A store at Raleigh’s Lafayette Village has closed. Here’s what will replace it
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bell Lap Cycleworks will open a second Raleigh shop at 8480 Honeycutt Road in May.
- Bell Lap holds liquidation sales at Lafayette Village to clear TLC for Bikes’ inventory.
- Lafayette Village also gains Franko’s Prime and Mina’s Italian Market.
Lafayette Village will soon have a new tenant to replace one that stood for years in the North Raleigh shopping center.
Local shop Bell Lap Cycleworks will move into the former TLC for Bikes. Gary Smith, who owned and founded TLC for Bikes, died of cancer last fall.
Bell Lap Cycleworks, which opened a retail space on Creedmoor Road in 2022, will use the Lafayette Village space as its second store. The business offers bike sales, services and fittings, according to its website.
The location is expected to open in May, Bell Lap Cycleworks shared in a February social media post.
“We are honored to be taking over the space that was previously TLC for bikes and continuing the local bike shop tradition in North Raleigh created by Gary over the last 15+ years,” Bell Lap wrote in the post. “Keep your eyes peeled as we shoot for a May 1st opening!”
Before renovations to prepare for the opening of the new business, Bell Lap Cycleworks is holding liquidation sales at Lafayette Village to clear the remaining TLC for Bikes inventory. The first was Saturday, March 14, and the second will be 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 21.
Bell Lap’s new location will be at 8480 Honeycutt Road in Raleigh.
Stores opening, closing at Lafayette Village
Bell Lap Cycleworks is the latest business to join Lafayette Village, the European village-inspired shopping center at the intersection of Honeycutt and Falls of Neuse roads.
In January, Franko’s Prime opened at the shopping center. From the team behind Franko’s Italian Steakhouse and Atlantic Prime Coastal Kitchen, the restaurant serves steakhouse staples such as filets and ribeyes, along with seafood dishes, salads and sides such as macaroni and cheese. Co-owner Justin Bee previously described Franko’s Prime as a “high-end casual” spot — white tablecloth, but not “fine dining.”
Local favorite Bongiorno & Son was sold to new owners, longtime fans of the specialty shop who have renamed it Mina’s Italian Market & Deli. Owners Dave and Sarah Danevich kept the place much the same, still serving sandwiches and slicing cold cuts.
But the shopping center is also losing tenants. Besides TLC for Bikes, the clothing store Koket Boutique is closing. Owner Alexandra Del Rio cited economic changes as the driving force behind the closure. The clothing store opened at Lafayette Village in 2019. Its last day will be Saturday, March 28, The N&O previously reported.
Construction on Lafayette Village began in 2008, and the first stores started opening in 2010.
