Slate Interiors, a multi-merchant interior furnishings store located on Central Avenue, plans to expand by 2,000 square feet, adding new merchants and artists as business grows.
Owner Debbie Hartnett said she hopes to complete the renovations and expansion with minimal disruptions to the store, and to remain open except for a day or two. The changes involve knocking down parts of a wall separating her store from adjacent storage space.
The Frank Scibelli-owned Midwood Smokehouse is located in the same building as Slate, and that restaurant is expanding as well. Hartnett said she'll lose some space to Midwood Smokehouse, but still gain more space in the end, expanding from 4,800 to 6,800 square feet.
"It'll be noisy, a little dusty, but I think the outcome will be positive," Hartnett said. "We were hoping to get it done before the DNC, but I'm not sure that will happen. It will be sometime in September."
Slate carries a mix of antique, vintage and modern interior furnishings from 30 merchants. The store also carries original art from 33 artists. Hartnett said the product mix and prices are designed to appeal to young professionals and the Millenial generation.
As part of the expansion, Hartnett said Slate will add six more merchant booths and 12 more artists. After that, the store will probably be the right size for the foreseeable future, she said.
"You want to be careful not to dilute your product, so to speak, and you want to keep a handle on your price point," said Hartnett. "It's really important that you only grow to a certain point and then hold it."
Hartnett said business has been strong, despite continuing economic uncertainty. "June was our biggest month, by far, in sales," she said. Many of her customers are doing fine, she said, though they are furnishing more modest homes than they might have been before the downturn.
"The homes that are selling are not the million-dollar homes, but the $350,000 to $500,000 homes, and those are the people that are coming in to buy products," she said. "They're buying a piece at a time, and they're very conscious of quality."
I previously wrote about Slate, which opened in late 2010, here.
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Big Lots to open at Belmont
Belmont will soon have a new Big Lots, as the liquidation and closeout retailer plans to open a store there Friday, August 3.
The 21,200-square-foot store will open with a 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. It's located in The Abbey Plaza shopping center, on Park Street. The company, which operates more than 1,450 stores, says it offers items for sale at up to 70 percent less than full-price retailers.
"We are confident this new store will prove to be a big hit with smart shoppers who are seeking better deals and bigger savings to combat the increasing costs of everyday living," said spokesman Rob Claxton, in a statement.
The 21,200-square-foot store will open with a 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. It's located in The Abbey Plaza shopping center, on Park Street. The company, which operates more than 1,450 stores, says it offers items for sale at up to 70 percent less than full-price retailers.
"We are confident this new store will prove to be a big hit with smart shoppers who are seeking better deals and bigger savings to combat the increasing costs of everyday living," said spokesman Rob Claxton, in a statement.
Wine bar opens at Charlotte Douglas
Fliers have a new option to wine and dine at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Beaudevin. The new store is part of the airport and vendors' push to overhaul retail options at Charlotte Douglas.
Update: There are some local wine options, as several people have asked me about (see below). But they might not have spelled all the city names correctly...
Beaudevin is operated by HMS Host, the airport's food concession manager. HMS Host administers more than 50 airport concessions (concession map).
“We created Beaudevin as a place where travelers can experience fine wine and delicious cuisine while still
feeling relaxed, in an informal, European-inspired atmosphere,” said Stephen Douglas, Vice President,
Business Development HMSHost. “Reminiscent of a château cellar, Beaudevin puts beauty back into
traveling. We are very excited to partner with CLT to make the Charlotte traveler’s day better.”
The wine bar will feature more than 30 reds, whites and sparkling wines, as well as small, tapas-style plates and open sandwiches.
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Update: There are some local wine options, as several people have asked me about (see below). But they might not have spelled all the city names correctly...
Beaudevin is operated by HMS Host, the airport's food concession manager. HMS Host administers more than 50 airport concessions (concession map).
“We created Beaudevin as a place where travelers can experience fine wine and delicious cuisine while still
feeling relaxed, in an informal, European-inspired atmosphere,” said Stephen Douglas, Vice President,
Business Development HMSHost. “Reminiscent of a château cellar, Beaudevin puts beauty back into
traveling. We are very excited to partner with CLT to make the Charlotte traveler’s day better.”
The wine bar will feature more than 30 reds, whites and sparkling wines, as well as small, tapas-style plates and open sandwiches.
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Test marketing Wal-Mart Express
A story from my colleague Gloria Lloyd in this weekend's News & Observer goes into some detail about the new Wal-Mart Express stores that are popping up around North Carolina.
Five out of the 11 Wal-Mart Express stores to open so far have been in North Carolina, and several more are planned by the end of the year. The new Express-format stores are only about 15,000 square feet, less than twice the size of a typical Family Dollar and perhaps 1/3 the size of a full-scale grocery store.
Although Wal-Mart has come to dominate much of the grocery market with its massive Supercenters (last year, Wal-Mart overtook Harris Teeter to become the No. 1 grocer in the Charlotte region), the grocery market is always fluid. The latest competitor to nip at Wal-Mart's heels is smaller retailers such as Family Dollar and Dollar General.
Both of those chains, as well as fellow convenience stores such as Walgreens, have greatly increased the amount of food and other consumable items such as cigarettes and cosmetic products, that they stock. Small, easier-to-navigate stores, combined with many more locations, has given the small retailers an edge in capturing the "fill-in trip," many retail analysts say. Basically, a consumer who needs a gallon of milk now has the choice of a small convenience store two blocks away, or a Wal-Mart Supercenter five miles away.
The smaller stores also give Wal-Mart the ability to fill in smaller markets, such as rural areas that couldn't support a Supercenter, and urban areas where there isn't enough space. And if customers want a product that the Express store doesn't carry, such as a television, they can order it online and pick it up at the Express store.
