What’s next for Eastgate in 2026? These Chapel Hill stores could reopen soon.

It’s taken nearly six months to dry out, clean up, and rebuild the walls and floors, but The Loop, Kipos Greek Taverna and other local favorites at Eastgate Crossing in Chapel Hill are on the verge of a fresh start in 2026.

The Loop still has a few more weeks of construction left, but the goal is a late January reopening, owner Scott Novak said. Diners will see the same layout and menu, but the decor will be updated to a black-and-white theme with pops of color, similar to the Durham location, he said.

“I miss the food. I miss the customers. I know so many of them personally, and they’re good people, and they’ve been reaching out,” Novak said. “There’s been a really great response from everybody.”

Novak was working in the restaurant on July 6 when Tropical Depression Chantal hit Chapel Hill with up to 12 inches of rain in a few hours. The downpour was blinding, he said, and when he looked out the window, the parking lot looked like a lake. He managed to move his new car just as the water brushed the door frame, and returned to the restaurant to help customers and staff escape.

“We didn’t have time to sandbag, because the water level had risen to the door of the restaurant, up on the sidewalk, by the time I got back from moving my car,” he said. “I thought, wow, this was fast.”

It was a similar story from Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill all the way down the hill to University Place mall and beyond, to Eastgate. Renovations are just starting at Camelot Village, across from the mall.

University Place businesses have since recovered, and at Eastgate, several businesses were open by November, including Trader Joe’s and Great Outdoor Provision Co. Renovations at The Loop and others that sit at a lower elevation, where all the stormwater runs during heavy storms, are taking longer.

The biggest problem is how Eastgate Crossing was built: on top of Booker Creek, which flows into a culvert close to East Franklin Street and under the parking lot to an outflow pipe at the back of the shopping center. When it rains hard, the creek backs up, forcing water up through storm grates in the parking lot and over the bridge at East Franklin Street.

The wall of water slammed into Eastgate Crossing businesses on July 6, breaking through doors and bleeding through walls.

It was the worst flooding he’s seen at Eastgate in 30 years, Novak said. In 2018, Hurricane Florence only left about a foot of water in the restaurant, allowing it to reopen within a few days. This time, nearly every business was gutted, and some, including Starbucks, Talbots and Rise Southern Chicken and Righteous Biscuits, decided not to return.

A GoFundMe campaign and other fundraisers raised more than $26,000 to help The Loop’s employees, who have since found other jobs. Some may return when the restaurant reopens, even if it’s just part time, Kovak said.

He expressed hope that Eastgate owner Kite Realty and the town will work toward a solution.

“It is a great location, when it’s not under 5 feet of water,” Novak said. “I hope it doesn’t happen (again) anytime soon, because that could spell the end. We can’t do this forever.”

Eastgate stores set to reopen

Kipos is just waiting on the permits, a spokesperson said Monday.

The restaurant, one of nearly two dozen Giorgios Hospitality and Lifestyle Group businesses, sits in one of the lowest spots at Eastgate, where a 2000 storm also dealt a devastating blow. On July 18, Democratic Gov. Josh Stein met with the media on the Kipos patio during a brief tour of Chapel Hill’s flood damage.

It’s among a handful of businesses that could reopen, starting in January:

• Aldi: Early 2026
• Massage Envy: Early February
• Snooze: Late January
• Clean Juice: Late December/early January
• Blo: Could return from its temporary location at 201 S. Elliott Road, Suite 200, in February
• Twisted Noodles: Owner Jay Punsak obtained permits Dec. 19 to start renovation work. No reopening date has been announced.
• Petco: Renovations are in progress, but no date has been confirmed

Eastgate stores may be closed

Kite Realty spokesman Bryan McCarthy has not responded to calls and emails seeking information about Eastgate Crossing businesses, but the leasing website currently shows nine vacant storefronts.

The owners of two stores — clothing retailer Talbot’s and Birkenstock Feet First, a locally owned shoe store — confirmed they will not reopen after suffering catastrophic damages in the flood. Starbucks officials also confirmed Tuesday that their Eastgate store will not reopen. The coffee chain has another, larger store downtown on East Franklin Street.

Brian Wiles, chief operating officer at Rise Southern Chicken and Righteous Biscuits, announced that store’s closure in August.

Kite Realty’s website shows the Dollar Tree storefront is for lease, and the retailer’s exterior sign has been removed. Dollar Tree officials did not respond to questions about their plans this week.

A sixth business, Millhouse Properties, received only a little damage in the storm, but owner Adam Jones said it will leave the corner of East Franklin Street and Eastgate Crossing in 2026.

The rental property management company is moving to the former Franklin Street Realty office at 1525 E Franklin St., he said, noting Kite Realty has plans for the small corner lot behind Twisted Noodles.

Kite Realty has not announced plans yet for that location.

What’s open at Eastgate Crossing

• Great Outdoor Provision Co.
• Club Pilates
• Shake Shack
• J.Crew Factory
• Rose Nails
• McPherson Cleaners
• Winestore
• Waxing the City

Reopening plans not confirmed

These businesses could not be reached or have not finalized their plans:

• Restore Hyper Wellness
• MedFirst: In a temporary location at 1728 N. Fordham Blvd.
• Jersey Mike’s: The store’s phone number is disconnected, and a neighboring tenant said there are no plans to reopen.
• Bruegger’s Bagels: All fixtures have been removed from the store.
• Ulta Beauty: No timeline yet for reopening.