Businesses Fostering Community in a Growing Downtown Raleigh

It’s Thursday, June 27.

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Good morning, readers. 

Downtown Raleigh is growing. 

According to data from the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, more than 19,000 people live within a mile of the downtown core. It’s home to more than 115 retail stores and more than 260 restaurants. And by 2028, 11,600 new residents are expected to live downtown. 

It would be easy to lose a sense of community amid this growth. But some local business owners, such as the two we profiled for Pride Month, are dedicated to making sure this doesn’t happen by fostering a sense of community all year round. 

Rusty Sutton, co-owner of the Green Monkey on South Wilmington Street, and chef Gregory Hamm, owner of Libations 317 on West Morgan Street, emphasize creating inclusive spaces that provide a sense of community for all. 

“I wanted a place where you could be yourself and shop,” Sutton says. 

Despite post-pandemic challenges, local businesses downtown like Hamm’s and Sutton’s are committed to the community, they say. And they’re in good company: more than 90 percent of businesses located downtown are independently owned, according to the DRA. 

While day-to-day foot traffic is still picking up, events like Out Raleigh! Pride, which took place last weekend, can draw up to 100,000 people downtown at a time. And new initiatives, such as the revival of Live after 5, are designed to keep downtown activated during weeknights in the slower summer months.  

“I know what I am supposed to be doing,” Sutton says of running his business in the urban core. “We’ll be here as long as people support us.”

Have a good Thursday.

—Jane

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