Local Eateries to Open New Locations at Proximity

Three local eateries – Boombalatti’s Homemade Ice Cream, Drift Coffee + Kitchen and K38 Baja Mexican Grill – have announced they will be leasing space in the new Proximity development in Carolina Beach.

The mixed-use community will feature 250 luxury apartments and 35,000 square feet of commercial space for retail and entertainment offerings located on North Lake Park Boulevard. The first apartments are expected to be ready for move-in by September, while the first retail spaces are set to open by spring 2025.

Boombalatti’s owners Wes Bechtel and his wife, Kristen, served ice cream at a ground-breaking event at Proximity in August 2022, but at the time, the couple didn’t have any thoughts of expanding to the area. A year or so later, when Cape Fear Commercial broker Patrick Riley shared the plans for Proximity, some other potential projects that had been in the works had fallen through, and they were immediately intrigued.

“We saw that they were really seeking out local restaurants and shops rather than conglomerates,” Wes Bechtel said. “That’s similar to what we have at The Forum location (near Wrightsville Beach) and what we’re always looking for. And as we’ve thought about our expansion, Carolina Beach makes a lot of sense.”

Bechtel said the Proximity location will allow the business to reach a new customer base, drawing not only from Pleasure Island but also from the Monkey Junction and Riverlights areas. And because all the ice cream is made at The Forum location, adding another store within a 20-minute drive is ideal for distribution and staffing.

The new shop will maintain a consistent aesthetic with Boombalatti’s current locations and will be roughly the same size. The Bechtels plan to offer 24 regular ice cream flavors, eight vegan options, cold brew coffee, milkshakes and sundaes.

As Drift Coffee + Kitchen grows in the Cape Fear region and the Triangle, co-owner Michael Powell said the company seeks opportunities to connect with customers who want to experience comfort and quality. While he believes the location will be somewhat impacted by seasonality, the fact that it includes year-round residential units and retail space was a selling point.

Drift’s owners were also drawn to being surrounded by other local businesses and the development’s coastal outdoor vibe. Other local retailers that have signed leases include Sweetwater Surf Shop, established in 1976, and Island Passage, which has operated several area boutiques over the past 25 years.

Drift is planning an indoor-outdoor concept with 12-foot windows that can be opened during nice weather. The restaurant will offer table service, carryout and mobile ordering, and Powell hopes to be open by next summer. In the meantime, crews are working on the upfit of a Porters Neck Center location expected to open in January or February 2025 and a Hampstead location set to open later next year.

For K38, this will be its fifth location locally. The restaurant will have a corner spot with a large outdoor patio, Patrick Riley said. According to Riley, the brokers have spent nearly two years working to recruit K38, having first reached out to the owners of the local chain in fall 2022.

“They’ve been on our target list the entire time,” he said.

In addition to the local businesses, Riko’s, a Connecticut-based pizzeria founded in 2011, will join the Proximity lineup with its first North Carolina location. Riko’s specializes in tavern-style, thin-crust pizza.