Microsoft is launching a temporary retail store at SouthPark mall for the holidays, according to reports on tech news websites.
PCMag.com says that the tech giant is planning to open more than 30 stores for the holidays. In addition to the SouthPark store, Microsoft is also opening one in Durham, in the Streets at Southpoint. Microsoft is playing catch-up to Apple, which already has some 300 retail stores, including one each in SouthPark and Northlake Mall.
The Apple stores have been a boon to Apple, becoming some of the highest-grossing retail outlets in the world.There's no word yet on when the store will open at SouthPark or if it will be permanent. Microsoft has about two dozen stores currently, and plans to have 75 in the next couple of years.
The holiday stores will have plenty of new Microsoft merchandise to try and stimulate consumers' appetites. Windows 8, the new Windows Phone, and Microsoft's new Surface tablet could all be hot items.
What do you think - should a Microsoft store become permanent at SouthPark?
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Brawley's Beverage looking to add on-premises consumption license
Charlotte beer and wine shop Brawley's Beverage is seeking a rezoning in order to open a space for people to drink on the premises, a move owner Michael Brawley hopes will help the store stay competitive.
"All the new stores have one," Brawley said of on-premise consumption licenses. "If someone can have a pint while they shop, it's a tremendous advantage."
A number of new stores with on-premise licenses have popped up, including Salud Beer Shop in NoDa and Good Bottle Co. on Remount Road. Common Market now has two locations, in Plaza-Midwood and South End, and even Whole Foods in SouthPark has four taps and more than two dozen wines available to drink in the store. Charlotte's breweries also offer on-premise consumption.
"We were kind of kind of the first beer geek store in town," said Brawley, who opened the store about 9 1/2 years ago. "When we started, there really wasn't any competition to speak of, and there wasn't any competition for on-premise except for Common Market."
The Park Seneca Lawnmower repair shop adjacent to Brawley's moved to Old Pineville Road after their lease was up in August, opening up the possibility of rezoning the beer and wine shop, Brawley said.
In addition to letting customers sip and shop, an on-premise consumption license would let Brawley hold special events at his store, instead of at restaurants or bars like he does currently.
Brawley stresses that he's not seeking to open a bar. Hours wouldn't change much, and the whole thing would be family friendly. He hopes to eventually add food to the store's offerings, but that's on the back burner for now. If all goes well, Brawley hopes to have renovations done by May, in time for the store's 10-year anniversary.
A hearing on the rezoning request is set for Nov. 12. You can see Brawley's rezoning application here.
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"All the new stores have one," Brawley said of on-premise consumption licenses. "If someone can have a pint while they shop, it's a tremendous advantage."
A number of new stores with on-premise licenses have popped up, including Salud Beer Shop in NoDa and Good Bottle Co. on Remount Road. Common Market now has two locations, in Plaza-Midwood and South End, and even Whole Foods in SouthPark has four taps and more than two dozen wines available to drink in the store. Charlotte's breweries also offer on-premise consumption.
"We were kind of kind of the first beer geek store in town," said Brawley, who opened the store about 9 1/2 years ago. "When we started, there really wasn't any competition to speak of, and there wasn't any competition for on-premise except for Common Market."
The Park Seneca Lawnmower repair shop adjacent to Brawley's moved to Old Pineville Road after their lease was up in August, opening up the possibility of rezoning the beer and wine shop, Brawley said.
In addition to letting customers sip and shop, an on-premise consumption license would let Brawley hold special events at his store, instead of at restaurants or bars like he does currently.
Brawley stresses that he's not seeking to open a bar. Hours wouldn't change much, and the whole thing would be family friendly. He hopes to eventually add food to the store's offerings, but that's on the back burner for now. If all goes well, Brawley hopes to have renovations done by May, in time for the store's 10-year anniversary.
A hearing on the rezoning request is set for Nov. 12. You can see Brawley's rezoning application here.
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Book store, arts space opens in Brevard Court
A new bookstore on the second floor of Uptown's Brevard Court is open, offering a quick lunchtime respite from the office grind and a place to hear poetry and independent music.
Poor Richard's Book Shoppe opened in August, after relocating from Gastonia.The store is the newest independent book store in Charlotte, and co-owner Bryan Borges said he plans to expand into the adjacent space and add a wine and beer bar.
Borges and his wife opened the store's first iteration in 2010. They had formerly run a catering business, and both also had experience in corporate finance. Their sons were graduating from college in 2009 with poor job prospects, and the family decided to start a business together.
Although stores were closing in the downturn and booksellers were particularly hard-hit, they still wanted to open their first retail business.
