Like it or not, many of the folks that have shown their concerns on the Chatlist regarding the approval of Christian School- do not live within the voting boundries of Pittsboro. But many of us call Pittsboro our home.  Our mailing address is Pittsboro and that is where we go to shop. Many of us own businesses there.  And like it or not, many of us non residents know more about what goes on there than the “city limit” residents.
 
So you don’t like it that we voice our opinions about how the approval of the school is being handled by the town board? That’s tough.
 
And for those of you who think that I might have a child or children of school age or that I am in some way connected with the proposed school-  it is not true. Just speaking out against what appears to me (and many others) that the application for the school is being bamboozled by fans of the City Tap. They follow a well worn path. Eat, drink and be wary.
 
Folks, worry from others about the future of the City Tap is behind this whole probable veto of the application for the school.  I have no doubts that the City Tap will win out. They won out on the loud “music?”  problem a while back.  Mayor Voller also stood by the City Tap- allowing that he was an amature musician himself-
 
Get yor fiddle out Mr. Mayor, start practicing yor Victory tune! How About “The Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous– Made Pittsboro Drunk”?
 
Betty Black

It is sad to see the demise of the current General Store and I can only hope it will come back in another incarnation soon–it has been a store at a different location, a grocery/eatery over the years, and this restaurant under different owners–so we can hope the front at least could come back in business somehow.

I have fond memories of drinking coffee in the window watching autumn leaves and people passing, have had several birthday lunches, enjoyed music, story telling, films before they moved to Faerrington, burrito bashes and even luncheon dates to grade school work there! I’ve enjoyed their beet salad, chicken salad and a host of soups and sandwiches. Trilogy’s Christmas singalong has been an annual favorite there.

It has been the hub of the downtown community and I do hope it isn’t really gone for good!

1. Liberal Progressive Pittsboro NC Town Council Denies Childrens Christian Academy (Read 7665 times) at
http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php/topic,24900.0.html

2. Educator joins Beer Parlor to Block Children’s’ School In Pittsboro (Read 7133 times) at
http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php/topic,23749.0.html

3. Who is this woman ripping down signs for Haw River Christian School in Pittsboro (Read 5031 times) at
http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php/topic,24985.0.html

4. Preston’s plans for 7,000 acres in Chatham (Read 2284 times) at
http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php/topic,25029.0.html

5. Pittsboro General Store Cafe status?  (Read 2067 times) at
http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php/topic,25016.0.html

6. 70 Pittsboro businesses butt heads with 4 anti-business town officials  (Read 1640 times) at
http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php/topic,24993.0.html

7. CJ – Time to put Chatham County government on a diet  (Read 1557 times) at
http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php/topic,19219.0.html

8. New Thread to discuss picture ID for voters  (Read 1440 times) at
http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php/topic,24746.0.html

9. N&O – Artsy Pittsboro cafe closes  (Read 1366 times) at
http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php/topic,25035.0.html

10. Great Update on the Small Business Incubator!  (Read 992 times) at
http://chatham-county-nc.com/bulletinboard/index.php/topic,24800.0.html

I want to raise two points about the proposed school in Pittsboro and add some comments.

The area or market served will be the county, not the town, and areas outside Chatham also, just as all the businesses in town.

The neighbors of the Academy are businesses, not residents.

I am familiar with quasi-judicial processes, sitting on the county planning board and attending BOC meetings for forty years.  The rules are no hurdle or blockage for such a use.  The process may change the use, as in CUP or SUP in a lacking set of rules.  The exception may be that there is a prejudice against a religious or Christian establishment.  A liberal agenda is supposed to include all law abiding religions, beliefs, practices. Or is that too American?

To protect the community from “certain uses which could have detrimental effects.”  Such as a school?  Yes, we have too much education in Pittsboro and Chatham.  Lord knows what the peons will do when they are educated. 

Traffic has no bearing on the issue.  At one time, everyone who had a PO box or mailed postal items went to the post office across the street.  Further, Piggly Wiggly occupied the building proposed for the new school.  There was never a traffic jam or too much traffic when these two businesses were on West Salisbury Street.  My memory recalls much more than one hundred cars going to those locations each day.  Why should cars from fifty parents dropping off students cause a problem?

The school would use 100% of the building.  The parking lot is large enough.  The property is privately owned and taxes are paid on it.  Why not consider the preference of the owner in the consideration of the issue instead of hiding it behind legal and planning jargon?  I do appreciate Mayor Voller’s explanation of the process.  Now, if the newly elected board will only approve a substantial improvement to our community, the argument can be put to bed.

Tom Glendinning

Our last day of operation was January 31st. Thank you everyone who supported us and allowed us to serve them over the last two years. You have made our adventure worth it!
 
If you have an un-redeemed gift certificate, please mail it to PO Box 110, Siler City NC 27344 and we’ll issue you a full or partial refund. Don’t forget to include your full name and mailing address.
 
Cheers,
Shot of Spro Mobile Espresso
(919) 663-5796
info@shotofspro.com
www.shotofspro.com

I was taking a hiatus from teaching and had just injured my shoulder while working as a punch-list carpenter. I was in a familiar place emotionally, feeling at a dead end about my options for work. That was precisely the time when Mimi Sharpe asked me to be a guest chef at The General Store. Two weeks later we had negotiated my temp position into a full time job. If there ever existed a thing like serendipity or synchronicity or the unviverse giving you something that was wanted or needed….for me that job was it.

