To kick off 2026, The Line asked a few leaders in Cary, Apex, and Morrisville to share their community-wide resolutions.

We want to convene forward-thinking conversations in this community, so we asked them a simple question: What would you like to see the community embrace to make Western Wake County a better place?

Our final resolution comes from Tiffany Welton, owner of RBF, Your Authentic Champagne Bar, who shares a resolution for the Downtown Cary community and beyond. 

Previous resolutions:

Welton: Let’s Do Awesome (Stuff) Together–Even When It’s Hard 

The growth and development in Downtown Cary has been truly amazing to be a part of. Sushi, juice bars, and barbecue, Oh MY! And in the process of this town’s major transformation, I believe, more than ever, that there is room for everyone, their niche in the market and community, how we can uniquely serve guests, and the value we are adding to DTC. 

Each day, we are all watching small businesses, restaurants, and bars close due to a myriad of different reasons–inflation, increased food costs, tariffs, spikes in rent, etc. The consensus is clear: We don’t want to become a town of corporate money, investors who have never set foot in Cary, or see businesses that want to take away from the beauty and small-town charm. We can all succeed when we start supporting and understanding each other, as well as the people we strive to impact every day. 

This year, as fellow business owners in a small community, we should be able to have honest conversations about our own guest flow, financial growth goals, how we pivot during infrastructure changes, and the part we play in this little wacky ecosystem. Let’s talk about how we can collectively have our voices heard in town decisions that concern our livelihoods. And, in true RBF fashion, let’s be freaking genuine. Being authentic with each other means admitting when things are hard, celebrating wins loudly, and borrowing sugar without pretending it’s for a recipe. That kind of raw honesty builds trust, and trust builds community. That same vulnerability turns competition into collaboration, and isolation into shared momentum.

Let’s all do our little part. Be a patron of fellow restaurants and bars. Leave a positive review. Suggest other spots for your guests to visit. Call another business to see if they can accommodate a party if your wait is longer than expected. See something concerning? Reach out to your neighbors to tell them! Everything feels a little scary and uncertain these days. I hope we can watch out for one another. 

At the end of the day, the wine places will wine (and sometimes whine) and the beer places will beer and the cocktail places will cocktail, but when we help our guests see the beauty in all of our neighbors, the heart they bring to their small business and the community, and see how we strive help to keep each other safe, we all win. 

This year, I hope we show up with our distinct voices–quirks, strengths, and all–and prove that, together, those differences create something powerful: A version of success that’s rooted in community.

A version of this story ran in the January 27 edition of The Line.

Sarah Day Owen Wiskirchen is the head of newsletters for The Assembly Network and editor of The Line.