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Roadwork makes strange bedfellows

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Staff

By Joshua Lucas
Staff Writer

They were passing colleagues at best, Linda Bourne and Bill Fairbanks: two restaurateurs, more likely to be rivals than allies in the difficult business of serving up hot meals and cold drinks.

“We’re just acquaintances – I don’t go anywhere restaurant-wise except Carrburritos. I’m sort of preoccupied,” said Fairbanks, who owns Carrburritos.

That’s not how it’s turning out. The two have gotten to know each other in the past week.

Access to Bourne’s pub and grill, the Spotted Dog Restaurant & Bar, has been restricted by the ongoing construction on East Weaver Street. Fairbanks came up with a plan to encourage consumers to visit the restaurant and the two other businesses affected most by the construction — The Beehive hair salon and Maple View Ice Cream.

“I didn’t want to see them, through no fault of their own, have to endure this. In addition to the recession, this is the last thing they need,” Fairbanks said. “It was something very cruel and unjust being forced on them, but there was no one to blame. The construction had to happen. They’re just victims.”

Carrburritos, Fairbanks’ eatery on West Rosemary Street, and three other businesses – The UPS Store at Carrboro Plaza, Balloons & Tunes and the N.C. Crafts Gallery – will offer 20 percent discounts to customers who show a recent receipt from one of the three affected Weaver Street businesses.

A surprise visit from Fairbanks in which he pitched the idea floored Bourne.

“What Bill has done is just astounding,” Bourne said from behind the bar at the Spotted Dog. “Just even the notion that he does not know me well – it almost brought me to tears.”

Bourne has co-owned Spotted Dog for almost 13 years – the wood-paneled eatery at the flatiron-shaped intersection of Main Street and East Weaver Street will mark the anniversary Nov. 13. But first it’s got to weather some more dust, noise and debris caused by the construction outside its doors.

The construction work is moving along apace, said Carrboro Public Works director George Seiz. Crews have made progress grading the stretch of road and, weather permitting, the work should be done within a few weeks, he said. He understands residents’ eagerness to get the work done.

“When you get to the end, everybody sees some light at the end of the tunnel,” Seiz said.

Once word got out that the construction was making business hard for the three businesses, regular customers rallied to support them, Bourne said. They’re making a special effort to dine at her place. One customer even bought a large gift card he said he doesn’t plan to use for months.

“All our regular people just came out in droves,” Bourne said. “It’s why I live in Carrboro.”

Show the love, Fairbanks said, and it’ll come back to you, both by supporting local businesses, and supporting people.

“Tip your servers well, they’ll like you a lot,” he said.

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