Downtown Raleigh businesses see rebound as crime rates drop

Downtown Raleigh is showing signs of a rebound after a summer spike in crime kept some people away.

New sales numbers show business is bouncing back and crime is down.

The WRAL Data Trackers found, so far this month, Raleigh police responded to 544 calls in the downtown district, which includes the popular Glenwood South entertainment district and Moore Square.

It’s a 37% drop from the peak in September, when police responded to 851 calls.

Most often, police are responding to nonviolent issues like misdemeanor drug violations, non-criminal offenses and simple assault.

About one of every five calls to this district this year were for what police categorize as miscellaneous issues. It includes overdoses, lost or found property and a mental commitment. The WRAL Data Trackers looked at all crime reported in the downtown district from Jan. 1 through Nov. 28 of every year since 2015. While it is up 17% year-over-year, it still sits below what it was in the years before the pandemic.

The Green Monkey bar at 215 South Wilmington St. is filling a storefront that sat vacant since 1989.

Owner Rusty Sutton moved his business to the downtown location in September. The Green Monkey had been at 1217 Hillsborough St. for nearly a decade.

“We chose to be here,” Sutton said of his bar’s new location. “We wanted to be here.”

Moore Square and around the GoRaleigh Station at 214 South Blount St. have been the focus of an increased police presence and private security. It appears to be paying off.

In September, crime spiked in downtown Raleigh and Sutton said sales slumped.

“Everything that went wrong, did,” he said.

Also, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance hired private security to patrol the streets from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

“Oh, my god, it’s almost like night and day,” Sutton said. “We’re just happy and grateful that we’re seeing positive changes.”

The changes are showing up in the city’s receipts from September tax collections:

• Food and beverage sales topped $27 million. That's up more than 6% from 2022 and a 25% increase from before the pandemic.
• Sales are exceeding pre-pandemic numbers in Glenwood South, the Warehouse District and Moore Square.
• Fayetteville Street is the only part of downtown that hasn't recovered.

“Those are good signs that we’re having a better fall,” said Downtown Raleigh Alliance President Bill King. “I think that’s probably a mixture of weather, school back and some of the safety issues – getting those under control.”

King said the city's core is still struggling to get office workers back.

However, a record number of new residential units – 3,221 -- are under construction or have people moving in this year.

“If people are working from home, if their home is downtown, that’s a good thing,” King said. “We’ve still got them, so they’re still here, they’re still patronizing businesses, they’re out on the streets more so it creates a naturally better feel for safety.”

The focus on downtown safety brought a quick turnaround at Young Hearts Distilling at 225 S. Wilmington St.

“Business almost came back immediately,” said Young Hearts Distilling owner David Meeker. “It was really surprising to me how quickly things came back. I just thought it would take longer.”

Meeker says sales had dropped 20-30%.

Now, the cocktail bar's calendar is almost fully booked with holiday parties.

“I think it should give us a lot of confidence in being downtown,” Meeker said. “Folks want to come downtown, and they will come downtown as long as it’s safe.

The business owners hope Raleigh police can maintain their increased presence downtown.

The city is still negotiating a contract to hire private, armed security guards at the transit center near Moore Square.