"Downtown Apex is open for business!" That is the sign hanging over Salem Street in a September report from The News & Observer. Under it, excavators were digging up one side of the street and cars were moving single file along the other.
The sign still matters through December 6. Every event on downtown Apex's holiday calendar falls between tomorrow and December 6. In September the town said it expects Salem Street to reopen in mid-December. So this year's dance night, jazz night, Small Business Saturday, tree lighting, Christmas parade and Chanukah festival all happen before the street is scheduled to reopen. For anyone driving in from Montvale, off Ferrell Road in western Cary, the downtown on offer this season is a work zone.
The Season Merchants Count On Comes First
When construction started in January, the town expected the work to run through October. Our August guide to downtown Apex for Montvale planned around that fall date. By September the plan had changed. The town now expects the road to reopen in mid-December, with final cleanup and punch-list work continuing until mid-January.
Back in May, the town and its contractor were talking about adding weekend and evening hours to pull completion into November, "to minimize the impact on the holiday season." The September schedule shows that didn't happen.
The holiday season is the part of the year downtown businesses can least afford to lose. Skylar Gnann, front of house manager at Salem Street Pub, told The News & Observer that November and December are the pub's busiest months, because downtown events bring people in. The pub has temporarily lost the eight outdoor tables along its frontage.
Those events are the town's own calendar, and every one of them comes before the reopening date.
Seven Dates, All Before Mid-December
Here is the run of downtown events on the Town of Apex calendar and its Visit Raleigh listing, in order:
- Apex Community Dance, Friday, November 13, 7 to 9 p.m., The Halle Cultural Arts Center, 237 N. Salem St.
- Jazz & Jive Night, Friday, November 20, 5 to 8 p.m., The Depot parking lot, 220 N. Salem St. Free.
- Small Business Saturday, Saturday, November 28, all day.
- 5th Annual Kid's Holiday Craft Fair, Sunday, November 29, 2:30 to 5 p.m., The Halle Cultural Arts Center.
- Tree Lighting Ceremony, Friday, December 4, 4:30 to 7 p.m., Town Hall, 73 Hunter St.
- Rotary Christmas Parade, Saturday, December 5, 5 p.m., Downtown Apex.
- Apex Chanukah Festival, Sunday, December 6, 3 to 6 p.m., Town Hall.
Three of the seven are right on the construction corridor: the Halle and the Depot both have North Salem Street addresses. The tree lighting and the Chanukah festival are a block off at Town Hall on Hunter Street. The parade covers downtown itself. The two weekends after Thanksgiving are the busiest stretch, with Small Business Saturday and the craft fair back to back, then the tree lighting, the parade and the Chanukah festival on three straight days a week later.
What the Street Looks Like When You Arrive
WRAL's September report gives the most detailed picture of the street. Crews finished the underground work and pavers on the east side in mid-July. Southbound traffic then moved onto that side while the west side was torn out and rebuilt. Between Saunders and Chatham, Salem Street was one-way southbound, with a five-foot sidewalk path kept open beside the west-side businesses. Work was continuing on soil cells and storm drains, and electrical and fiber conduit, light poles and street furniture were still to come.
The street changes from week to week, so plan the drive before you leave. The town has pointed visitors to its interactive parking map and the Apex Parking app. The Salem Streetscape project page is where the town posts project updates.
Parking matters more than it sounds. Matthew James, co-manager of Mission Market, told The News & Observer that the café's normal weekday orders dropped from 100 to 120 before construction to about 70 to 100. Revenue first fell about 50% compared with the same period last year and is now about 20% lower. His explanation was simple: "It's just such a hassle to park and walk around the building to get in here to bring your family."
WRAL's reporting shows the other side of that. The manager at Anna's Pizzeria had reported a 10% to 20% drop in business earlier in the year. At Virtuoso Jewels, business picked up once construction moved to the other side of the street. Customers come back as soon as the walk from the car gets easier. Holiday events are among the few things that bring people downtown even when it doesn't.
Jazz & Jive Is the Final Love Local Friday
The town's Love Local "Fall into Downtown" series has filled the Depot parking lot from 5 to 8 p.m. on the third Friday of September, October and November. Canes Hockey Night started it on September 18 with Stormy, street hockey and a live DJ. Fall Harvest Night followed on October 16, with Apex Farmers Market vendors, the North Carolina Polka Time Allstars and the Tour of Frights window displays.
Jazz & Jive Night on November 20 closes the series. The listing includes:
- Live music by Peter Lamb and the Wolves
- Jazz ensembles
- Personalized poems written on the spot by the Poetry Fox
- A dance area, with room for yard chairs
- Jazz-inspired specialty menu items and sales from downtown businesses
The last line on that list ties the night to the merchants. The series puts its entertainment in the Depot lot and asks the shops and restaurants on the street to supply the specials. A 5 p.m. start on a Friday also leaves room for dinner on Salem Street before the music winds down at 8. Bring a folding chair.
Why the Work Ran Long, and What the Wait Buys
Apex Transportation Engineering Manager Amir Nezarati told The News & Observer that the delay came from electrical and lighting revisions. Those included moving where power infrastructure goes, coordinating with the street-tree installation and expanding electrical service for future improvements. In May the town said updated electrical plans had arrived April 24 and were under expedited review.
The $4.7 million project adds wider sidewalks, lighting, trees and street furniture, with a design meant to favor people on foot. According to WRAL, the finished street is also meant to have more outdoor dining space.
That outdoor dining space is what places like Salem Street Pub are waiting for. It gave up eight tables to the construction, and the wider sidewalks are designed for more of that kind of seating. On the town's September schedule, it won't be ready until after the tree lighting, the parade and the Chanukah festival are over. Next year's holiday calendar will be the first on the finished street. This year's runs on the one-way, single-file version, and that is when the merchants say they need the business most.
Seasons like this one, when timelines move and local businesses lean on their regulars, are part of what we follow at Karen Coe Realty Group across Western Wake. If the changes in downtown Apex have you wondering what your Montvale home is worth heading into the new year, we're glad to put together a current picture for you. Request Your Home Valuation.
