Call Center Company in Winston-Salem, NC

Big Lots is reopening another five stores in the Triad and northwest North Carolina this week.

In keeping with the strategy of the chain’s new owner, Variety Wholesalers Inc., “the comeback starts soon” campaign continues to focus foremost on locations in suburban and rural communities.

The stores are at 100 Westwood Village Drive in Clemmons, 1063 Yadkinville Road in Mocksville, 1328 Carter St. in Mount Airy, 1804 N. Bridge St. in Elkin and 1826 West U.S. 421, Suite K, in Wilkesboro.

Altogether, the chain is reopening 12 N.C. stores on Thursday.

Among the first stores that have reopened is its Asheboro location at 1432 E. Dixie Drive.

The remaining 155 of the 219 locations that Variety acquired in December are slated to reopen by early June.

Before the store closings, Big Lots had two locations in High Point and Winston-Salem and one each in Asheboro, Boone, Burlington, Clemmons, Elkin, Greensboro, Jefferson, Lexington, Mocksville and Wilkesboro.

‘We’re thrilled to bring the Big Lots! brand back to life by offering more deals than ever, lots of famous brands and a new apparel department for the entire family,” said Lisa Seigies, president and chief executive of Variety Wholesalers.

“We’re opening stores quickly so we can serve the community. We know the stores won’t be perfect to start, but each week we’ll add more new products as we build towards the grand opening celebration in the fall.”

Variety Wholesalers, currently with about 400 stores in 15 states, would nearly double its portfolio that also includes Bargain Town, Bill’s Dollar Stores, Maxway, Roses Express, Super Dollar and Super 10. Variety also plans to take over one to two Big Lots distribution centers.

Variety said it “may employ Big Lots associates at the acquired stores and distribution centers, as well as certain corporate associates needed to support the go-forth footprint.”

Former N.C. Republican legislator Art Pope is chairman and chief executive of Variety Wholesalers.

Big Lots entered bankruptcy on Sept. 8 with an affiliate of Nexus Capital Management LP agreeing to serve as the stalking horse bidder.

Nexus committed to providing Big Lots with $707.5 million in financing, including $35 million in new financing from certain of its current lenders, in the form of a post-petition credit loan.

At that time, the parties anticipate closing the transaction during the fourth quarter of 2024.

However, Big Lots confirmed Dec. 19 the Nexus affiliate deal had fallen through, and that Big Lots would pay the affiliate $1.5 million in expense reimbursement.

At that time, Big Lots said “it is preparing to commence going-out-of-business sales at all remaining Big Lots store locations to protect the value of its estate.”

Murphy’s 2010 — otherwise known as Murphy's Lunch — has closed for good, and Mike’s Vegan Grill will be moving into the space at 207 W. Third St

Owner John Nikas confirmed that the restaurant’s last day was April 18. He has sold the business to the owner’s of Mike’s Vegan Grill, which has restaurants in Greensboro and Charlotte.

Murphy’s was one of Winston-Salem’s longest running restaurants. “Next month would have been 75 years,” Nikas said.

Murphy’s is located in a 1905 building that once held Roland Bennett’s Lunch. After Bennett’s closed in 1984, Murphy’s Lunch — itself an institution started in 1950 on West Sixth Street — moved there in early 1985. Bo Clary bought the restaurant from founder Jay Murphy in 2000. Nikas, the restaurant’s third owner in its 72 years, bought it in 2010. He renamed it Murphy’s 2010, but most everyone still calls it Murphy’s Lunch.

Murphy’s was once a popular spot for breakfast downtown, and it was one of the last places downtown to sell “meat-and-two,” meals with meats such as fried chicken, pot roast or country-fried steak served with a choice of such vegetables as green beans, pinto beans, stewed cabbage, creamed potatoes, and broccoli and cheese casserole.

Nikas said that downtown clientele and demographics changed after the COVID pandemic, prompting him to sell.

“I closed for two years for COVID, then I reopened when people started coming back to offices. But whatever you need to run a restaurant, maybe I lost it during COVID. I couldn’t find the right magic to make it work the way I want it to.”

Nikas said in particular that the lunch business on which Murphy’s relied isn’t what it used to be. He said he thinks a business such as Mike’s, that stays open for dinner and on weekends, is the kind of restaurant needed in that space.

