Social districts are revitalizing downtowns across the country.
The concept was intended to ease liquor laws for businesses hurting during the pandemic, but has since gained steam — especially in the Carolinas.
The town of Apex is the latest in the Triangle to try it out.
On Saturday, June 7, Apex officially launched its social district called “The Local Spot.”
Patrons can visit local businesses and purchase an alcoholic drink to-go. They will receive a special “Local Spot” cup and can only drink at participating places within the district.
“Anything that brings more people out. Anything that brings people together and socialize.. I’m all about it,” said Imani Timpanaro, who just moved to Apex back in December.
“Now that it’s getting warmer and we’re really starting to get a sense of Apex and downtown and all of the people here. I really love to see it,” she added, describing the lively atmosphere of downtown as she walked around.
Apex adopted the social district in May after months of community feedback, reviewing safety concerns and compiling research.
“We were looking for opportunities to bring more people to our downtown corridor,” said Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert. “I think this is a good opportunity. It’s a good incentive to do that.”
Some shared concerns the social district would promote irresponsible drinking behaviors like public drunkenness and drinking while driving.
“Which is why we moved slowly to make sure we were doing the right thing in the situation. We have our police department, and they were at the table when planning all of this to make sure that we were able to look at the risk assessment here and mitigate any risks. I feel like we’re in a good place and we will continue to monitor it as we go forward,” Gilbert added.
Sean Sorensen was downtown during the launch day and enjoyed hearing the news about its official opening.
“In ways, if it’s a big event, people are doing it anyway so if it’s going to help out businesses.. you can explore and not be confined to one spot. It’s great,” he said.
The town has a designated area where you can enjoy alcoholic drinks while dining or shopping from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
You can enjoy your beverage in the official social district cup within these street boundaries:
- Salem Street (Salem Heritage Plaza to Williams St.)
- E. Chatham Street and W. Chatham Street (Seaboard Street to 106 W. Chatham Street)
- Commerce Street (Saunders Street to W. Chatham Street)
- Saunders Street (N. Salem Street to Commerce Street)
- Temple Street (Templeton Street to Saunders Street)
- Templeton Street (N. Salem Street to Temple Street)
“You’ll walk down the street and you’ll see that there are signs on each business,” said Terry Mahaffey, Apex Town Council member. “You’ll see the green sign means you can go in and they sell and accept outside beverages. Yellow means only drinks sold there are welcomed. And there’s red for the for the shops that decided not to participate.”
More than 30 businesses have joined the experience.
“I think it just kind of creates more motivation for people to be out and about outside of their cars walking around rather than feeling like they have to stay in one place,” added Timpanaro.
Town leaders hope the extra foot traffic gives local businesses a nice boost while visitors from near and far enjoy responsibly.
“We like to have opportunities for us to be able to bond together. Whether it’s the farmer’s market.. whether it’s our festivals, but most importantly just getting people out to enjoy each other,” said Ed Gray, Apex Mayor Pro Tem.
The Local Spot Cups will be recycled to prevent “bring your own bottle.”
Just this week, WRAL previously reported the town of Wake Forest launching their social district between businesses in downtown. At least 62 other towns or cities now have registered social districts in North Carolina.