Wednesday, Jun. 15, 2011

Cheesecake, computers and hair - oh my

At The Southern Traditions House, a tidy white building downtown, visitors can get a haircut, nibble on a piece of cheesecake and get their computer fixed.

In April, three businesses moved in at 115 E. 1st St. - My Girlfriends Place, which is a salon and spa; Sherry's Signature Cheesecakes; and Lizardwebs Computer Services. The trio might sound like they don't have much in common, but the owners say they mesh just fine, and business has been good.

"Look at it from our point of view - to be able to have a slice of Sherry's cheesecake and Facebook at the same time," said Dawn Black, who owns My Girlfriends Place.

The business owners said they had considered renting space in the Main Street building that housed Fancy That boutique. But that store closed, and the deal didn't work out.

Sherry Mitchell, owner of the cheesecake shop, had been baking on her own for a while until she realized she needed more space. And her brother, Eric Erickson, who owns Lizardwebs, had been running his computer business out of his home. The name comes from the Wake County community of Lizard Lick, Mitchell said, which is now home to the reality-television show "Lizard Lick Towing."

"I pamper people's taste buds, and he pampers people's computers," Mitchell said.

Meanwhile, My Girlfriends Place had been located on U.S. 70 Business for about two years.

The entrepreneurs turned to The Southern Traditions House, which has been home to a coffee shop and offices in the past. The new spot is better, Black said.

"We love being in the historic district of downtown Clayton," she said.

And Clayton loves having them.

The town wants to attract these kind of businesses, said Bruce Naegelen, Clayton's downtown-development director. "That brings folks into the downtown and creates a sense of community," he said.

Clayton needed something like this, especially a full day spa, said Kristty Smith, a hairstylist at My Girlfriends Place. She sold her old Clayton business, Hair On Main, earlier this year.

"You don't have to go to Raleigh or Cary," Smith said. "It's a one-stop shop."

Visitors to the building can enjoy a sitting room in the front of the house. Sherry's Signature Cheesecakes is on the bottom floor, while the computer shop is upstairs. The salon is on both levels.

Mitchell said she was skeptical of the location at first. The building isn't as front-and-center as the Fancy That spot. But Main Street poses its own problem - parking.

"We were unsure about not being on Main Street," Mitchell said. "On Main Street, we'd have more visibility. But we wouldn't have parking. Now we have parking."

Smith said many of her clients have followed her from Hair On Main to the new place. Brenda Avent is one of them. She recently got her hair done at the salon, and she said she likes that customers can buy snacks and enjoy complimentary coffee.

"When you feel bad when you come here, you won't when you leave," Avent said.