Sup Dogs

Few addresses in Chapel Hill carry as much Carolina spirit as 107 East Franklin Street. It was once home to Vic Huggins, the alumnus who inspired the University’s ram mascot, and later to Pepper’s Pizza, whose walls became a gallery of North Carolina music and art. Between those two eras lies nearly a century of Chapel Hill history, told through the changing life of this small but storied storefront.

In 1932, D. Pender’s Grocery, a popular southern grocery chain, moved into 107, replacing the Model Market. At the time, it was one of three grocery stores in town. Heirs of Mrs. Samuel Pickard owned the building itself. Pender’s would spend six years in this location. During that time, Pender’s sold the town's first legal beer and funded many homecoming decorations. 

The 1930s also brought tension. In February of 1936, Penders faced a boycott from civil rights activists who demanded that Black Americans be allowed to work at the store. Later that year, the store’s managers also faced trial for breaking labor laws, in reference to women’s working hours and child labor. These disputes reflected national debates about equality and workers’ rights that were reaching Chapel Hill’s main street. 

By 1938, Pender’s had moved, and L. E. Jones’s University Hardware took its place, remembered for its blue-and-white storefront that proudly mirrored Carolina colors. In March of 1944, the hardware store was taken over by Vic Huggins and renamed Huggins Hardware in 1945. 

	
Vic Huggins was an integral part of the town and the University of Chapel Hill. Huggins graduated from the university in 1925. During his time at the University, he was a head cheerleader and conceived of Rameses, UNC's ram mascot! Huggins was inspired by star player Jack Merritt, whose nickname was “the battering ram.”  

Tw years after graduating, Huggins came back to Chapel Hill to settle down with his family. He became extremely involved in the town. Huggins was the President of the Rotary Club and later the district governor. He was the Vice President and then President of the hardware association, helped create and lead the American Rose Society chapter in Chapel Hill, and was president of the parking association. Huggins would also open a second location of his hardware store in 1948. 

Following the lead of its owner, Huggins Hardware also became an integral part of the community. During WWII, Huggins, along with many other businesses, rallied the community to buy war bonds. Huggins also had records of community members' birthdays and would celebrate them in the paper. In 1956, Huggins sent a letter to all the graduates of Chapel Hill High School. The store was also involved with the happenings of the University. For homecoming, elaborate window displays were created. They also ran a series of ads that featured Carolina football players’ wives and children. 

Huggins faced a fire in June 1955, during a remodeling process. The blaze lasted for two hours and cost the store $50,000. One cute story involves a little boy who wanted to give Huggins money to help cover the cost of the damages that insurance did not. The upside of the fire was that it allowed for remodeling. In August of 1955, the store reopened with air-conditioning, murals, and a new self-service system. 

This staple of Franklin Street went out of business in the fall of 1991. In 1992, a restaurant chain, Miami Subs, owned by Arthur Dragoslis, moved in. This restaurant became a popular spot for a late-night meals for university students, as it was one of the few restaurants that stayed open as late as the bars. 

Miami Sub was on Franklin for fifteen years. Miami Sub was on Franklin for fifteen years. In 2007, Pepper’s Pizza took over, bringing its own cultural flavor with artist Scott Nurkin’s portraits of North Carolina musicians. The restaurant became a creative hub for students and locals alike, and when Pepper’s closed, Nurkin’s artwork found a new home at UNC’s Hill Hall, linking the space’s artistic legacy back to the University.   

In 2014, SupDogs moved in. Sup Dogs was founded in 2008 by Derek Oliverio in Greenville, North Carolina. It has become a staple on Franklin Street, with its unique specialty hot dogs and sports bar atmosphere. This electric atmosphere only grows when the all-important Duke vs UNC game is on! 
To learn more about the story of Sup Dogs, follow this link: https://www.supdogs.com/our-story 

Today

EndNotes

1.  “Penders to Open Here,” The Chapel Hill Weekly, June 3, 1932, 1.
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2.  “Legal Beer Gets Hearty Welcome Here in Village,” The Chapel Hill Weekly, May 5, 1933, 1.
   “No Cats Today,” The Chapel Hill Weekly, October 11, 1935, 3.
   “Local Merchants Aid In Gala Decorations for Homecoming Day,” The Daily Tar Heel, October 26, 1935, 1. 
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3.  “Negro Boycott,” The Daily Tar Heel, February 20, 1936, 4. 
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4.  “State Charges Merchants Here With Violation of Labor Law; Excessive Hours Are Alleged,” The Chapel Hill Weekly, August 21, 1936, 1. 
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5.  The Chapel Hill Weekly, October 21, 1938, 2. 
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6.  “Vic Huggins Has Taken Over the Hardware Store,” The Chapel Hill Weekly, March 24, 1944, 1. 
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7.  “Vic Huggins,” Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame, https://businesshalloffame.weebly.com/vic-huggins.html.
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8.  “$25, Cheerleader, Idea Gave UNC First Mascow,” The Daily TarHeel, November 21, 1951, 11. 
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9.  “Vic Huggins Has Taken Over the Hardware Store,” The Chapel Hill Weekly, March 24, 1944, 1. 
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10.  “Huggins’ New Store,” The Chapel Hill Weekly, January `6, 1948, 1. 
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11.  “It’s Our Army… Our Navy..Our War!” The Chapel Hill Weekly, Novemeber 24, 1944, 4. 
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12.  “Seniors Are to Get Gifts From Huggins,” The Chapel Hill Weekly, March 20, 1956, 5. 
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13.  “Fire Strikes Huggins Hardware Store Before Dawn on Saturday: Seventeen Fireman Fight for Two Hours against $50,000 Blaze,” The Chapel Hill Weekly, June 7, 1955, 1. 
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14.  “Huggins Hardware Open Again; Self-Service is New Feature,” Chapel Hill News Leader, August 8, 1955, 5. 
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15.  “We Are Opening Soon,” The Daily Tar Heel, September 3, 1992. 
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16. Evan Hatch, “Pepper’s Pizza,” NCFolklife Institute, https://ncfolk.org/2015/peppers-pizza/. ↩︎
17. Courtney Mitchell, “Pepper’s Pizza Paintings Thrive in New Home,” University Gazette, March 4, 2014, https://www.unc.edu/posts/2014/03/04/peppers-pizza-paintings-find-new-home/
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Bibliography 

Bryant, Bernard Lee. Occupants and Structures of Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, North Carolina at 5-year intervals, 1793-1998. Chapel Hill Historical Society, 1999.