Good people of Cary,

It has been a very interesting couple of weeks for Cary businesses.

Modern Service has moved a few blocks down E. Chatham Street, and its old property has now been freshly paved and striped for parking.

Lloyd’s Full Service looks just about ready to go.

Littles of Cary quietly closed, and there is quite a bit more to that story. I’m still reporting it out, so more on that soon.

Little Caesars is returning to Cary after an eight-year absence.

And a small market is opening inside the Cary Visitor Center downtown, bringing milk, eggs, produce and other everyday essentials to a part of Cary where people have been asking for exactly that for years.

So yeah. There is a lot happening.

Thank you for continuing to support local,

James

Cary is getting a traditional Little Caesars restaurant again.

The pizza chain has not had a conventional storefront in Cary since 2018, when its E. Chatham Street location abruptly closed along with three other Triangle locations operated by the same franchise owner. ABC11 reported at the time that employees said they were given little warning and were left waiting for final paychecks.

There is still a small Little Caesars operation inside the Han-Dee Hugo’s at 102 Gregson Drive, but it is not the traditional full restaurant most people probably picture.

Now the full version is coming back.

A new Little Caesars is under construction at 100 Wrenn Drive, next to Duck Donuts and Chipotle, in the former Healthy But Good space. Business listings and hiring postings for the new location are already appearing online.

The Reactions

I announced the return on social media, and the reactions were, as usual, extremely normal.

Some people are genuinely thrilled:

“Wow I can die happy now…”

“Little Caesars is far from gourmet pizza, but DANG does it hit the spot sometimes.”

Others were somewhat less enthusiastic:

“Yay for subpar pizza!”

“I can’t wait…to walk right past it and go to a good pizza place!”

“We have V pizza why would anyone go to little Caesars. That's not even pizza”

Opening Date

I emailed Little Caesars’ press team last week and have not received a response.

Since then, the Google Business listing for the Wrenn Drive location has been updated to show an October 14 opening.

I would treat that date as tentative until Little Caesars confirms it directly, but for now, October 14 is our best estimate.

Additional reading: Google Maps Listing

One of the most common requests I hear for Downtown Cary:

A grocery store.

Not necessarily a giant Harris Teeter. Just somewhere you can walk in, grab some milk, eggs, produce or something for dinner, and walk home.

The Douglas Realty Group is about to take a pretty interesting step in that direction.

The company operates the Cary Visitor Center on W. Chatham Street, next to the former Ashworth Drugs building. Half of that space is now being converted into a small neighborhood market.

The market will carry things like milk, eggs, produce, everyday staples, artisan products and prepared foods. It will still share the space with the Visitor Center, so this is not going to be a full-sized grocery store.

Downtown Cary has added a ton of restaurants, bars and apartments over the past several years, but there are still very few places where someone living downtown can walk in and buy basic groceries.

This gives people at least a small version of that.

I’ve been invited to a friends-and-family preview on August 18, and the public opening is planned for August 20.

I’ll show you around next week once I get inside ahead of the opening.

Cary High School is turning 130, and its PTSA is using the milestone to launch a $30,000 fundraising campaign aimed at supporting teachers, student organizations and school programs.

The annual campaign, called the sIMPle Fundraiser, runs through August and September. Unlike schools that hold several smaller fundraisers throughout the year, Cary High's PTSA uses one primary campaign to fund its work for the entire school year.

This year's effort is being promoted under the theme “The School That Built Cary Still Needs Cary.”

The reference is not entirely hyperbole.

Cary High traces its roots to 1896, when the school began as a private institution serving students in what was then a very small railroad town.

In 1907, Cary High became North Carolina's first public high school established under a new state-funded high school program.

The school also played an early role in the integration of Wake County schools. In 1963, six Black students enrolled at Cary High, making it one of the first schools in the county system to integrate.

Nearly 130 years later, Cary looks considerably different.

The town has grown from a small community surrounding the railroad into one of North Carolina's largest municipalities.

The PTSA is hoping that history can help broaden this year's fundraising effort beyond families who currently have students at the school.

Local businesses, alumni, former parents, grandparents and other Cary residents are all being asked to participate.

Money raised by the campaign stays at Cary High and will primarily support three areas.

One is teacher and staff mini-grants, which allow educators to request funding for classroom materials, equipment, technology and other projects that may not be covered through their normal budgets.

The PTSA also provides financial support to student clubs and organizations, including activities that allow students to compete, perform and participate in programs outside the classroom.

A portion of the money is also used for staff hospitality and appreciation.

The PTSA hopes local businesses will provide most of the money raised this year.

Its goal is to recruit 18 businesses contributing a combined $22,500.

Business sponsorship levels range from $750 to $2,500:

The remaining $7,500 would come from individual community contributions ranging from $50 to $250.

That would bring the campaign to its overall $30,000 goal.

Cary High was here decades before Research Triangle Park, before Cary's suburban growth and before most of the neighborhoods surrounding it existed.

Now, during its 130th year, the PTSA is hoping some of the community that grew up around the school will help fund what happens inside it next.

Those interested in donating or joining the Cary High PTSA can do so at chs.givebacks.com/shop.

Interested in partnering with us? Reach out at [email protected] and let's find something that works for you.

What: Cary is basically throwing an end-of-summer glow party at Ritter Park. There will be a live DJ, foam and bubbles, water activities, crafts, games and treats.

Where: Ritter Park (301 W. Lochmere Drive)

When: Wed, August 12 | 7:30–9:30 p.m.

More Info

What: This might be the weirdest and therefore most interesting event of the week. The Cary Theater will screen How to Build a Time Machine, followed by a conversation with physicist Dr. Ronald Mallett about whether time travel could actually be scientifically possible.

Where: The Cary Theater (122 E. Chatham Street)

When: Sat, August 15 | 2 p.m.

More Info

What: The Art of Cool Frequency Series comes to Koka Booth Amphitheatre with jazz and R&B performers Jonathan Butler and Najee, along with Aaron McCoy. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the show begins at 6:30.

Where: Koka Booth Amphitheatre (8003 Regency Parkway)

When: Sun, August 16 | 6:30 p.m.

More Info

Cary has no shortage of pizza places.

V Pizza is one of the best.

V Pizza Cary + SideDoor sits at 1389 Kildaire Farm Road in the Shoppes of Kildaire, and its specialty is Neapolitan-style pizza cooked in extremely hot wood-fired ovens. The company says its ovens reach about 900 degrees and can cook a pizza in as little as 90 seconds.

The crust is thin, soft in the middle and slightly charred around the edges. V Pizza uses ingredients associated with traditional Neapolitan pizza, including San Marzano tomatoes, 00 flour and imported Italian meats.

The menu goes well beyond pizza, too.

V Pizza has become particularly known for its wood-fired wings. There are also sandwiches, salads, meatballs, calzones and a handful of other Italian dishes, along with gluten-free pizza options.

The Cary location also has SideDoor, an attached bar (that also goes all out at Christmas time). V Pizza currently hosts live music at the Cary location every Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

If you like Neapolitan-style pizza, or have never tried it before, this is a place worth checking out.

V Pizza + SideDoor
📍 1389 Kildaire Farm Road, Cary
🕐 Open daily at 11 a.m.; until 9 p.m. Sunday–Wednesday and 10 p.m. Thursday–Saturday.

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