210 Trade | EpiCentre

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

I hope the renovation is a success. No clubs is probably a good idea but I do think a music venue should go back there. Something like south ends Goldie’s that’s open throughout the day and has live music throughout. Howl at the moon and tin roof were good live music spots and also attracted a lot of tourists. If gold gyms ceiling heights weren’t so low I’d say add an indoor pickleball facility and bar. I do miss an uptown movie theater too. Service wasn’t that great but it was nice having something walking distance. 
 

A slightly farfetched option is we just turn it into our tourist trap and put every restaurant you’d find at myrtle beach here lol.  Hard Rock Cafe or margaritaville type places, senior frogs, etc couple that with howl at the moon and tin roof. I’m a big video board person too so the more the merrier. Add more video boards on the inside. 

 I’m curious to see how the new hornets owners and practice facility plans impact the epicentre as well. Last I heard they wanted to build a stand alone practice facility and not integrate it with a reimagined CTC. We’ll see. Hoping for the best.
 

Edited August 29, 2023 by CharlotteWkndBuzz

[CLT Development]

19 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

I don't see people going out of their way to get Uptown any longer as new entertainment destinations have emerged.

Per my contact with the biggest ear to the ground along 5th Street, many businesses have far surpassed their pre-pandemic revenues along that corridor. The Mint surpassed its all-time highs in visitors to the uptown location, admitting almost 7,000 more people PER MONTH than the previous high. Despite being awful the Hornets are pulling in middle of the road attendance, about 17,000 per game, and have really upped the ante on how often the facility is in use. The addition of Charlotte FC and concerts has added an additional 1,000,000 attendees to Bank of America Stadium. People are still flocking uptown despite the rhetoric saying otherwise. Honestly I feel like the only place seeing a struggle is the Knights.

Edited August 29, 2023 by CLT Development

[CLT Development]

10 hours ago, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

. Something like south ends Goldie’s that’s open throughout the day and has live music throughout. Howl at the moon and tin roof were good live music spots and also attracted a lot of tourists.

 

Queen City Q is being replaced by a Goldies-like concept as I understand.

[CLT2014]

2 hours ago, CLT Development said:

Per my contact with the biggest ear to the ground along 5th Street, many businesses have far surpassed their pre-pandemic revenues along that corridor. The Mint surpassed its all-time highs in visitors to the uptown location, admitting almost 7,000 more people PER MONTH than the previous high. Despite being awful the Hornets are pulling in middle of the road attendance, about 17,000 per game, and have really upped the ante on how often the facility is in use. The addition of Charlotte FC and concerts has added an additional 1,000,000 attendees to Bank of America Stadium. People are still flocking uptown despite the rhetoric saying otherwise. Honestly I feel like the only place seeing a struggle is the Knights.

That's awesome businesses are surpassing their pre-pandemic revenue! Good news to hear indeed. 

[go_vertical]

The convention business seems to be doing quite well also.  At least it seems that way with all of the obvious trade show attendees I've been seeing walking around the last several weeks.

[tozmervo]

6 hours ago, CLT Development said:

Per my contact with the biggest ear to the ground along 5th Street, many businesses have far surpassed their pre-pandemic revenues along that corridor. The Mint surpassed its all-time highs in visitors to the uptown location, admitting almost 7,000 more people PER MONTH than the previous high. Despite being awful the Hornets are pulling in middle of the road attendance, about 17,000 per game, and have really upped the ante on how often the facility is in use. The addition of Charlotte FC and concerts has added an additional 1,000,000 attendees to Bank of America Stadium. People are still flocking uptown despite the rhetoric saying otherwise. Honestly I feel like the only place seeing a struggle is the Knights.

I believe I have heard something about the Blumenthal setting a record this calendar year for the number of show nights they have, or number of nights Belk Theater is in use. Something like that. 

[CLT Development]

1 hour ago, go_vertical said:

The convention business seems to be doing quite well also.  At least it seems that way with all of the obvious trade show attendees I've been seeing walking around the last several weeks.

