Growing Together

Why We’re Investing in Angier, NC

Angier is growing, and you don’t have to look very far to see it. New neighborhoods are popping up, businesses are opening, and more people are choosing to call this area home.

We’ve been paying a lot of attention to Angier NC community development, especially as we’ve started working on plans for The Gem at Old Stage. There’s a lot of conversation around new housing and commercial growth, but we’ve also been thinking about what comes with all those new residents.

People need places to work, meet other people, try something new, and spend time with their families. Small business owners need affordable options as they’re getting started, and local creatives need places where they can share what they do.

That’s really where the idea for The Gem comes in.

We’re hoping to take an existing 10,000-square-foot building on Old Stage Road and turn it into a space that can serve a little bit of all those needs. Somewhere you can rent an office, attend a workshop, host an event, or just spend a few hours working outside your home.

We have plenty of ideas for what we’d like to do with the building, but we also want to hear from the people who actually live and work here. If we’re going to put this much time and effort into bringing a building back to life, we want to make sure we’re creating something people will genuinely use and enjoy.

Angier NC Community Development: More Than New Housing

It’s easy to see how much Angier is growing just by driving around. There are new homes going up, more businesses opening, and a lot more people calling this area home.

But with all that growth, we’ve been thinking about what everyday life looks like for the people moving here and those who’ve been here for years.

According to Census data from 2020–2024, Angier residents spend an average of 35.2 minutes commuting to work. That’s over an hour a day for many people just getting to and from their jobs.

Of course, not everyone can work from home or choose where they work. But for those who can, wouldn’t it be nice to have somewhere local to go when you need to get out of the house?

And it’s not just about remote workers. Maybe you’re running a small business and need somewhere to meet clients without committing to a full office lease. Or you’re an artist who wants to teach a weekend workshop but doesn’t have the space. Maybe you’re a family looking for somewhere nearby to celebrate a birthday or attend a community event.

These are the kinds of things we’ve been thinking about as we plan The Gem. We know one building isn’t going to solve every need in a growing town, but if we can make a few of those everyday things a little easier and give people more reasons to stay local, we’d consider that a pretty great start.

Small Businesses Need Room to Grow, Too

We’ve also learned that not every business needs a traditional office, and honestly, not everyone can justify the expense of one. Sometimes you just need somewhere to work for a few hours, a meeting room that isn’t your kitchen table, or a space where you can host a class or meet with clients.

That’s a big part of what we’re hoping to offer at The Gem.

We’re planning a mix of private offices, coworking areas, meeting rooms, a podcast studio, and spaces for local makers and small retailers. We want people to be able to use the building in ways that actually make sense for them, whether that’s coming in once a week or having a dedicated office.

And beyond the physical space, we’d love to see people making connections there. Some of the best opportunities we’ve had at Ruby + Citrine came from meeting the right person, having a conversation, or simply being around other people who were building something of their own.

We’d love to create more opportunities for those kinds of connections right here in Angier.

Creating More Opportunities for Families and Creatives

Harnett County is now home to more than 150,000 people, and about a quarter of them are under 18. That’s a lot of families, and as more people move into the area, we’d love to see more opportunities for them to enjoy what’s right here in their own community.

We picture The Gem being the kind of place where you might bring your kids for an art class, come back for a workshop you’ve been wanting to take, or rent the space to celebrate a birthday or special occasion. Maybe you’re a local teacher looking for somewhere to host a class, or a small business owner who wants to bring people together for an event.

And we know we’re not the only ones thinking about these things. There are already plenty of local businesses, educators, and organizations doing great work throughout Angier and Harnett County. We’d love to get to know more of them and find ways to work together.

We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel or compete with everything that’s already here. We just want to add another option to the community and hopefully create a space where some of those people and ideas can come together.

Bringing an Existing Building Back to Life

One of the things we’re most excited about is the building itself.

The property at 6828 Old Stage Road is about 10,000 square feet and was once a retirement home. After a fire in 2017, it was left sitting vacant, and it’s going to take quite a bit of work to get it back into shape.

We know we’re taking on a lot with this project. Between financing, permits, construction, and figuring out what we can realistically tackle first, there’s plenty we’re still working through. Some days it feels like we’re making great progress, and other days we’re learning just how much goes into renovating a building like this.

But that’s also part of why we want to do it.

There’s already a building here with a history in the community, and we’d love to give it another chapter instead of watching it continue to sit empty.

It’s not going to happen overnight, and we know there will be plenty of challenges along the way. But the idea of eventually seeing people working, learning, celebrating, and building their own businesses in a place that’s been sitting unused for years is what keeps us going.

How The Gem Supports Angier’s Growing Community

We have a lot of ideas for The Gem, but we also know that what we envision might not be everything the community actually needs. That’s why we want to hear from the people who live and work in Angier and the surrounding areas.

Whether you’re a small business owner looking for office space, an artist interested in teaching workshops, or someone who just wants more places to gather locally, we’d love to know what you’d like to see.

We’re also at a point where community support can make a real difference in getting this project off the ground. We’re actively fundraising and looking for local businesses, corporate sponsors, and individuals who believe in what we’re trying to build.

If you’re able to contribute, sponsor a portion of the project, or connect us with someone who might be interested, we’d be incredibly grateful. And if all you can do right now is share our story or tell us what you’d like to see in the space, that helps too.

We’re putting a lot into making The Gem happen, but we’d love for it to become something that the community feels connected to and proud to be part of.

How You Can Help Build What’s Next

We don’t have all the answers yet.

We’re still working through what the renovation will require, what we can open first, and how we can make the space financially sustainable while keeping it accessible.

But we do know why we’re doing it.

We believe that as communities grow, there should be more opportunities for the people who live there to grow alongside them.

More opportunities to start businesses. More places to create. More reasons to connect with the people around us.

We’d love for The Gem to become one small part of that story.

If you live, work, or own a business in Angier or the surrounding area, we’d love to know: What would you like to see more of in your community?

And if you believe in what we’re building, we’d be grateful for your support.

Learn more: https://thegemnc.com

Support our fundraising campaign: https://www.ifundwomen.com/projects/gem-old-stage

Explore sponsorship opportunities: https://thegemnc.com/sponsor