Fayetteville Today

Fayetteville prides itself of having a good number of woman-owned businesses downtown, and to celebrate Women’s History Month, the city is recognizing its 70-plus female entrepreneurs.

That welcoming attitude apparently has swayed women to take the leap and open a variety of businesses.

Santina Thomas and Juwanna Colbert recently teamed up to open The Sip Room on Hay Street.

"I think more of us, minorities, need to be downtown,” Thomas told WRAL when asked about her wine shop. “When the opportunity presented itself, there was nothing more that I could do than just jump right on it.” 

Thomas is no stranger to owning a business, as she is involved in real estate as well. But a downtown presence was vital for The Sip Room.

"It's just a place where you can come with your friends, your family and really just have a good time,” Thomas said.

Next door to The Sip Room is the Vagabond Cafe, a four-month-old venture. Its owner, Nancy Ramos, said being so close to an Army base has opened the door for woman-owned shops.

"The military has brought a lot of women from different parts of the country that have amazing talents,” Ramos said to WRAL. "I think this is a great interpretation of that type of community."

Cool Spring Downtown District and Downtown Alliance statistics indicate that 37% of the more than 200 downtown businesses are owned by women, according to WRAL.