'I have to pay the bills': What's next for Feena's in Fayetteville?

Feena’s owner Hafeena Ali-Martinez was prepared to close her well-known Murchison Road dollar store and dessert shop when her longtime lease was set to run out in early September, but public outcry led to another two years in Fayetteville’s Bronco Midtown shopping center.

Ali-Martinez said Friday that her new two-year lease with Grant Murray, the real estate company that manages the property on behalf of owner Bronco Development, includes a rent hike of $600 and another $600 increase next year. She also had to remove the logos from her shop windows.

From back in early August: The future of Feena's is up in the air after lease ends

Despite those stipulations, Ali-Martinez said, she’s grateful that the community rallied behind her as she fought to stay open.

“I love that people came together,” she said.

Ali-Martinez said she hopes that incorporating delivery, especially to offices nearby, will offset rising expenses.

The shopkeeper said she also hopes to negotiate with Fayetteville State University to be part of the “Bronco bucks” system in which students can use dollars from their university meal plans to purchase food and other items.

After the news broke: Fayetteville rallies around Feena's dessert shop as lease runs out

Whether Feena’s remains after this two-year lease depends on whether business keeps her afloat, she said.

“I have to pay the bills,” she said. “I would love to stay.”

Food, dining and culture reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com. Want weekly food news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Fayetteville Foodies newsletter .

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: 'I have to pay the bills': What's next for Feena's in Fayetteville?