Hole in One

by Lauren Kruchten | Nov 30, 2022 | December 2022/January 2023, Stuff

Burrow on down to this new creative space and market.

“Just come down here once,” Julian Jacobs says of his newly opened mixed retail and entertainment space The Burrow. “We’re doing so much that there has to be one thing you like.”

Aptly named—given its location tucked under the former DTR House of Swank building on Hargett Street—The Burrow really does have a lot to offer. Think weekly Saturday and Sunday markets (plus some Fridays—and a holiday market Dec. 23) with upward of 18 local vendors, hot yoga classes every Wednesday morning with Oak City Yoga, and a house party every Thursday night dubbed Rabbit Whole & Friends featuring live DJs.

Not only does the hip new spot serve up a host of activities, The Burrow also doubles as a creative incubator—providing local makers, artists, etc. with a space to showcase their passions to the public. Jacobs himself is one of those creatives. A former chef/baker, he left the food and beverage world to start selling vintage clothing in 2020—and before bowing The Burrow also co-founded Unorthodox Vintage, a collab between his OG thrifting venture Sir Chance’s and She Thrifty Apparel.

When he thought of the idea for The Burrow—what Jacobs explains as a mashup of now-closed Neptune’s and Imurg, and NYC’s Artist & Fleas makers market—he already had multiple fellow business owners he knew would jump at the opportunity to be a part of the innovative concept.

Seeing a gap in Raleigh’s market, Jacobs bought the space in August and opened it two months later to much fanfare. “The community needed something new,” he says, “and I hope this gets the ball rolling for the next group of people who come to Raleigh.”

Having been in the pop-up biz himself (Sir Chance’s started out at the Pop-Up Shops at Martin Street), Jacobs admits he “hates pop-ups,” so one of the main features of The Burrow is more permanent space for vendors. 

Currently, Frills Atelier, Ghost Gillz, Custom Bella Creations, Castelli Boutique, and Safe ‘N’ Sound Rugs serve as anchor tenants, while various other small businesses sell their goods at the markets, house parties and other events. Eventually, Jacobs also wants to host classes within the space (think art, drawing, candle- and soap-making classes) in which “local business owners can come down and show their trade,” he says.

“One of the big reasons I wanted to do this is because I really believe in entrepreneurship,” explains Jacobs. “I believe that if someone wants to leave their job and open their own business, I’m like, well come here and we’re gonna try to help you to do that.” Talk about giving local biz a leg up. theburrownc.square.site