hill Tire Care Center, attributes the success of the business to treating people with care, in the same way that people treated each other when Chapel Hill was just a village.

The company has also learned to adapt.

Over the past 15 years, tires sales have become less a part of the business. They used to comprise 80 percent of sales. Now tires make up only 20 percent and car repair services make up most of the sales.

“We operate in a very progressive way for a small family business,” said Pons.

Chapel Hill Tire Care Center is the only certified hybrid independent repair business in the Triangle, as well as the first Green Plus certified repair business in the country.

“We are passionate about learning and improving so that the business can continue to improve and we can be proud that we are properly honoring our past,” Pons said.