Businesses praise 'uptick' as Downtown Raleigh Alliance reports 19 million unique visitors in Q4
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Sam Jones BBQ Restaurant only started serving up plates of smoky pulled pork and other Carolina classics in 2021. The business has mostly operated during the pandemic and now is seeing a real shift.
"Commercial vacancy, it is something that we're fighting, but we have seen an uptick in lunchtime business verses dinner time," Sam Jones BBQ General Manager Thomas Von Cannon said.
Sales should continue climbing. Massive development is taking place immediately outside the front door in almost every direction.
"We see the 20-story building going up over here, and then we have the developments behind us and off Lake Wheeler (Road)," Von Cannon said.
The sentiment is being reflected in the Downtown Raleigh Alliance new Q4 Report.
It shows there are 18 projects under construction worth $911 million and those projects will add more than 3,200 residential units to the marketplace.
Raleigh gained 31 new storefronts in 2023 and roughly 19 million visitors came to the Capital City last year, which is up 3.7 percent from the year prior.
Hotel groups are now gearing up for the spring and it's going to be busy.
Dreamville is kicking off the party in early April. Organizers haven't even released the full artist lineup yet for the two-day event, but places like the AC Hotel along Glenwood South are pretty much already sold out that weekend.
After the music festival, Animazement and GalaxyCon are rolling into town.
"It looks like a good year for us. We're on pace and ahead of pace from 2023 to 2024, so we're very pleased with that. We're optimistic," said AC Hotel General Manager Pete Byers.
Businesses said Downtown Raleigh Alliance's concerted effort to improve safety downtown has had a positive impact on sales. Those efforts include hiring a private security company and increasing Raleigh Police Department patrols.
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