**Editor’s Note: J. Lights closed in January 2023**
Jared Burton (JB) has wanted to build his own business since he was young. He worked in marketing with New Belgium Brewing and in coffee prior to starting his upcoming personal project, J. Lights Market & Cafe, named from a combination of his daughters’ names, Janie and Lightsey. The concept comes from his favorite place to hang out while he lived in Charlotte: the Common Market in Plaza Midwood.
The Common Market, and what JB hopes J. Lights will soon become, is a starting or stopping point for any break in the day. “You have the convenient store/grocery element, the deli, and the bar. In Charlotte, it always had a wide selection of people running through–I loved it!” JB shares.
His business model is also commendable. “My main motivation is to begin to establish the service industry as a place where you can build a career. Our salaried staff will receive full medical and dental, PTO, and performance bonus structure. All full-time staff will be able to receive 50% medical/dental coverage, two weeks PTO, and monthly bonuses based on performance. We will operate with open accounting, sharing the financials of the business with the whole team. I want people to want to stick around for awhile.”
JB thinks the Golden Belt location is a perfect fit. “It is what mixed-use should be: bringing new life to old structures and it’s doing so with NC-based businesses. The people that work and live here love it, and the courtyard with Hi-Wire Brewing, Two Roosters Ice Cream, and J. Lights is going to become a new favorite destination for Durham,” he adds.
The space will feature a large mural by a local artist; it will be well lit and clean; there will be a record player behind the bar, cocktails, beer and food–you can grab what you need for the house on the way out, living up to the tagline: “Every Stop Starts Here.”The menu, led by chef Carly Adelman, features an array of breakfast, lunch, and all-day items, like a breakfast wrap with egg, chorizo, black bean spread, pickled red onion, feta, and harissa aioli. For lunch, there is a list of sweet-sounding sandwiches, like sweet potato with brown butter, carrot chutney, arugula, and whipped goat cheese; salmon BLT; apple & brie with caramelized onions, and a flattop burger or steak and frites with chimmichurri. There will be a gluten-free option and vegan/vegetarian options on the menu as well.
Planning this concept before Covid-19, J. Lights, was originally supposed to open in August, but the bank stopped all loans to go into the PPP process.
“At that point, it was a bit of a question as to when I could restart things, but Pinnacle Financial, Gateway Builders, and LRC (our landlord) have been great to work with as a brand new business owner navigating a pandemic,” JB attests.When they do open, which will hopefully be this November, they will operate a very clean, sanitary restaurant, including hourly cleanings, clear signage for tables with four separated seating areas and designated spacing, masks for all staff, mobile ordering via Toast app, and primarily single-use packaging. Still, the hope is that some day soon, locals can co-mingle at J. Lights (and other public meeting places) once again.
Photos courtesy of J. Lights Market & Cafe
Leave a Reply