All up in your business, Jan. 14

Pita Pit gets brand new set of pipes

The Franklin Street Pita Pit experienced renovations over winter break, but no one will notice the changes when they go inside.

Owner Josh Sanders said the store had a plumbing issue and had to install new pipes throughout their store.

“These buildings are all getting to be a hundred years old,” Sanders said.

“We started to notice water outside the store, so we called someone to do a routine check. The pipes were completely disintegrated. They literally re-layed all of the pipes in our entire store.”

Sanders said he decided to have the work done over break so the store would not have to close while school was in session.

He said the worst part about closing for a week was having to part with their entire inventory of food.

“We don’t have a single piece of food that would last nine days, so we had to reorder food,” Sanders said.

“That was probably the worst part of it. We gave away as much food as possible — to friends and employees. I hate seeing food go to waste, so that was the worst part.”

Home decor store opens in Carrboro

Sandra Siano feels like her childhood dreams are coming true after she opened her own store, La Boutique Lane, in Carrboro’s Carr Mill Mall.

La Boutique Lane opened on Dec. 15. The store sells home decor and Siano’s artwork.

“We have all of the things to pamper your house like furniture, accessories, glassware, picture frames and more,” Siano said. “I am really passionate about the store. This is a place to combine all of my passions into one. My art is mostly modern abstract, but I do mosaic as well.”

Siano said she picked Carr Mill Mall for her store’s location because she frequented the shopping center, and she enjoyed the atmosphere.

“I love this building and the feel of this place,” she said. “Everyone that has a shop here is local. It has the feel of real people that own their own shops. When I first met the manager of the mall, he was also really nice.”

She said she has been getting positive feedback, and she is ready to meet more great people.

“We opened not being ready, but so many people have said nice things,” Siano said. “We have been meeting wonderful people, and more then more wonderful people.”

Art store transitions to 300 East Main

WomanCraft Handcrafted Gifts has moved from The Shops at Eastgate to the 300 East Main development in Carrboro after its lease was not renewed.

“We think that they are putting in a Petco, so we lost to big bucks,” she said. “We are finding the Carrboro community really welcoming, and we are throwing a grand opening event on Feb. 10.”

Scott said the business has been around for more than 40 years, and the employees know everything about their products because they make them.

“We have a large variety of gifts and art,” she said. “When we work in the store, we know the artisan and how they made it. We know the artists and the artist’s process. If a customer can wait, we can contact the artists, and they can make the right size or make the piece in a specific color.”

Sue Kopkind, the coordinator for WomanCraft Gifts, said they would have liked to stay at Eastgate, but they think the new location will be good for business.

“We had been trying to renew the contract since March, but they kept waffling,” Kopkind said. “In September they said that, ‘We are not renewing your lease.’”