A new coffee shop will be joining the lineup of Franklin Street businesses in Chapel Hill.
The Summit Coffee Company is preparing to open a location at 140 West Franklin Street in the first full week of October. The business has been working to renovate the space that formerly housed Frutta Bowls into a café space and retail hub.
Summit, a coffee brand founded in Davidson, North Carolina, and with cafes in Asheville and Charlotte, just celebrated its 22nd year of existence earlier in September. Known for both roasting their own specialty coffee blends and selling them, the Chapel Hill location will be the company’s fifth café.
CEO and owner Brian Helfrich shared a post on the Summit website earlier in September announcing the expansion to Chapel Hill. He described the town as having a certain feeling that matches his company’s energy, character and community-based nature.
“We’re one of the best coffee roasters in the South,” Helfrich said to Chapelboro. “We won the 2020 Charleston Coffee Cup recognizing us as such, and want to expand our coffee brand through retail since it’s, frankly, what we do best. We’ve been running coffee shops since 1998. We’re excited to bring both our coffee and our brand into new markets, to new communities, to more consumers.”
Helfrich added the Chapel Hill location has the potential to burgeon into Summit’s focal point for more expansion within the Triangle region. He said he believes there’s a market for potentially three Summit cafés in a 45-mile radius from the new location.
“We know how to create a great café experience that appeals to college students,” described Helfrich, “but also is a local hangout and go-to for residents of the town. We believe there’s room in several markets for a coffee brand like Summit — and so our goal, when towns are losing their local brands, is to provide a product and brand people are excited to support and engage with. It’s our mission to be a good neighbor, and we’re excited to make a positive difference in Chapel Hill.”
According to the Franklin Street café’s manager, Summit Coffee Co. will have both indoor and outdoor seating available when it opens. The coffee brand has shared social media posts saying it is continuing to hire employees for the Chapel Hill location.
Frutta Bowls operated from April 2018 until earlier this year in the suite of the 140 West Franklin Street complex.
Restaurants, coffee shops and other eateries currently open in Chapel Hill and around Orange County can be found on Chapelboro’s What’s Open and Closed? restaurants page.
Photo via Summit Coffee Company.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.
Related Stories
‹
'It's A Really Good Handoff': Al's Burger Shack Changes Ownership, But Stays LocalWhen asked what Al’s Burger Shack means to its namesake, Al Bowers sits back and takes a deep breath. It’s easier to talk about what the Chapel Hill restaurant represents to others. “I always wanted someone to have a memory every time they took a bite of a cheeseburger,” he says. “Or every time they […]
Chapel Hill Marks High Foot Traffic Downtown in 2022, Outpacing Statewide RatesAs the calendar year comes to a close, it marks what’s widely regarded as the most “normal” year since the coronavirus pandemic began. What did that mean for downtown foot traffic and tourism, as events started to pick up and people became more confident in public health? Some local experts report that for Chapel Hill, […]
Developer Shares Pitch for New Life Science Lab Building in Downtown Chapel HillThe eastern part of downtown Chapel Hill has been the site of significant, planned redevelopment for the last few years. But a Boston-based development company is now looking at constructing a multi-story life sciences building on the western side to bring further changes. Longfellow Real Estate Partners unveiled early plans for redevelopment at 306 West […]
Rooftop Bar Still Life Set for Chapel Hill Grand OpeningAfter months of construction above Franklin Street and a soft opening period earlier this summer, the Stilllife nightclub and rooftop bar is set to fully open its doors. The business, which is located at 159 East Franklin Street, said it is on track for its grand opening on Friday, August 19. The bar’s hours on […]
'He Changed the Look of Franklin Street': Mickey Ewell Remembered for His Restaurants, RelationshipsMickey Ewell first came through Chapel Hill when he was working as a salesman. He would stop at the Town and Campus store on Franklin Street, owned by a couple he eventually befriended. Following Ewell’s decision to settled down in the area, he established several mainstays downtown that endured and shaped Chapel Hill’s business scene […]
Blue Spoon Microcreamery in Chapel Hill Permanently ClosesWith students away and the coronavirus pandemic continuing to cause limitations to restaurants’ service, another Franklin Street business has announced it’s closing its doors. The Blue Spoon Microcreamery announced on Twitter Thursday night it will be permanently closing due to complications presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The ice cream shop also posted a sign […]
Shake Shack Sets Post-Flood Reopening Date For Chapel Hill LocationShake Shack, one of the Eastgate Crossing businesses closed due to flood damage from Tropical Depression Chantal, said it is set to reopen.
Grand Openings Announced for 2 National Businesses Adding Chapel Hill LocationsA pair of national businesses are set to open their doors to Chapel Hill customers in just a few weeks' time: sweetgreen and J. Crew Factory.
News Around Town: Halloween on Franklin Street in 2025Read a conversation between Chapel Hill mayor Jess Anderson and 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey about Halloween on Franklin Street.
Shooting Near W. Franklin Street Injures 1; Chapel Hill Police Arrest SuspectThe Chapel Hill Police Department is investigating a shooting along West Franklin Street Thursday evening which sent one person to the hospital.
›
