Economy & Downtown

Help celebrate 25 years of Internationalist Books:

The volunteers at Internationalist Books and Community Center openly invite the general public to participate in shaping the vision for the bookstore as we commemorate our 25th Anniversary in 2006. We are looking back on the legacy of our founder Bob Sheldon as a source of inspiration, and looking forward to the next 25 years as a dedicated center for political change. We need your help.

We're holding an interest meeting on Tuesday January 24th at 7:00pm at the bookstore to enlist those who would like to be involved in the ongoing planning effort for many programs throughout the year. We're looking for former volunteers who have been away from home for a while but would like to return to short-term service. We're looking for friends of Bob Sheldon who would like to help us carry on with his legacy. We're looking for motivated community members who are looking for new ways to champion the rights of workers, and other underrepresented groups.

According to news reports, Mayors Foy and Chilton pledged to do their holiday shopping locally:

"We really feel that it is very important for Orange County residents ... to buy local and to help reinvest the money we spend in our holiday shopping season here in Orange County," Chilton said, just a day after being sworn in as Carrboro's new mayor.

The potential impact, according to the Chamber:

a 1 percent increase in Orange County retail sales, assuming the money would not be spent in another county anyway, would generate nearly $360,000 in extra revenue. That's roughly enough to hire nine new police officers or sheriff's deputies.

Last Saturday, Aaron Nelson took advantage of the holiday parade to hand out "Buy Local" decals to a captive, holiday-primed audience.

The benefits of shopping locally are pretty clear, as are the additional benefits of supporting locally-owned businesses.

Kudos to Chilton, Foy, and Nelson for taking advantage of the holiday season to promote this awareness.

You may be among the many Chapel Hillians who have been wondering why some of the best business locations on Franklin Street stand vacant with no inhabitants. Apparently it's because their owner, Fayetteville developer Joe Riddle, is waiting for the "right" tenants. Riddle owns the Top of the Hill building (former home of the Gap, the Sunglass Hut, and the Carolina Theatre) and some lots on West Franklin on either side of Lantern and the art supply store, including University Chrysler. He doesn't seem to be in a rush to find those uniquely suitable tenants either.

Could it be Riddle is too distracted with other matters? Or does he have so much money that he can afford to hold on to prime real estate until the right mood catches him? Either way I see it as bad for Chapel Hill.