Deserted downtowns in Wake County hope for resurgence
This was gonna be big. Just off First Street, across from Knightdale Station Park, the bands would have played. The mayor would have cut the ribbon.
"I had family flying in from Puerto Rico, where my family is from. I had barbecue brethren family coming into visit us," Christopher Prieto said.
Prieto had WRAL News at barbecue.
For the past two years, the Texas native had readied his restaurant -- Prime Barbecue -- for a grand opening on April 18th, deep in the heart of Knightdale.
A virus smoked those plans. But it's only made him hungrier.
"We know that through this, it's only gonna make us better. It's gonna make our employees trust us more," Prieto stated.
In the last decade, Knightdale has built a park and amphitheater on the edge of downtown.
It's been priming businesses -- like Prime Barbecue -- to build up downtown. But then the world shut down.
"It was so busy. So, so so, so busy," Cindy Saraga said of Apex.
Saraga owns Southern Crafts on Salem Street, a street where beloved stores like the Rusty Bucket are closed or have gone completely online.
At the outset of this setback, Saraga didn't know what she'd do -- until she started crafting and selling face masks.
"I've got so many people supporting the store. I'm gonna make it."
"I mean, we've lost 90 percent of the volume on this street," Saraga said.
Brian Hamilton owns the handsome brick building on the street corner. He also runs the Brian Hamilton Foundation, hosting webinars for small businesses on how best to turn the corner in this crisis.
Hamilton shared, "We don't have a lot of the answers right now -- I don't have a lot of answers right now -- just take it day by day and get through it."
Maybe what downtowns need is barbecue.
"That's what's important about barbecue. It's really just building the community back together mending them with food. That's what small businesses do -- they bring joy to the community," said Prieto, who is confident small businesses will be back and be big.
