Why Chapel Hill

By the numbers

Business resources

The University, Town and Downtown Partnership provide a variety of tools, programs and services designed that make Chapel Hill a great place to start and grow your business.

Innovate Carolina Services

Innovate Carolina’s innovation hub is a suite of services designed for today’s problem solvers: innovation-minded faculty, students and others in the Carolina community who use their ingenuity to nudge the world forward.

Downtown Partnership Business Resources

The Downtown Partnership offers a wide range of resources: marketing and promotions, how to open your business, and a variety of business grants.

OPEN2.BIZ

Chapel Hill is the home of choice for innovators, startups and entrepreneurs. The Town of Chapel Hill’s OPEN2.BIZ site outlines the many resources available to help innovators thrive.

Commercial Property Search

Search the Town of Chapel Hill’s property and business opportunities directory. Some spaces and sites may not be featured, and the Town welcomes direct inquiries.

Viewpoints: Alumni business owners

A growing number of Carolina students are doing more than coming to the University for four years. Many find that Chapel Hill is the perfect place to put down entrepreneurial roots and start businesses after they graduate.

“I come from that community of art, music and culture being allowed to thrive, and this is where you can pursue that and support it. It only made sense for me to come back to those roots and plant that here for the next set of kids. This is also why you come to Chapel Hill, because of the connection between the town, the community and the University.”

Kevin Thomas ’12, owner of VibeHouse

“At Rivers Agency we like to have fun. These days, our idyllic small town is also a safe haven from the urban and densely populated cities that folks sometimes flock to after graduation. I love Chapel Hill, and I’m very lucky that I stayed after college.”

Lauren Rivers ’93, owner of Rivers Agency

“We hope to be good stewards of the place that we all have vibrant memories from, that my parents have vibrant memories from. Hardly a week goes by that we do not hear from a patron that they had their first date at CCS or even proposed to their partner there. It’s a magical place because it is a part of the Carolina family. What is good for legacy businesses on Franklin Street is good for Carolina.”

Jeff Hortman ’06, co-owner of Carolina Coffee Shop