Chapel Hill restaurant reopens after flood. What are other businesses planning?

Update: The story was updated with new information for Guglhupf and Trader Joe’s on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.

One month after tropical storm floodwaters pushed through Chapel Hill businesses, Stoney River restaurant and other damaged businesses are welcoming back customers.

Olmaz Jewelers temporarily relocated Monday from Eastgate Crossing shopping center to the ground floor of 900 Willow Drive, near Stoney River at University Place.

At Eastgate, a line of shoppers was waiting when Trader Joe’s reopened its doors on Aug. 18 after a month of reconstruction. Guglhupf reopened on Aug. 19.

Rise Chicken and Biscuits is “looking at our options,” said Brian Wiles, chief operating officer.

No word yet from their other Eastgate neighbors, especially those on the center’s hard-hit south side, where reconstruction work has continued despite more rain this week.

Tropical Depression Chantal pushed floodwaters into dozens of restaurants and stores on July 6. At Stoney River, across South Estes Drive from floodprone Bolin Creek, the staff dropped everything to help guests and stack furniture and equipment, said Steve Hill, regional director of operations. That allowed them to salvage a lot of the kitchen equipment and furniture, he said.

“We’ve had water in the parking lot to some degree, but nothing like this,” Hill said. “When my general manager Jasmine Carranza was sending me videos, I was sick to my stomach. I could not believe how quick it came in and how much damage it caused.”

Recovery crews had to rip out the carpet and drywall, and replace damaged fixtures, he said. It took a little longer than anticipated, because they wanted to restore the restaurant to how it looked on opening day in 2017, he added.

While that was happening, over a dozen of employees were moved to a sister restaurant, J. Alexander’s in Raleigh, along with the management. A lot of their kitchen staff had second jobs to sustain them, Hill said. They are hiring to fill vacant positions now.

When Stoney River guests return Monday, they will find a new menu — planned before the storm — that features “more high-end” Hong Kong sea bass and ahi tuna plates, and moves the popular meatloaf to the lunch menu as a sandwich, he said. There will also be some changes to the wine list.

“I feel really, really good about how things turned out, how we’re looking, and now we’re just getting ready to get back to normal,” Hill said.

Local stores at Mariakakis Plaza struggling

Chantal dropped up to 10 inches of rain on Chapel Hill in a few hours as it stalled over central North Carolina on July 6. Other counties saw up to 12 inches, and six people were confirmed killed.

The storm caused over $56 million in estimated damages across Orange County, officials have reported, including $17 million to Eastgate Crossing, University Place and Mariakakis Plaza, where several local businesses are still closed.

Johnny Mariakakis, owner of the plaza and Mariakakis Fine Foods & Wines, was working to renovate his store as the sun rose Thursday. He doesn’t have a reopening date yet, but Yarns, Etc. is looking for a new space, and The Shoe Repair is moving into the former Zartiques Rugs space at the end of the Fordham Boulevard strip mall, he said.

Zartiques Rugs owner Reza Zarea said he is still deciding whether to stay at Mariakakis Plaza or move, but for now, the Persian carpet and home decor store is operating through its online storefront.

Mariakakis paused his work at the grocery Thursday to note that all of his tenants are small, local business owners struggling to recover. His church in Durham launched a fundraiser, but interest has waned, he said.

Mariakakis joined Eastgate Crossing merchants in sharing his worries about the flooding with Democratic Gov. Josh Stein during a tour of the damage July 18. On Tuesday, Stein declared Chantal a Type I State Disaster, opening the door to state-funded assistance grants for storm damage.

Stein also urged Republican President Donald Trump and acting FEMA Regional Administrator Robert Ashe to issue a federal major disaster declaration that could bring more help to affected counties and Hazard Mitigation grants statewide, according to a news release. The declaration also aids local governments faced with clearing debris and rebuilding roads and utilities.

“This disaster declaration unlocks access for people to apply for state-funded individual assistance as they continue to rebuild, and I encourage folks to see if the resources available are a good fit for them,” Stein said.

What Chapel Hill stores are still closed?

• University Place: Silverspot Cinema and Chase Bank are still closed. The Soap and Shine owner Brianna Cherner is still considering her options. Style Brows Threading Studio has relocated to the SOLA Salon Studios at Ram’s Plaza.
• Eastgate Crossing: Most businesses are still closed. Chipotle, T-Mobile and Chopt opened after the storm. Guglhupf could reopen next week, and Trader Joe’s is almost ready, a spokesperson said. Olmaz Jewelers moved to 900 Willow Drive.
• Mariakakis Plaza: All stores are closed. Yarns, Etc. is raising money to relocate.

Where to get help

Orange County homeowners, businesses and renters can get help through Aug. 31 from the Small Business Administration Loan Outreach Center, 203 S. Greensboro St. in Carrboro. Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.

The state disaster declaration applies to Orange, Durham, Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Granville, Person and Wake counties.

State-funded individual assistance grants can be used for a variety of emergency needs, including temporary housing, rental assistance, replacing personal property, and paying for medical or dental care, funeral, or burial expenses. Find out if you’re eligible at a local disaster recovery center:

• Orange County: 203 S. Greensboro St., Carrboro. Open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Alamance County: 319 N. Graham-Hopedale Road, Burlington. Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Durham County: 221 Milton Road, Durham. Open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

More information: Call the N.C. Emergency Management individual assistance hotline at 919-825-2378 or go online to ncdps.gov/chantal.

How you can help

Find more GoFundMe campaigns to help local businesses and their employees recover at carolinachamber.org/recover.

This story was originally published August 8, 2025 at 2:45 PM.