“Part of the reason I decided to close is I felt they would be a good fit for that location,” he said.

Mike Roach, the founder of Mike’s Vegan Grill, said he has been looking for a Winston-Salem location for a while because his food truck has done well here.

“We used to hit Winston every week on Jonestown Road — I did that for four years — and we built an audience,” Roach said.

Roach is a co-owner of the Winston-Salem restaurant with Harris Sajjad and Dinesh Talwar. Talwar will be the operating partner in Winston-Salem, and his wife, Anu Sharma, will manage the restaurant.

Roach has filled Mike’s menu with vegan versions of all the foods he loved when he ate meat: hot dogs, burgers, cheesesteaks, nachos.

Roach said it probably will be about two months before Mike’s opens in Winston-Salem.

He said that the Winston-Salem location will be similar to his other vegan restaurants with one major difference. “We’re going to have some hot tables, like Murphy’s did, with things like mac ’n’ cheese, mashed potatoes, maybe cornbread. So we’ll still have some of that Murphy’s feel. But it will be all vegan.”

Roach said that remaining space in the building might allow him to do a second business there, possibly a second location of the Drizzle chocolate, pastries and coffee shop he has in Greensboro.

mhastings@wsjournal.com

336-727-7394

@mhastingswsj

2 Comments

2

1

Satisfy your cravings

With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food.

* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.

The Reynolds Building transformed Winston-Salem's skyline with its grand opening in 1929, becoming the tallest building in the South at the time.

Reynolds Building

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —

On this day in 1929, Winston-Salem marked a major moment in its history with the grand opening of the Reynolds Building. Standing 22 stories tall, the sleek limestone tower instantly transformed the city’s skyline—and its identity.

Commissioned by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the building was designed as a bold headquarters that reflected both corporate strength and modern style. At the time, it was the tallest building in the South, surpassing the Jefferson Standard Building in nearby Greensboro.

Designed by New York architects R.H. Shreve and William F. Lamb, the Reynolds Building was a full experience—not just a workplace. Built in the popular Art Deco style, the building featured a signature stepped silhouette and streamlined lines that drew the eyes upward.

The public was welcome to explore the lower levels, which housed an array of shops and services: a barber shop, restaurant, pharmacy, telegraph office, and even a railway ticket office. While R.J. Reynolds occupied half the floors, the remaining space was leased to insurance companies, brokerage firms, lawyers, and architects.

Just two years after the Reynolds Building opened, architects Shreve and Lamb—now joined by Arthur Harmon—unveiled another project. This time, it was a skyscraper for New York City: the Empire State Building.

Completed in 1931, the 102-story giant became the tallest building in the world at the time. But what many don’t know is that its design didn’t begin in Manhattan—it began right here in Winston-Salem.

The Reynolds Building served as the architectural prototype for the Empire State Building. The visual connection is clear: both structures feature a dramatic, tiered crown and clean Art Deco lines. The influence was so significant that, to this day, staff at the Empire State Building send a Father’s Day card to the Reynolds Building each year in tribute.

Today, nearly a century later, the Reynolds Building remains a proud fixture of downtown Winston-Salem. It has seen many uses over the years—office space, apartments, and even a luxury hotel—but its legacy is firmly rooted in both local pride and global history.

What began as a Southern statement of innovation and style ended up influencing the design of one of the most iconic skyscrapers in the world. And it all started on April 23, 1929.

An uptick in sales in the commercial repair and supply sectors boosted RTX Corp. to an 11% increase in adjusted net income to $1.99 billion for the first quarter.

One of RTX’s three primary business units is Collins Aerospace, which has about 1,500 employees as one of Winston-Salem’s largest private employers. RTX altogether has more than 185,000 employees worldwide.

The manufacturer reported Tuesday that net income was down 10% to $1.53 billion when factoring one-time acquisition accounting adjustments and one-time restructuring expenses.

Diluted earnings were $1.14 a share, while adjusted earnings were $1.47.

The average earnings forecast was $1.36 by six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research. Analysts typically do not include one-time gains and charges in their forecast.

RTX disclosed in an Oct. 16 regulatory filing recording a combined $918 million in charges for separate legal issues involving the U.S. Justice Department, U.S. State Department and Securities and Exchange Commission, some of which date back to 2011.

