The Cheese Shop, a Carrboro business, is set to expand from an 80 square foot space inside the wine bar Glasshalfull to a 1,800 square foot restaurant next summer.
The new restaurant will be located next to the Belltree Cocktail Club in the Carolina Car Wash building at 100B Brewer Lane.
The Cheese Shop will expand to include its existing cheese case, a larger retail section, a dine-in menu and workshops giving people more insight into how cheese is made, and why it tastes the way it does.
Michelle Webb, the founder and co-owner of The Cheese Shop, said it is the responsibility of small cheese shops to educate people on the difference between independently-made cheese and mass-produced grocery store cheese.
Webb said the expansion will also widen The Cheese Shop’s wholesale business. The expansion will include a 16-seat cheese bar, where guests will be able to taste small cheese dishes and hold private events.
"Basically you're going to be able to sit at a chef's counter, like you would in a real restaurant, and we're just going to have dishes — small plates — that really revolve around cheese," she said.
Drew Jackson, a food writer for The News & Observer who first wrote about the expansion, said what makes The Cheese Shop particularly unique is its level of service and expertise. He said it is a positive thing whenever distinctive, unique local businesses are able to expand.
“I think it’s always exciting to see a small idea blossoming into something larger,” he said.
Webb said The Cheese Shop is focused on having an impact on the local community.
