Potential businesses coming to Western Wake County

McKenzie Feldman
Web Editor

​With Western Wake County becoming a hotspot for new residents, many businesses are looking to take part in the sudden sprawl. From grocery chains to popular furniture retail companies, many businesses have their eyes on areas around us. Rumors of a possible IKEA coming to Wake County have sprouted up, and Wegmans has recently confirmed two new locations in the Cary area. However, there is much more behind these potential speculations. 

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After losing several anchor stores, Cary Towne Center is looking to redevelop their mall. With the loss of Macy’s and Sears, Cary Towne Center is desperately in need of a major addition. Since the mall made its first steps in redevelopment, the popular Swedish furniture store sounds like what they would need to bounce back. The talk of this new addition was addressed by the Town of Cary’s mayor. In a blog post, Mayor Harold Weinbrecht said he spoke with the town manager about revamping the mall, referring to the plan as “Project Emerald.” He could not reveal much, but he did say that Project Emerald equals blue and yellow. For those who are familiar with IKEA, those are their established colors! Nothing is for sure, but it would not be much of a surprise to pass bright blue and yellow colors on Walnut Street.

One thing is set in stone: Wegmans is coming to Cary! The family-owned company, headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., was ranked the No. 1 supermarket in the country by Consumer Report’s 2015 annual survey of customers. The company most recently announced its proposition for a second site in the western part of Cary. Wegmans spokeswoman Jo Natale said, “We would like to open a store at the intersection of Davis Drive and Airport Boulevard in Cary, N.C.” This proposal came ten months after Wegmans set its eyes on their very first site in North Carolina across from Cary Towne Center. While Wegmans has not finalized its plans for opening the first location along Cary Towne Boulevard, the grocery chain is hopeful to opening a second location in West Cary. If the development is approved, Wegmans would join a crowded field of grocery stores in Western Wake County, with Cary’s recent opening of Publix.
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We are so fortunate to live in an area with many stores, parks, and other amenities. With potential speculations up in the air, Western Wake County could be seeing many more additions coming their way.