"Going into business yourself is always a risk," Borges said. "If you can do it in an environment that's not conducive to it, when the market turns you should be doing pretty well."
After building up a clientele in Gastonia, they hadn't planned to move to Charlotte, Borges said. However, while dining with a friend at Brevard Court, he heard there was space available in the building, and the chance to move to uptown was too good to pass up. Having made the move, he intends to expand the store's role as an arts venue.
"Our main mission is to expose people to as much of the arts as possible," said Borges. Poor Richard's hosts a monthly spoken word event, accompanied by music and a visual artist creating a piece. At the end of the night, they auction the piece of art. They also have a weekly open mic with a featured poet, and a music series featuring independent musicians on Saturday.
A wide range of offerings is key to surviving in this economy, Borges said. "You can't just be a bookstore and thrive," he said. They also sell new and used books to appeal to price-conscious consumers, and take special orders. "We can get our hands on just about any title, whether it's used, new, out of print, rare," said Borges.
And the retreat of chain bookstores such as Borders, which went out of business, leaves more room in the marketplace for independents, he said: "Businesses like ours, businesses like Park Road Books, those are the ones that will fill the void."
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Poor Richard's Book Shoppe opened in August, after relocating from Gastonia.The store is the newest independent book store in Charlotte, and co-owner Bryan Borges said he plans to expand into the adjacent space and add a wine and beer bar.
Borges and his wife opened the store's first iteration in 2010. They had formerly run a catering business, and both also had experience in corporate finance. Their sons were graduating from college in 2009 with poor job prospects, and the family decided to start a business together.
Although stores were closing in the downturn and booksellers were particularly hard-hit, they still wanted to open their first retail business.
"Going into business yourself is always a risk," Borges said. "If you can do it in an environment that's not conducive to it, when the market turns you should be doing pretty well."
After building up a clientele in Gastonia, they hadn't planned to move to Charlotte, Borges said. However, while dining with a friend at Brevard Court, he heard there was space available in the building, and the chance to move to uptown was too good to pass up. Having made the move, he intends to expand the store's role as an arts venue.
"Our main mission is to expose people to as much of the arts as possible," said Borges. Poor Richard's hosts a monthly spoken word event, accompanied by music and a visual artist creating a piece. At the end of the night, they auction the piece of art. They also have a weekly open mic with a featured poet, and a music series featuring independent musicians on Saturday.
A wide range of offerings is key to surviving in this economy, Borges said. "You can't just be a bookstore and thrive," he said. They also sell new and used books to appeal to price-conscious consumers, and take special orders. "We can get our hands on just about any title, whether it's used, new, out of print, rare," said Borges.
And the retreat of chain bookstores such as Borders, which went out of business, leaves more room in the marketplace for independents, he said: "Businesses like ours, businesses like Park Road Books, those are the ones that will fill the void."
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Pirates get free Krispy Kreme doughnuts
Winston-Salem-based Krispy Kreme is offering free doughnuts to customers willing to come into their stores and talk like a pirate on Wednesday, Sept. 19 (fixed) The promotion is tied to "National Talk Like a Pirate Day."
"Any buccaneer who dares enter a participating Krispy Kreme location talking like a pirate gets one FREE Original Glazed® doughnut. Blimey you say? Well there's more. To the lad or lass wearing full pirate attire goes a bounty of one FREE dozen Original Glazed® doughnuts," the company said in its news release.
The release also says, a bit lower, that full pirate attire apparently does not include a sword or flintlock pistol: "NO WEAPONS ALLOWED!" Krispy Kreme also specifies that talking like a pirate OR wearing an eye patch will get you a free doughnut, so if you already have to wear an eye patch for some other reason, you're set.
It's the 10th anniversary of Talk Like a Pirate Day, so if you've been looking for a little something extra-special to do in order to mark the occasion, Krispy Kreme's promotion could be perfect.
Krispy Kreme isn't opening its Charlotte store, in Cotswold on North Sharon Amity Road, until Sept. 24, however. So, if you live in Charlotte, you'll have to trek just a bit to show your pirate dedication. Anyone out there planning to actually do this?
"Any buccaneer who dares enter a participating Krispy Kreme location talking like a pirate gets one FREE Original Glazed® doughnut. Blimey you say? Well there's more. To the lad or lass wearing full pirate attire goes a bounty of one FREE dozen Original Glazed® doughnuts," the company said in its news release.
The release also says, a bit lower, that full pirate attire apparently does not include a sword or flintlock pistol: "NO WEAPONS ALLOWED!" Krispy Kreme also specifies that talking like a pirate OR wearing an eye patch will get you a free doughnut, so if you already have to wear an eye patch for some other reason, you're set.
