CHAPEL HILL, NC – Inflation, shortages, and price increases are all phrases that businesses in Chapel Hill have become all too familiar with, especially with an inflation rate sitting at 7.7%.
For Holly Dedmond, the store manager at Chapel Hill Sportswear on Franklin St., higher prices for the store mean higher prices for the customer.
“From the ground up all the prices are increasing,” she said. “So we’ve had to pay more for our products, of course, we’ve had to pass some of those price increases along to the customers, but we’ve tried to keep things as low as we could.”
For others, like Ramesh Dahal, the owner of Momo’s Master Himalayan Bistro, prices have been fairly steady.
“As far as supply chain issues, we don’t struggle here,” Dahal said. “We have several vendors we can purchase from.”
Though students are headed home for the holidays soon, Dahal said Momo’s Master enjoys visitors from across the state during the season.
For Dedmond, the holidays are also great for business, particularly in online sales.
“I have lots of orders that are going out today, lots of orders still to fill tomorrow, so people are definitely shopping online,” she said.
Despite a challenging economy, Chapel Hill businesses are proving they can persevere. On Monday, Momo’s Master celebrated one year of business. Dahal said it’s all because of the people.
“I believe we will get bigger in no time if we continue to get the love and support of this town,” he said.