Atkinson
Atkinson, NC · Business
Star News
How Wilmington-area restaurants are building a collaboration economy
Faced with rising costs and tighter margins, some Wilmington-area food businesses are looking to build through collaboration and community. They’re partnering with like-minded entrepreneurs for pop-ups, special events and unique products and experiences. In recent months, Wilmington has seen tours that visit local speakeasy bars, a pop-up that brought a pizza maker and coffee shop together, yoga at breweries, beer collaborations, wine-and-oyster excursions, and multi-course dinners that explore local food and history. A 2025 study from American Express found that 95% of small business owners said community support is vital to their business and that people understand how local vendors are important in making a place special. Industry experts are also seeing growing consumer demand for experiences that go beyond a traditional meal or drink. In Wilmington, that has translated into creative partnerships that are reshaping the food scene. More: Explore Wilmington-area restaurants with curated passports Creating experiences Take the Saltwater Stories dinner series, for example. Chef Keith Rhodes of Voyce Bistro in downtown Wilmington partnered with Cedric Harrison of the Wilmington Color Heritage Tours. Rhodes said he has followed Harrison’s work over the years and believed that food would be another way to help him tell those stories of
WilmingtonBiz
Bitty & Beau’s Expands Mobile Coffee Franchise Network
Bitty and Beau’s Coffee is seeking new franchise owners for its mobile coffee program. Founded in Wilmington in 2016 by husband-and-wife Amy and Ben Wright, the company employs people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and, according to a company news release, now employs more than 500 people with disabilities.
WilmingtonBiz
Landscape Equipment Business Buys Property In Winnabow, Opens New Location
The owners of Landscape Depot, a landscape equipment and supply store, have purchased a retail property in Winnabow and opened a new location. Landscape Equipment Depot LLC bought the property, formerly occupied by a golf cart business, at 6525 Ocean Highway East, near the intersection of U.S. 17 and Green Hill Road, for $465,000, a deed shows.
WWAY NewsChannel 3
Duplin Times
Harrells Christian Academy gets ag grant
HARRELLS — Harrells Christian Academy was recently awarded $15,000 in grant funding by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission (NCTTFC) to purchase two Realityworks guideWELD VR welding simulators. These virtual reality tools, designed to enhance MIG, TIG, and stick welding training through repeated practice, will provide HCA’s Ag Mechanics and Welding students with valuable, hands-on training. Through the virtual welders, students have the unique opportunity to refine their welding techniques before they begin using real welding equipment. According to Realityworks, not only do the immersive guideWELD simulators save on costly welding consumables for beginning welders, but they “offer real-time feedback on crucial welding parameters such as work and travel angles, speed, nozzle-to-plate distance, and weld straightness.” “Welding has been a major request from students, parents, and local agricultural businesses that we have not been able to previously offer,” explained HCA Ag Instructor Lindsay Matthews. Funding for the addition of two welding simulators will help fulfill that request while supporting the continued expansion of Harrells Christian Academy’s Ag Education programming. It will also increase the number of opportunities available to students in HCA’s new Ag Mechanics and Welding programs, support its partnership with the University of Mount Olive, and enrich
wcti12.com
foxwilmington.com
Novant Health reduces retirement match amid cost pressures
SOUTHEASTERN N.C. (WECT) – Novant Health announced changes to its retirement benefits Tuesday that will take effect starting next year. In an Oct. 6 letter sent to employees, Novant Health announced a decrease in the maximum employer retirement plan match from 6% to 4%. The change was attributed to rising labor, supply and care costs along with limited payments from insurers.
retailcustomerexperience.com
Publix opening NC store in late October
Publix plans to open a store in North Carolina on Oct. 28. The Publix Super Market at Commons at Carolina Shores in Calabash is located at 9770 Ocean Highway W., according to a Myrtle Beach Online report. The shopping center has a CVS, with plans to incorporate Firehouse Subs, McDonald's,...
WECT
yieldpro.com
BAM Capital Acquired 334-Unit Multifamily Community in Leland North Carolina
BAM Capital has acquired The Marling at Town Creek, a 334-unit community in Leland, N.C., for approximately $57.7 million. This acquisition represents BAM Capital’s entry into the Southeast market. According to BAM Capital, the property was acquired at an estimated 17.4 percent discount to replacement cost. The company used its BAM Multifamily Growth Fund V for the acquisition.
Star News
Another grocery store and shopping center proposed in Leland
Following residential concerns of new home construction , plans for a shopping center are now being considered for N.C. 133. The town of Leland recently received and reviewed preliminary plans featuring a grocery store and more for the Mallory Creek community. Concept plans filed Sept. 24 show a 20,000-square-foot grocery store as an anchor for a 9.77-acre parcel between Kellerton Court, N.C. 133 and Mallory Creek Drive. County property tax records list Wilmington West Inc. as the current property owners. A convenience store with a gas station and two structures totaling 23,850 square feet of office/retail space are also included in the sketch, designed by Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. More: New lawsuits and a wildfire ignite Brunswick County The submission also noted the project will require a rezoning of the property to allow commercial development. Leland staff have completed their review of the plans as of Sept. 30. However, the project is not approved nor denied. A site plan must be formally submitted for the project to be considered for approval. If approved, the shopping center will neighbor several homes and a 18-acre parcel currently listed for sale by Cameron Management Inc. Property owner Mallory Creek Land & Timber is
WECT
WECT
Novant Health reduces retirement match amid cost pressures
SOUTHEASTERN N.C. (WECT) - Novant Health announced changes to its retirement benefits Tuesday that will take effect starting next year. In an Oct. 6 letter sent to employees, Novant Health announced a decrease in the maximum employer retirement plan match from 6% to 4%. The change was attributed to rising labor, supply and care costs along with limited payments from insurers.
columbuscountynews.com
Insurance for Christmas Removed from Agenda
In a three to one vote Tuesday, Chadbourn Town council voted to remove consideration of adding the Chadbourn Christmas festival to the town’s umbrella insurance. The item was part of the consent portion of the agenda, which is usually comprised of routine items that do not require additional discussion and are generally approved in a single motion.