Downtown Garner

09/03/2026

One of our LaunchGARNER alumni, Lisa Jeffries Nobling is a finalist in the SBCN Startup Showdown. She has an exciting presentation featured on YouTube, and she needs our support!

Please take a few minutes to watch Lisa’s presentation and cast your vote by liking the video (click thumbs up). Every “Like” equals a vote and every vote makes a difference, so let’s show Lisa the strength of the Garner community. Voting ends 9/15.

Watch and Like here: https://youtu.be/O2oMZbTOw8Q?si=34LQUsXX2Jw6ST4W

After voting, please consider sharing the link with others who would like to support Lisa.

Thank you for cheering on a fellow entrepreneur!



Town of Garner, NC Government Garner, NC: A Great Place to Be! Downtown Garner North Carolina Main Street Center Main Street America Garner Chamber of Commerce Choose Local & Small Y'all Garner Rotary Club Garner Mid-Day Rotary Wake Tech Entrepreneurship & Small Business Center

Hear Lisa Jeffries Nobling of The Borrow Bar pitch her new business...

09/03/2026

🍵 GOOD THINGS ARE BREWING AT STEEP RIGHT UP!

With support from the Duke Energy Foundation Grant, the Downtown Garner Association awarded another Business Incentive Grant, which can go a long way when you put it toward creativity, connection, and growing your business!

We are excited to celebrate Steep Right Up as one of the latest recipients of our Business Incentive Grant Program.

With grant funding, Steep Right Up is making improvements that do more than enhance the look of their space—they’re helping customers discover, learn, and experience more of what makes this local tea shop special.

✨ New outdoor signage helps put Steep Right Up on the map, and makes this downtown favorite even easier to spot.
🍵 New indoor signage helps customers navigate the world of tea and learn more about the unique varieties and creations available.
🚪 And perhaps our favorite addition is the new Dutch door for the Tea Lab! It allows the Steep Right Up team to experiment with new tea creations while keeping the door open (literally!) to customers and conversation.

That’s what the Business Incentive Grant Program is all about: investing in our downtown businesses and helping their ideas take root.

We’re proud to support Steep Right Up as they continue to create, innovate, and give us even more reasons to gather in Downtown Garner. 💚

Cheers to what’s brewing next! 🍵

09/01/2026

🎸 One Last Groove! Let’s Close Out the Season Downtown - https://mailchi.mp/garnernc.gov/httpsdowntowngarnercom-6750924

Want to get our newsletter straight in your inbox…just click “subscribe” at the top in the link 😉

08/31/2026

🚧 Downtown Garner Construction Update! 🚧
We’re making progress! Curb and gutter work is underway, and we’re hoping to see the first run of asphalt going down soon.

We know construction can create a few extra steps (literally 😉), but we’re getting closer to seeing this project come together!

And this project is about so much more than new parking spaces. It’s about creating…

🚶‍♀️ Better walkability
🔗 Greater connectivity
🤝 New opportunities for people to meet and gather
🏙️ A more inviting downtown environment

This work directly supports two important areas of the Main Street Approach: Design and Economic Vitality - creating a downtown that is attractive, functional, connected, and designed to support the businesses and people who bring Downtown Garner to life.

So, yes…we’re watching the curb and gutter and anxiously waiting for that asphalt! 😍 But we’re also looking ahead to what this investment will mean for Downtown Garner for years to come.

Thanks for your patience, your extra steps, and most importantly, your continued support of our downtown businesses! ❤️

We’re building something worth the walk!



Town of Garner, NC Government Garner, NC: A Great Place to Be! North Carolina Main Street Center Main Street America

08/28/2026

🎓 Cheers to the LaunchGARNER Class of 2026! 🎉

Last night, we celebrated an incredible group of local entrepreneurs who have spent the past several months learning, growing, connecting, and preparing to take their businesses to the next level.

LaunchGARNER is a business development program designed to provide entrepreneurs with the knowledge, tools, mentorship, and connections they need to build stronger, more successful businesses right here in Garner.

And it truly takes a community to launch a business! 🚀 We are incredibly grateful for the organizations that come together to make this program possible:

💙 Town of Garner
💙 Wake Tech Entrepreneurship & Small Business Center
💙 Downtown Garner Association
💙 Garner Economic Development Corporation
💙 Garner Rotary
💙 Garner Mid-Day Rotary
💙 Garner Chamber of Commerce
💙 Choose Local and Small Y’all

To our graduates—we are so proud of you! Your hard work, ideas, and determination are what make Garner’s small business community so special.

Here’s to the next chapter and all the great things you’re going to accomplish! 🎓

Our next cohort is “launching now,” check out launchgarner.com to apply!

08/27/2026

Great things happening in our downtown community! And it’s right next to our Rand Mill Streetscape project which includes 48 new parking spaces.

08/25/2026

Over 42 Years of Building a Business in Downtown Garner: The Story of Lee Carroll

For nearly 53 years, Carroll Service Company has been building more than a business…they’ve been building a community with decades of customers.

Lee came to Garner from Warrenton in 1978, bringing with him experience working on Coca-Cola vending machines that would eventually make him a natural fit for refrigeration and HVAC. In 1979, he joined his family’s business, Carroll Service Company, and in 1989 became its sole owner.

This December marks 43 years on Main Street for Carroll Service Company.

And Lee Carroll has seen a LOT of change.

When Lee first came to Garner, he saw a downtown that needed some attention long before he brought Carroll Service Company to Main Street. One of the attractions was great potential for growing a business.

He began investing in properties himself, purchasing property, squaring up property lines and eventually becoming the first person in over 50 years to construct a new building in Downtown Garner. In the early 90’s, Lee constructed 2 buildings for his growing HVAC business. Seeing the need for a space that would bring more people and business to Downtown Garner, Lee decided to remodel and join the 2 buildings in 2021, which opened the door for a great opportunity – Zin Yoga Studio & Wine Lounge.

Why did he do it?

Because he wanted to help build a future for Garner and specifically for Downtown Garner. Today, Carroll Service Company has a great future with the second- and third generations leading the way.

So, what does Lee say has kept the business going for 53 years?
Put Jesus first - then your family, and then your business.
Put in the long hours, even when that means 60+ hours at times.
And invest back into your company, even if it means the owner ends up at the lower end of the pay scale.

That’s a lot of wisdom from a man who has spent more than five decades serving Downtown Garner. And fortunately for us, Lee has something else that’s invaluable: The stories.

Ask him about Downtown Garner, and he’ll gladly tell you how it used to be, how it’s changed, and why he believes so strongly in its future.

Thank you, Lee, for being part of Garner’s story and for helping build what comes next. 💙
Carroll Service Company
📍125 W Main Street, Garner



Town of Garner, NC Government Garner, NC: A Great Place to Be! Garner Chamber of Commerce North Carolina Main Street Center Main Street America Garner Area Historical Society