Having lived in New Mexico and having fallen in love with a certain Green Chile Burrito, I knew that it was the first thing I wanted on the menu. The 2nd thing was a Middle Eastern Platter. It dind’t take long for all of my favorite vegetarian dishes to make it onto the menu, Pesto Pasta, Foccacia Pizza, Palak Paneer and J erk Tempeh. The folks who bought The G eneral Store from Mimi, Richard McGough and Becket Royce, became such amazing bosses.. While their personal savings were being depleted they allowed me to have the most satisfying work experience of me life. T he kitchen back then was configured in such a way that I could see my customers and connect with them while I was cooking. I could never be one of those chefs cloistered away in the hot confines of a kitchen that was totally disconected from the people coming in  to eat.  It was very hard, deadline rich and physical work, but I als o played like a kid spoofing MacDonald’s by counting every Green Chile Burrito I made and sold. Richard and B ecket went way beyond the call of duty by taking over for me in the kitchen while I took two separate trips to Peru and India. I will forever be grateful to them for the ways they sacrificed for me.  This job remains for me the best job of my life.

Vance and Joyce took the business to another level , constructing a performance theater , building a state-of-the art kitchen and providing space for local artists. I charge someone to tell me which 2 square inches of space in The G eneral Store C afe  were not being used to help artists sell their work.

I don’t know how anyone makes a profit in the restaurant business or keeps from getting totally burnt out. The hours are gruelling and  the overhead is huge. I often think that the only sure money makers are fast food stores. But with any of those places you have to sell your soul and merge all semblance of personal identity into the collective identity of the franchise. T he General Store Cafe was…and I am sad using the past tense…a brilliant magnet for community. I am happy to have had a small part in being able to give something to Pittsboro and  facilitating a bit of  that community experience. Among the wonderful things that Joyce and Vance sold over the years….their soul wasn’t one of them.

Doug Lorie

The General Store has been part of my and my family’s life for so many years! Just the Saturday before they closed, we had a wonderful meal, promising each other to try each others orders next time around.  I had commented on how superior the all the components of my Mediterranean platter had been.

Best wishes to the Vances.  I hope you know (I’m sure you’ve heard!) how much you and your staff and the ambiance has meant to us diehard fans all through the time you’ve tried so hard to meet the various needs of the customers and friends.  I had to laugh – with a wince – at the phrase in the News and Observer that quoted someone as calling it “that communist place.”  In the sense of “community,” it certainly has been.

Cherie Ernest

This Saturday, February 4th we will have a coupon swap at Courtyard Coffee and Soda Shoppe in Siler City. We meet at 9:00 a.m. Please bring any coupons you can’t use in an envelope or box.

If you are attending a coupon swap for the first time, here are some swap basics:
* Bring your coupons already cut out in an envelope.
* You don’t need to sort them by product type unless you really want to
* The group usually site in a circle and passes around the envelopes to the person to the right. Take the coupons you want out and put the rest back in to pass on to the next person.
* Once you get your envelope back, you know you have been through all the coupons.
* In really large groups, usually folks sit in groups of 5 to 8 people to swap
For more information contact Denise at dunn1956@gmail.com

Denise Dunn
Realtor, Buyers Agent
Selling homes in the Chatham County and Surrounding Areas
919-548-3458 or 919-548-9477

Friends,

We are thrilled to see so much interest in this project! The incubator will benefit small business owners and entrepreneurs in our area by providing a dynamic atmosphere to network and have resources needed to grow your businesses. The incubator also will serve a community purpose by offering working with the Displaced Homemakers program at the Family Violence and Rape Crisis Center. We already have several retired executives who have expressed an interest in mentoring.

Please forgive me for not responding sooner to inquiries in the last week.

We have a hard working and capable Board of Directors and we are doing our due diligence to ensure that this project sets off on stable ground. We want to offer the most affordable prices to tenants and participants as possible. We have a target opening date of March first and will have a Community Open House in February. Please email us to be added to our list for updates – chathampartnerspro@gmail.com.

You can also Like our Facebook Page for updates and also to view detailed information about the Incubator:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chatham-Professional-Partners/218163544931534

Again, the interest and enthusiasm is heartening. We are working very hard to make this happen so that we can help businesses succeed in Chatham County!

Heather Johnson
–
Heather Johnson
Executive Director
Chatham Professional Partners
919-444-1186

Hi All,

Please make an effort to support Sportsman’s Lanes, bowling alley in Siler City.
It’s easy to find on Rt 64, set-up on the hill from road in a olde brick building, next to Hess Gas Station.
The owners have recently re-painted, they’re working to make a go of it for the community and surrounding area.  The owner’s have been great in opening when school is out.
Party room available for birthday parties, get together ~ a fun place, locally, to take your family & friends!

Sportsman’s Bowling Lanes
210 E 11th Street, Siler City, NC 27344
919-663-3775

Thank you & go have some fun!

Gwynneth Harrington