Cup A Joe, the Hillsborough Street coffee shop that’s been pouring cups for NC State students and faculty since 1991, has signed a lease for a third location less than a mile from where it all began. The new spot will sit at 3625 Hillsborough Street, a corner building most recently occupied by Crafty Crab Cajun Seafood, which closed the space in April 2026.
News of the lease was first reported by the Raleigh News & Observer, which noted that Triangle Business Journal had initially broken the story of the signed lease. Co-owner Andi Macko, who runs Cup A Joe with her father Jeff Gold, told the paper the project is still in the planning stages and that they’re not ready to release detailed information about a concept or opening date for the new shop.
The building itself has a layered history. It was originally constructed as an Applebee’s in 1991. In November 2019, CityPlat LLC announced a 10-year lease with Crafty Crab for a Concord property, followed three months later by a separate lease for 3625 Hillsborough Street, according to CityPlat LLC. The standalone, 4,942-square-foot structure sits on a 0.95-acre lot at the corner of Hillsborough and Gorman streets, near both Meredith College and NC State.
A High-Traffic Corner Near Campus
Whatever Cup A Joe ends up putting in that space, it won’t lack for visibility. A LoopNet listing updated in September 2026 reports 18,500 vehicles per day for the property…