Since she left the corporate world less than 10 years ago, Diane Hodapp has been on a roll.   Finding herself with a wide range of choices for a new career, Hodapp was riding her bike near her Carolina Beach home one day when she said to herself, “Why not a bike shop?” Selling bikes would, she thought, offer a product the beach market needed and draw on ...

Granted, the indoor section of The Transplanted Garden makes for tight quarters, but the expansive, plant-filled grounds are a social-distancing dream. That’s likely a big reason that the Wilmington business at 502 S. 16th St. has had sales “pretty much where they should be” in recent months, according to co-owner Tom Ericson. A few blocks over, the Hi ...

The predictions have come true: early this fall, retail analysts foresaw that this year’s pandemic restrictions would drive even more holiday shoppers online, and that more gifts would be exchanged remotely as many families and friends gather virtually rather than in person.   All of which means that shippers are deluged with cards and packages, with online or ...

From retail to a new salon, Wilmington continues to gain new businesses despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In downtown Wilmington, more businesses have opened during the pandemic than have closed, and downtown consumers are still coming in, said Dane Scalise, board chair of Wilmington Downtown Inc. “Many people have suffered personally and profe ...

Signs on the facade of The STEM Labs at Mayfaire Town Center were gone Tuesday. Tina and Brad Catalone of The STEM Labs announced the closure of their educational center at 820 Town Center Drive in a recent email to customers. The Catalones had no further comment on the closure Tuesday morning. The doors were locked and a "closed" sign was hanging in the wi ...

No. of employees: 2 full-time and seasonal employees   Year founded: 2007   Top local officials: Charles and Kimberly Smith, owners, and daughters Lauren Rich, manager, and Brooke Harrell, assistant manager   Company description: Carolina Candy Co. is family-owned and operated maker of gourmet toffees and chocolate confections. Its retail store feature ...

These days, for work, school and even socializing, everyone is spending a great deal of time in front of various screens. Offering an escape from computers, TVs and phones, board games have made a formidable comeback.   Games of both strategy and silliness are flying off the shelves of local shops.   There are many fun options for kids of all ages seeking rea ...

A grocery store is seriously interested in opening a location in downtown Wilmington. Dane Scalise, chair of the board of directors for Wilmington Downtown Inc. (WDI), said he couldn't disclose the name of the store, but that "it's a real prospect." Scalise said, "We have been approached; there is someone who is interested presently and serious ...

For Britteny Bellinger, the name of her store at Mayfaire Town Center has multiple meanings. "My Sister's Cottage" comes from the fact that she and her sister, who lived next door to each other in Nebraska, started the business together online about a year-and-a-half ago. It also refers to safe houses for victims of sex trafficking, a cause the business ...

A graduate of Metropolitan State University with a music degree, Norm Giblin used to teach piano lessons when he lived in Denver, Colorado. “But my wife [Kara Giblin] and I moved out here a few years ago and we were looking for business opportunities in Wilmington and found out that there was not a School of Rock here,” Norm Giblin said. School of Rock, a ...