Five out of the 11 Wal-Mart Express stores to open so far have been in North Carolina, and several more are planned by the end of the year. The new Express-format stores are only about 15,000 square feet, less than twice the size of a typical Family Dollar and perhaps 1/3 the size of a full-scale grocery store.
Although Wal-Mart has come to dominate much of the grocery market with its massive Supercenters (last year, Wal-Mart overtook Harris Teeter to become the No. 1 grocer in the Charlotte region), the grocery market is always fluid. The latest competitor to nip at Wal-Mart's heels is smaller retailers such as Family Dollar and Dollar General.
Both of those chains, as well as fellow convenience stores such as Walgreens, have greatly increased the amount of food and other consumable items such as cigarettes and cosmetic products, that they stock. Small, easier-to-navigate stores, combined with many more locations, has given the small retailers an edge in capturing the "fill-in trip," many retail analysts say. Basically, a consumer who needs a gallon of milk now has the choice of a small convenience store two blocks away, or a Wal-Mart Supercenter five miles away.
The smaller stores also give Wal-Mart the ability to fill in smaller markets, such as rural areas that couldn't support a Supercenter, and urban areas where there isn't enough space. And if customers want a product that the Express store doesn't carry, such as a television, they can order it online and pick it up at the Express store.
Craft beer store opening on Remount Road
A new craft beer store, Good Bottle Company, is opening soon on Remount Road, at the intersection with South Boulevard.
That's diagonally across the street from barbecue steadfast Mac's Speed Shop, and next door to Canine Cafe, in the same building. The store is planned to open in late summer, with bottles, cans, growlers and taps dedicated to craft beer.
Here's an article from Charlotte Beer with some more details, and an interview with Chris Hunt, of Asheville, one of the owners. The store will have about a dozen rotating taps, with two or three always given to beers from Charlotte breweries. Check out a short excerpt from the Q & A:
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That's diagonally across the street from barbecue steadfast Mac's Speed Shop, and next door to Canine Cafe, in the same building. The store is planned to open in late summer, with bottles, cans, growlers and taps dedicated to craft beer.
Here's an article from Charlotte Beer with some more details, and an interview with Chris Hunt, of Asheville, one of the owners. The store will have about a dozen rotating taps, with two or three always given to beers from Charlotte breweries. Check out a short excerpt from the Q & A:
What will set Good Bottle Company apart in the Charlotte beer scene?
“What we want to do is concentrate on celebrating craft beer. We want to connect the brewers to our customers. We want to be a place beer geeks can come together to talk beer. We want to be a place where people can meet after work, or during work, and have a beer together. We want to be a place where you can learn about beer and just how good it can be.”View Larger Map
Michaels at Stonecrest opens in August
Crafty folks, get ready: Arts and crafts retailer Michaels is opening its new store in Stonecrest shopping center, near Rea Road and I-485, on Sunday, August 12.
The store is filling what used to be Borders, before the bookseller declared bankruptcy and liquidated last year. Another former Borders, at Morrocroft Village shopping center, looks set to become a DSW shoe store.
The new Michaels will open with a 9:45 a.m. ribbon cutting. "The new store features an open design with wider aisles, warm colors and brighter lighting. Key departments, such as scrapbooking, jewelry and kids are expanded and re-organized for easy shopping," Michaels said in a press release.
For its first week, the store will feature discounts, giveaways, and crafting demonstrations, Michaels said.
Based in Irving, Texas, there are 1,070 Michaels stores in the US and Canada. The company also operates Aaron Brothers stores.
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The store is filling what used to be Borders, before the bookseller declared bankruptcy and liquidated last year. Another former Borders, at Morrocroft Village shopping center, looks set to become a DSW shoe store.
The new Michaels will open with a 9:45 a.m. ribbon cutting. "The new store features an open design with wider aisles, warm colors and brighter lighting. Key departments, such as scrapbooking, jewelry and kids are expanded and re-organized for easy shopping," Michaels said in a press release.
For its first week, the store will feature discounts, giveaways, and crafting demonstrations, Michaels said.
Based in Irving, Texas, there are 1,070 Michaels stores in the US and Canada. The company also operates Aaron Brothers stores.
View Larger Map
DSW shoe store headed to Morrocroft Village?
It seems a DSW is headed to Morrocroft Village shopping center at Sharon and Colony roads, according to job postings and building permits.
DSW didn't return a phone call seeking comment, but this building permit was issued in May. The permit lists the project at 3900 Colony Road as "DSW Shoes Morrowcroft Village," and lists contracts of more than $470,000 for work at the store.
The store was formerly a Borders bookstore. Borders closed the store in 2011, before declaring bankruptcy. Here's a leasing flyer from Bell Moore Group, advertising up to 27,418 square feet of space for rent in Morrocroft Village. You can see the former Borders highlighted in the flyer.
There are also job listings posted for the new store. This ad for sales associates was posted last Thursday, and lists the positions available at the new DSW in Morrocroft Village.
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(Thanks to an alert reader for noticing the building permit while out shopping and emailing me).
DSW didn't return a phone call seeking comment, but this building permit was issued in May. The permit lists the project at 3900 Colony Road as "DSW Shoes Morrowcroft Village," and lists contracts of more than $470,000 for work at the store.
The store was formerly a Borders bookstore. Borders closed the store in 2011, before declaring bankruptcy. Here's a leasing flyer from Bell Moore Group, advertising up to 27,418 square feet of space for rent in Morrocroft Village. You can see the former Borders highlighted in the flyer.
There are also job listings posted for the new store. This ad for sales associates was posted last Thursday, and lists the positions available at the new DSW in Morrocroft Village.
View Larger Map
(Thanks to an alert reader for noticing the building permit while out shopping and emailing me).
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