Latest shops coming to Raleigh’s North Hills, a sports shop expansion & Party City’s goodbye
It’s closing time for Party City.
For nearly 40 years, the popular big-box retailer has been the place for balloons, Halloween costumes, paper plates and plastic utensils, decorations and anything else a person may need to host a soiree.
But, as the company wrote in a letter to customers, their “very best efforts were ultimately not enough.” And in December, Party City began going-out-of-business sales at its hundreds of locations across the United States.
Party City operates a handful of stores in the Triangle, spread across Raleigh, Durham, Cary and Garner. And earlier in February, leases for the stores in Garner and on Brier Creek Parkway in Raleigh attracted bids in an auction.
- Books-A-Million won the Garner lease.
- Five Below won the Brier Creek lease.
- The other store in Raleigh, along with the Durham and Cary locations, did not attract winning bids.
The lease sales must be approved in court. Meanwhile, there’s still time to make a final visit to Party City before it closes forever.
Here’s what else is happening in the Triangle retail world.
Hello Kitty Cafe Truck will come to Raleigh
Fans of the pink-bow-wearing — and now middle-aged — white character (apparently, not a cat?) are in luck.
The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is touring the country and making two stops in North Carolina, including one at Triangle Town Center in Raleigh on March 1 (10 a.m.-7 p.m., 5959 Triangle Town Blvd.).
To mark Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary and the truck’s 10th anniversary, the truck will offer:
- Exclusive merchandise including totes and hoodies
- Ringer tees and lilac tees
- Collectibles like mugs, bottles and keychains
- Cookies
The truck last visited the City of Oaks in 2018, and it stopped at Triangle Town Center then, too.
Alo Yoga expands to Raleigh
An upscale athleisure brand is opening a new store at Raleigh’s North Hills.
Alo Yoga will move into the building in the Main District that temporarily housed RH — before the luxury retailer debuted its permanent store/rooftop restaurant with a name equally as grand: RH Raleigh, The Gallery at North Hills.
The clothing store joins another popular athleisure brand, Lululemon, at the shopping center.
Expected to open this summer, Alo Yoga will sell apparel, accessories and lifestyle products.
Sporting goods resale store opens in Johnston County
Play It Again Sports, which opened in Cary 33 years ago, is expanding into Johnston County.
The store began buying and selling used sports and fitness equipment in December but is celebrating its grand opening Thursday, Feb. 27 at 11639 US 70 Business in Clayton.
Hal Gaston opened the Cary store decades ago. It’s how he met his now wife, Laura, and business partner Mat Sawyer, who was hired as manager of the Cary location 21 years ago.
The trio are behind the new Clayton store, where shoppers can buy, sell and trade items including:
- Baseball gloves and bats
- Hockey and soccer gear
- Golf clubs
- Lacrosse equipment
- Bikes
- Treadmills and ellipticals
- Weights
Find details about the grand opening at playitagainsports.com.
