t h e b i g s ta g e In 2008, another big player joined the party. The Durham Performing Arts Center (“the DPAC”) opened, a short stroll from the DBAP. The 2,800seat theater has become a magnet for Broadway shows and A-list performers. It consistently ranks among the top five performing arts centers in the nation in attendance. Its director of operations is Adrienne Quick-Wright, who received her MBA from NCCU in 1998. Quick-Wright was born in Winston-Salem and moved to Durham as a child. “I’ve been hearing about revitalization for about 30 years,” she says. “Brightleaf Square opened when I was a kid. I’ve been able to see the progression — and I know there’s so much more to come.” DPAC has become a significant destination. “It has brought many people to Durham from outside the city,” Quick-Wright says — “people who never in a million years thought they’d set foot in Durham, and they say ‘Wow!’ What they see changes their whole perspective of the city.” On DPAC performance nights, the restaurants closest to DPAC in the Diamond View buildings or American Tobacco are jammed, so Quick-Wright and the DPAC staff often direct visitors across the railroad tracks toward Main Street. “Before long, they’re strolling,” Quick-Wright says. “There are so many great eating options — Beyú, Dame's Chicken & Waffles, Republic, Pop’s, Dos Perros.” Oh, yes, those restaurants. Durham’s a rising star in that field, too. A region once ruled by fried chicken, burgers and barbecue has gained national recognition for the variety and quality of its restaurants. In 2008, Bon Appétit magazine declared the Durham-Chapel Hill area to be “America’s foodiest small town.” The New York Times has praised Durham’s food scene three times since 2010, including a 2011 article that said that from a “ghost town… an exciting, unexpected food hub has emerged.” There is, of course, much more to downtown Durham than restaurants and entertainment. An important component of the renaissance has been its embrace of business and entrepreneurship. Capitol Broadcasting opened a start-up hub for small business in a basement at American Tobacco in 2010. Originally named American Underground, it has been rebranded as The Underground@American Tobacco. This summer,
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adrienne quickwright
I’ve been able to see the progression — and I know there’s so much more to come.” ______
a second, larger incubator space opened in a storefront at 201 W. Main St., The Underground@Main Street. The NCCU School of Business was one of more than 40 tenants celebrating the official opening of the Main Street facility in July. It provides office and meeting space to help startup businesses a d ri e nn e quic k - wrig h t perform their day-to-day operations, and an array of support services and networking opportunities in the heart of the Durham entrepreneurship community. NCCU students will engage in projects and internships with startup businesses, gaining experience that prepares them for their own entrepreneurial ventures and other career opportunities. A key player at the site is NCCU School of Business Entrepreneur-in-Residence Ed Weems, a veteran businessman and entrepreneur who provides expertise and counsel to help new businesses succeed.
Once established, new businesses have the potential to follow the example of Tobias Rose, a 2005 NCCU graduate who moved his graphics and web development business, Kompleks Creative, into a spacious second-floor office on Parrish Street in April 2013. Kompleks previously operated out of a warehouse building near Durham Tech, and the move has proved to be a good one for Rose and his five employees. “We‘ve done a lot of work to build our reputation,” he says. “We needed to become more of a community fixture. Moving downtown meant we would be talked about in the same breath as Durham's incredible restaurants and the rich legacy of historic companies like N.C. Mutual and Mechanics & Farmers Bank. The energy is different downtown,” he adds. “There is a progressive mindset. The environment breeds creativity and it helps us to stay inspired.” The downtown advantages are many, he adds. “Lunchtime is a treat because everyone gets to check out a new restaurant, or dish. And everything‘s within walking distance. We also needed to develop our presence as a young and hip design firm. Being downtown helps with that.” Just down the block on Parrish Street is the office of attorney Tyler Pokrass, who graduated from the School of Law in 1996 and has worked downtown ever since then. He lives downtown as well, in a 140-year-old Victorian house a few blocks north on Mangum Street that he bought in 1999 and spent eight years fixing up. “I love it downtown,” he says over lunch at Geer Street Garden, a pleasant new eating and drinking establishment housed in a former gas station at Geer and Foster streets. “I’m proud to call it home. I can’t imagine living or working anywhere else. It’s been wonderful to see people buy these wonderful old buildings. Now there’s foot traffic and
tobias rose
“There is a progressive mindset. The environment breeds creativity and it helps us to stay inspired.” ______ t o bias r o se
tyler pokrass
great places to eat. Durham has everything I would want.” If you remember how grim downtown Durham was 20 years ago, the turnaround makes your head spin. To be sure, the renaissance is not complete. There remain more than a few vacant storefronts. And you need not venture far from the heart of the city to be reminded that many residents still live in poverty. But the transformation has been remarkable — and there are clearly more good things to come.
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