November and December are the busiest months of the year at Salem Street Pub, because downtown events bring people in. Front of house manager Skylar Gnann told The News & Observer exactly that this fall. In that same story, the Town of Apex said Salem Street is expected to reopen in mid-December, with final cleanup and punch-list work running until mid-January.
Lay those two facts on a calendar and you can see how this season is shaped. The Christmas parade, the tree lighting and most of the Snowman Stroll all come before that expected reopening. This year's downtown holiday season happens on a street that's still being rebuilt. That changes how you get there, where you park, and what the parade can look like, and it gives the season extra weight for the shops that have stayed open through ten months of construction.
The calendar runs ahead of the road
These are the downtown dates on the Town of Apex and Downtown Apex calendars, in order, with the town's expected reopening slotted in:
- Friday, Nov. 20, 5 to 8 p.m. Love Local Fall Into Downtown, Jazz & Jive Night, on the Town of Apex calendar. Downtown Apex lists it as Jazz & Jive in Downtown.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, all day. Small Business Saturday, on the Town of Apex calendar with Apex as the location.
- Sunday, Nov. 29, 2:30 to 5 p.m. The 5th Annual Kid's Holiday Craft Fair at The Halle Cultural Arts Center, 237 N. Salem Street. The event page says admission is free.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 4:30 to 7 p.m. The Tree Lighting Ceremony at Town Hall, 73 Hunter Street.
- Dec. 4 through Dec. 13. Snowman Stroll on Salem. The town calendar doesn't list hours.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, starting at 5 p.m. The Apex Rotary Christmas Parade.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 3 to 6 p.m. The Apex Chanukah Festival at Town Hall.
- Mid-December. The town's expected Salem Street reopening, with punch-list work continuing into mid-January.
So every event on that list falls inside the construction window. The good news is where several of them are. The tree lighting and the Chanukah Festival are at Town Hall on Hunter Street, and the craft fair is inside The Halle, so they don't depend on Salem Street's travel lanes at all.
What Salem Street looks like right now
If you haven't been downtown since summer, here's where things stand. The town began the $4.7 million Salem Streetscape project in January. The goal is a downtown that's easier to walk and nicer to be in, with wider sidewalks. Work has limited the stretch of Salem Street between Saunders and Chatham streets to one-way southbound traffic, while businesses and sidewalks have stayed open.
WRAL reported in September that the east side of the street and its travel lane were finished in mid-July. Southbound traffic moved onto that new lane while crews rebuilt the west side. Electrical and fiber conduit, light poles and street furniture were still to come. A five-foot sidewalk path has stayed open along the west-side businesses, so you can walk to every storefront even while the street beside it is torn up.
The project was first expected to wrap up in October. Amir Nezarati, the town's transportation engineering manager, told The News & Observer the delay came from electrical and lighting revisions. Those included moving where power infrastructure sits, coordinating with street-tree planting, and adding electrical service for future improvements. Mid-December is the town's expected date, not a promise. Plan your December 5 parade night as if there's still a work zone downtown, because that's the likeliest outcome.
A parade sized for the street it has
The clearest sign of the construction this year is a rule on the Apex Rotary Club's parade entry page. Because of roadway limits downtown, every parade vehicle or trailer is capped at 9 feet wide, measured mirror to mirror or at the trailer's widest point. Anything wider gets turned away. For scale, the Rotary notes a standard mid-size pickup is about 6 feet 8 inches wide.
Back in June, WRAL reported that the parade might need route changes or float restrictions because of the delays. The Rotary's current listing keeps the familiar route and adds the width limit. Sponsored by Crossroads Ford, the parade starts at 5 p.m. at the intersection of Ambergate Station and The Peakway, heads down Salem Street, turns onto Moore Street, and ends at the Apex Public Works Buildings on Upchurch Street.
That means the parade runs right down the stretch that's under construction. The extra-wide floats some families remember from past years won't fit this time. You'll still see the trucks and trailers, just slimmer ones, moving down a street that's partly new and partly still being built.
Getting there and parking
The town's Downtown page points to the Apex Parking App, which shows real-time parking availability, plus an interactive map and a printable PDF map. WRAL reported the town has put up signs directing visitors to the map and the app.
These are the public parking options named on the town's downtown map and its "Parking Beyond the Lot" flyer:
- Lots: Seaboard Street, Saunders Lot, The Depot, Town Hall Campus, the Community Center, and E. Moore Street
- Other spots: Hunter Street Park and the Mason Street Municipal Building
- Street parking: N. and S. Salem, Hunter, Mason, Center, Elm and Chatham streets
Since the parade turns onto Moore Street and ends on Upchurch, check the map before you choose a lot on parade night. For the tree lighting, the Town Hall Campus and Hunter Street Park lots are closest to 73 Hunter Street.
If you take GoApex, the Salem Streetscape detour has suspended nine regular stops and added five temporary ones, The News & Observer reported. The town kept service running through downtown based on ridership data and to keep riders connected to downtown businesses. Check your usual stop before you head out after dark.
The businesses that stayed open
The events matter a lot this year because of what the businesses have been dealing with. In The News & Observer's September story, co-general manager Matthew James said Mission Market's revenue first dropped about 50% compared with the same period last year and is now running about 20% lower. He said it's "such a hassle to park and walk around the building to get in here to bring your family." At Salem Street Pub, which has temporarily lost eight outdoor tables along its frontage, Gnann said daily revenue has generally run 10% to 30% below comparable days last year.
Across the street, Anna's Pizzeria saw the work move off its side of Salem Street. Manager Stephen Perticona told the N&O, "When they finished our side, we didn't really see a bump back in business." Virtuoso Jewels told WRAL its business picked back up once construction moved to the other side.
Two shops that were open when construction started won't be there when it ends. Alleyway Bookstore closed over the summer and pointed to a rent increase. The News & Observer reported the shop also said construction had cut its daily foot traffic. The Perky Lady, a lingerie shop on Salem Street, closed Oct. 10 after nearly a decade, the N&O reported. Its owner described the decision as part of a personal and professional transition. Neither business named the streetscape project as the main reason for closing.
That's why Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28 and Jazz & Jive Night on Nov. 20 carry more weight on Salem Street this year than usual. The walkway is open, the sign over the street still says "Downtown Apex is open for business!", and a chai latte at Mission Market is right where it's always been.
Outside downtown, there's at least one new place to stop. Grain & Berry, which serves superfood bowls, smoothies, juices, wraps and salads, opened Oct. 10 at 2017 Creekside Landing Drive in Beaver Creek Crossings. The News & Observer reports it's the chain's second North Carolina location.
After the cones come down
If the town stays on schedule, Salem Street reopens in mid-December, while crews keep finishing details into mid-January. The merchants The News & Observer talked to generally said they still expect the finished streetscape to help downtown. The town's project page is the place to check for timeline updates before parade weekend.
If you come down for the tree lighting and want to talk about the neighborhoods within walking distance of Salem Street, or you just want a good place for parade-night dinner, send me a note. I'm happy to share both. Trevor Burris | Let's Connect.
