"We couldn't get any wider. We could only go up, and there's only so high you can go."
That's Meghan Santucci talking about the Kids' Corner at Go Girl Shoppe, the shop she runs with her sister Allyson Wagner at the corner of Clay and Third streets. The toy section kept growing until it needed its own building. In September, the sisters opened MegAlly's Gifts just up the street at 108-A W. Clay St.
The same thing is happening up and down the blocks around Clay and Fourth this fall. Look at where the new businesses came from and a pattern shows up. A yarn shop outgrew its booth. A restaurant team is reopening a closed dining room with that dining room's own chef. A coffee owner who lives in Mebane opened his shop here. Most of these openings were started by people who already had a business on these streets or a home in town.
MegAlly's Gifts started as one corner of Go Girl
The Kids' Corner began as "just a small pocket or space at Go Girl," Santucci told News of Orange in a Sept. 28 feature on the new shop. The name MegAlly's goes back to their parents' business, which combined their daughters' names.
The store is set up so kids can play with many of the toys before anyone buys them. Santucci describes staff opening a box to show a customer "the coolest new thing" and helping shoppers choose a gift. Because the new store is only a few doors from Go Girl, one walk down Clay now covers both shops.
The Cozy Skein moves from a 12-by-12 booth to a two-story building
The Cozy Skein Yarn and Fiber Shop opened in April 2025 inside Sweet Grace Market on Clay Street. It is moving to its own building a little way down the block at 105 W. Clay St. That two-story building used to be Paul Walker's DeLuxe Barber Shop. Owners Jess and Jeff Kucel are renovating the inside and updating the outside.
The growth happened quickly. When the space next to their booth at Sweet Grace opened up, they took it, and Jeff said they knew they would still need more room. Jess called the original spot the "Cozy Couch." She said they "packed so much yarn in that little 12' X 12' booth" that knitters ended up sitting on the floor.
At the new address there will be:
- A larger area for people to sit and knit or crochet together
- Hand-dyed yarns from Peru, Denmark and Italy, plus hand-dyed kits from a dyer in Hillsborough
- More crochet hooks, knitting needles and books, with beginner and advanced classes
- Sip & Stitch evenings, according to the City of Mebane
- Embroidery, which Jess plans to add later
On opening day, the two published targets don't quite agree. In mid-August the owners told News of Orange they hoped to open in October. The city's Aug. 31 Mebane Scoop said the goal was to be "fully open by the holiday season." Check the shop's own page before you go to 105 W. Clay.
Fratelli Italian Kitchen keeps the Crafted kitchen in local hands
Crafted closed at 119 W. Clay St., and the next tenant comes from downtown too. Tory and Corey Williams announced Fratelli Italian Kitchen for the space. Tory spent more than seven years as general manager of Bright Penny Brewing. Corey owns Bloom Beauty, which she opened in 2023.
The head chef is coming back, too. Johnny Mooneyham, who ran the kitchen at Crafted, will lead Fratelli's kitchen, and Tory plans to work mostly at the front of the house. The announced menu includes house-made pastas, steaks, desserts, craft cocktails and wine, with most entrees around $20.
Tory said he and his wife often drove "to Durham or Greensboro" for this kind of Italian food and that Mebane needed a place for it. The owners aimed to open in early September but called that date "not set in stone." As of early October, I haven't seen an announced opening date, so call or check their social media before you plan a dinner there.
Fourth Street's new openings were started by people who live here
Markola Coffee House is in the former Mebane Enterprise building at 106 N. Fourth St. Owner Mark Daumen helped open The Durham Hotel in 2015 and started its coffee program. He moved to Mebane with his wife in 2019 and wanted Markola to be based in the town where he lives. Earlier this year, 133 backers put more than $20,000 into the shop's Kickstarter.
Markola's main product is a coffee syrup made from cold brew, vanilla and sugar. The coffee soda is that syrup with club soda, ice and a twist of lemon. The city's writeup suggests taking a shot of the syrup across the street and adding it to a milkshake from Muffins. Right now Markola serves to-go coffee only. Daumen says a larger concept is planned over the next few years.
Two doors down at 110 N. Fourth St. is Taste of Filipino, which News of Orange described as recently opened in a July report. It's a small market selling Filipino snacks, beverages, frozen foods, condiments, noodles and household goods. Owner Maria Jessica Sanchez-Browning came to the United States about eight years ago to teach. "Over the years, North Carolina became my home," she said. She opened the shop to share Filipino food and culture with the community. The owners welcome everyone, whether or not they're Filipino.
The Front Porch Collective brings local vendors together at 137 W. Clay
Some shops grew out of other shops. The Front Porch Collective gives a group of local sellers one storefront. It carries boutique goods, antiques, handmade items and gifts from local vendors, and it has a dirty-soda bar called Front Porch Sips. Its grand opening and ribbon cutting with Mayor Ed Hooks was scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24.
Its September calendar shows how it works with other downtown businesses. The Corner Shop hosted the Books & Bliss Pop-Up Book Fair there on Sept. 12. On the same day, during downtown's Flavors of Fall event, it served maple dirty sodas with maple bacon cakesicles from Mil's Pop Shop and maple cotton candy from Taste & See Cotton Candy.
Where things stand, block by block
| Business | Address | Started from | Status as of Oct. 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MegAlly's Gifts | 108-A W. Clay St. | Go Girl Shoppe's Kids' Corner | Opened in September |
| The Cozy Skein | 105 W. Clay St. | A booth at Sweet Grace Market | Moving in; October to holiday-season target |
| Fratelli Italian Kitchen | 119 W. Clay St. | Former Crafted space, same head chef | Aimed for early September; check before going |
| The Front Porch Collective | 137 W. Clay St. | Local vendor collective | Grand opening set for Sept. 24 |
| Markola Coffee House | 106 N. Fourth St. | Owner living in Mebane since 2019 | Serving to-go coffee |
| Taste of Filipino | 110 N. Fourth St. | Owner-run market | Open; reported as new in July |
October dates to visit the new shops
A downtown event is a good time to try several of these places in one trip.
- AutumnFest, Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a rain date of Sunday, Oct. 4. Downtown Mebane lists makers, food trucks, a beer garden, a kids' zone and live entertainment. Event details are here.
- An Evening in Stars Hollow, Friday, Oct. 9, 5 to 9 p.m. It's a Gilmore Girls-themed night, and participating shops, restaurants and businesses are each planning themed activities.
- Downtown Mebane Halloween Spooktacular, Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 100 W. Clay St. Plans include costume awards, trick-or-treating, music, performers and food vendors.
- Downtown Mebane Farmers Market, Saturdays through November, 8:30 a.m. to noon, at 102 E. Ruffin St.
Because AutumnFest and the farmers market both fall on Oct. 3, you can visit Ruffin Street in the morning, then walk Clay and Fourth in the afternoon.
Downtown Mebane's growth affects your own street too. When you want to know what your home is worth, or you're thinking about buying close enough to walk to Fourth Street for coffee, Jeremy Clayton will go over the numbers with you, without any pressure. Let's Connect.
