Downtown, Loading…

Downtown, Loading…

A dilapidated warehouse.  Local community leaders who specialize in connecting the dots.  A conversation between movers and shakers in Wake Forest and Raleigh.  A groundbreaking in November 2020 symbolizing a dream becoming reality.

Last Monday marked the beginning of construction on the newest Loading Dock location.  A vision that has been brewing for just shy of 3 years; since February 2018 to be exact.  In their first foray out of Raleigh, the Loading Dock will be positioned on the south side of downtown Wake Forest on the historic and industrious White Street.  To say the economic impact of this project is huge would be an understatement.  From dirt, to finished product, to the entrepreneurs who will grace the halls, and all of the patrons in-between, the Loading Dock is expected to bring upwards of 150 new jobs to the Wake Forest community and result in an impressive $138 million dollars per year to our county economy with an estimated $100 million remaining in Wake Forest, alone.  In addition to fostering the entrepreneurial spirit, the 24,000sqft warehouse will tout a food hall and indoor-outdoor event venue.

As someone who swore she would never leave Raleigh (ITB, y’all!), the Loading Dock’s decision to expand to Wake Forest (aka my backyard) is bringing a heavy dose of the vibrancy and energy I always loved about our capital city and, if I am being honest, had come to miss.  In my 3 short years of living in and around Wake Forest, I have witnessed a quiet downtown begin to bud.  We now have a second brewery (hello, Norse!), a wine and yoga bar (UnWined on White), a speakeasy (Tonic), and restaurants with bright offerings (think Bodega and Lemon Tree).  In addition, the bowling alley located in the Renaissance Center is undergoing a total overhaul in becoming Strike and Barrel and walkable, downtown living is on the rise.  While I’m not a Wake Forest native, I can say with confidence that the Loading Dock will result in a blossom for our downtown community.