It's the 10th anniversary of Talk Like a Pirate Day, so if you've been looking for a little something extra-special to do in order to mark the occasion, Krispy Kreme's promotion could be perfect.
Krispy Kreme isn't opening its Charlotte store, in Cotswold on North Sharon Amity Road, until Sept. 24, however. So, if you live in Charlotte, you'll have to trek just a bit to show your pirate dedication. Anyone out there planning to actually do this?
New gay bar opens in South End
After being laid off from his job at a Fort Lauderdale nutritional supplement company, Doug Lemmone sought to pursue his dream and open a bar or lounge in Florida.
But the right location was elusive, and Lemmone moved back to Charlotte to care for his ailing mother. And he found what he thinks is the perfect spot for his bar in Charlotte, not Fort Lauderdale or South Beach. Cathode Azure,a 4,000-square-foot bar and lounge targeting gay and gay-friendly clientele, opened Friday in South End.
"I think it's going to establish South End as the 'gayborhood'," said Lemmone, a New York native. The area is up-and-coming, he said, with easy light rail access, plenty of parking, and a growing population living in the new apartment buildings nearby.
Featuring over-sized leather chairs, French doors leading to patio seating, blue LED lights and hanging lamps that give off a blue glow, Lemmone said he's going for an upscale, grown-up vibes. Although the bar features a dance floor, dancing isn't the focus, and Lemmone said the music selection is less dance and techno, more Top 100 hits.
The bar charges a $6 cover on busier nights, but also offers specials such as $2 well drinks on Wednesday nights to lure customers. And though Lemmone said he hopes to be the best gay bar in Charlotte, he also wants to attract a diverse clientele.
"We don't care who you are or what you're about," he said. "We welcome everybody."
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But the right location was elusive, and Lemmone moved back to Charlotte to care for his ailing mother. And he found what he thinks is the perfect spot for his bar in Charlotte, not Fort Lauderdale or South Beach. Cathode Azure,a 4,000-square-foot bar and lounge targeting gay and gay-friendly clientele, opened Friday in South End.
"I think it's going to establish South End as the 'gayborhood'," said Lemmone, a New York native. The area is up-and-coming, he said, with easy light rail access, plenty of parking, and a growing population living in the new apartment buildings nearby.
Featuring over-sized leather chairs, French doors leading to patio seating, blue LED lights and hanging lamps that give off a blue glow, Lemmone said he's going for an upscale, grown-up vibes. Although the bar features a dance floor, dancing isn't the focus, and Lemmone said the music selection is less dance and techno, more Top 100 hits.
The bar charges a $6 cover on busier nights, but also offers specials such as $2 well drinks on Wednesday nights to lure customers. And though Lemmone said he hopes to be the best gay bar in Charlotte, he also wants to attract a diverse clientele.
"We don't care who you are or what you're about," he said. "We welcome everybody."
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JC Penney sets opening date for Matthews store
JC Penney is opening a new store in the Windsor Square shopping center on Oct. 5, the company said Tuesday.
The store is 83,000 square feet, JC Penney said in a press release, and will feature a number of new design elements. There will be a 1,700 square foot Sephora makeup store inside the JC Penney, as well as a number of individual "shops" showcasing brands such as Levi's and Liz Claiborne.
The new store will also have wider aisles to make shopping easier, and energy efficient LED lighting, JC Penney said.
The shops concept is part of JC Penney's turnaround strategy, as the retailer "re-imagines the department store." In addition to its pricing changes (largely eliminating sales in favor of "everyday low pricing"), JC Penney also recently decided to offer kids free haircuts on Sundays to lure back customers.
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The store is 83,000 square feet, JC Penney said in a press release, and will feature a number of new design elements. There will be a 1,700 square foot Sephora makeup store inside the JC Penney, as well as a number of individual "shops" showcasing brands such as Levi's and Liz Claiborne.
The new store will also have wider aisles to make shopping easier, and energy efficient LED lighting, JC Penney said.
The shops concept is part of JC Penney's turnaround strategy, as the retailer "re-imagines the department store." In addition to its pricing changes (largely eliminating sales in favor of "everyday low pricing"), JC Penney also recently decided to offer kids free haircuts on Sundays to lure back customers.
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A one-week hiatus
Hello readers. This is just a quick note to let everyone know that for the next week (and maybe a bit longer), I'll be working on covering the Democratic National Convention, specifically the protesters. "What's in Store" will return after that. Please send any retail-related news tips to elyportillo@charlotteobserver.com. Thanks, and see you soon.
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