RTX projected it would pay about $1 billion during the second half of 2024 toward settling the legal issues, and the remaining balance over several years.

Overall first-quarter sales rose 5% to $20.3 billion. Cost of sales increased 2.8% to $16.2 billion.

Collins had an 8% increase in sales to $7.22 billion, led by a 13% uptick in commercial aftermarket products, along with 10% jump in defense and 2% uptick in commercial original equipment.

Pratt & Whitney’s sales climbed 14% to $7.37 billion, while Raytheon defense-sector sales fell 5% to $6.34 billion.

“Organic growth was broad based and led by strength in commercial aftermarket, which was up 21% year-over-year driven by continued demand for our industry leading products and solutions,” RTX president and chief executive Chris Calio said. Calio is set to take over as chairman on April 30.

“The current environment is clearly very dynamic, but our company is well positioned to perform operationally, and our teams remain focused on executing on our commitments and delivering our robust backlog,” Calio said.

Will tariff’s impact company?

Adjusted sales remained in the range of $83 billion to $84 billion, up 4% to 6% over fiscal 2024, respectively.

Meanwhile, RTX lowered the top range of its adjusted earnings estimate from $6.75 a share to $6.15, while maintaining the lower range of $6 a share. Fiscal 20245 adjusted earnings were $5.75 a share.

Benchmark Research analyst Josh Sullivan said Tuesday that RTX could face an operating income impact of up to $850 million from current U.S. and foreign tariffs are kept in place for all of 2025. Analysts are projecting RTX to have $10.9 billion in operating profit for fiscal 2025.

Tariffs would particularly affected steel and aluminum products coming from Canada, China and Mexico.

Sullivan said the updated earnings guidance “does not incorporate potential tariff impacts.”

​She made the announcement at a board meeting on Tuesday.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) Superintendent, Tricia McManus, announced she will be stepping down at the end of the school year on June 30.

She made the announcement at a board meeting on Tuesday.

“Thank you for the opportunity to lead the amazing students and staff in this great community I have called home for the past five years. I have enjoyed meeting and serving thousands of students, families, and community members in pursuit of our vision for educational excellence, collaboration, and inclusiveness,” McManus said in a letter.

The WS/FCS Board of Education said she is stepping down to focus on her family.

McManus said stepping down was a very tough decision. She said she wants to focus more on her children and family.

McManus joined the district in 2020 as deputy superintendent. She became superintendent in 2021.

While at the helm, she touted improvements in high school graduation rates. However, McManus is walking away at a time when the district is facing multiple controversies.

They include allegations of child abuse at Sedge Garden Elementary, several violent incidents at schools, most recently a stabbing at Glenn High, and a significant budget shortfall of $8 million this year.

Part of the budget issue stems from McManus herself. She admitted to using district money for staff bonuses without getting approval from the school board.

Still, McManus said none of those issues influenced her decision to step down.

"That's part of the course when you have 53,000 students and you have, you know, 7,000 staff members. You're going to have issues that come up and happen, and I think for the past five years we've had many. But no, that did not weigh in. Does that challenge? Absolutely. Are there days I wake up and need my coaching call with someone? Absolutely. But those incidents that have been challenging did not weigh into my decision," McManus said.

WS/FCS credited her for her efforts to return the district to in-person learning after COVID-19, reducing chronic absenteeism, expanding mental health resources and introducing an alternative to suspension program.

Plans to hire an interim superintendent will be discussed in an April 28 board meeting. The last day of school for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County students is May 23.

This comes after the district has been under fire in recent months due to a swath of controversy.

In November 2024, the district said it learned of allegations of child mistreatment at Sedge Garden Elementary and resulted in the suspension of two employees.

Earlier this month, the WS/FCS school board made the controversial decision to reduce its workforce, impacting 81 positions and 42 people. The Chief Financial Officer, Thomas Kranz, announced his resignation after this decision.

Additionally, the superintendent herself was caught up in controversy when she acknowledged during the April 2 school board meeting that the district used approximately $13 million in fund balance to cover salary bonuses and pay increases last year, without explicitly notifying the board.

McManus has been with the WS/FCS school district since 2020.