We've had a Shriners Convention, an American Legion Convention, and a Trader Joes Captains Convention! All people with funny hats and/or hawaiian shirts.

[turbocraig]

2 hours ago, CLT Development said:

We've had a Shriners Convention, an American Legion Convention, and a Trader Joes Captains Convention! All people with funny hats and/or hawaiian shirts.

I was with a friend at Pride who works for TJ's and we ran into some TJ attendees that we talked to for a few moments.  They had their work shirts and name tags on, so were easy to spot.  The one (a VP, she said) told us that they were also here scouting locations.

Edited August 29, 2023 by turbocraig

[InSouthPark]

14 hours ago, turbocraig said:

I was with a friend at Pride who works for TJ's and we ran into some TJ attendees that we talked to for a few moments.  They had their work shirts and name tags on, so were easy to spot.  The one (a VP, she said) told us that they were also here scouting locations.

A TJ anywhere near SouthPark would just be printing money.  

[DJ8hep]

Finally had a chance to check the progress out!

 

[go_vertical]

Grabbed a few shots of the new pavers going in.  It already looks a little brighter and freshened up.  They are currently gutting the stairs alongside College that go up to the rooftop.

 

[Rufus]

I'll just be very honest here: if there is one project that I want to be successful, it is this one. 

This, to me, has the potential to enhance so much of the urban fabric Uptown, far more (IMO) than a skyscraper can. This is a crucial project and I hate that I am talking about it like it is make or break, but in a way, it is. 

[CLT2014]

I'll reserve judgement until placemaking elements get added, but a little bland IMO. They could have done some patterns given there is so much  surface area to cover. The Rail Yard and Vantage South End in particular played with their hard ground surfaces more.

Are the lines in the renderings just going to be painted? The color choice for the pavers is a light gray as opposed to the charcoal show in the renderings, so I don't know if this look they proposed is actually going to be achieved from the rendering.  I don't think the planters will look as warm against a light gray paver either. 

Edited September 25, 2023 by CLT2014

[CLT Development]

Swung by today, it's much darker than in that photo

[go_vertical]

18 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

I'll reserve judgement until placemaking elements get added, but a little bland IMO.

Honestly not trying to be a jerk here, but how is that reserving judgement?

[CLT2014]

39 minutes ago, go_vertical said:

Honestly not trying to be a jerk here, but how is that reserving judgement?

I guess I did feel like judging. I just meant that the final look may be awesome and look more modern like the rendering, but it is hard to tell if they are deviating from that rendering at this point with the material choice of gray pavers. I probably just can't envision how the white lines from the rendering will look on the material if they are just painted on. They could totally pull it off in the end though, hence I know it is a work in progress still and not done. 

Edited September 26, 2023 by CLT2014

[go_vertical]

I feel ya, but ever since it was announced that they were planning on moving away from nightlife and having a better mix of retail and dining I've been expecting this to have more of a bland, mall-like look anyway.  Something a little more corporate and sterile.  I'm willing to bet the asthetics will be more in the faux wood veneers and such on the storefronts with each having their own unique look not unlike what you would see in Southpark.  One of the interior renderings sort of gives off that kind of vibe to me.

A concern I have after seeing the new pavers is how dirty and dingy that could quickly start to look if it isn't regularly scrubbed clean.  Like CLT Development said they are a shade darker than what the pictures allude to, but they're still light enough where stains could stand out very easily.

[KJHburg]

Renovations ongoing here and we all need to hope this place turns around as it is Main and Main basically in uptown Charlotte.   It really needs to turn around and I hope more restaurants go in there and maybe Merts Heart and Soul should move there and knock that Charlotte Wake Forest center down which was built as the Charlotte Apparel Mart.  Just saying might be a better location.  

[KJHburg]

Just a clarification about Merts Heart and Soul what I was saying that building they are in is 90% vacant and going back the lender.  In my book that 5 story building is candidate for complete redevelopment as it was not even built originally for offices as it was built for the Charlotte Apparel Mart.   A move to the newly renovated Epicenter might be better for them and more visible.  

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

Flemings is going to have even more of an uphill battle with STK right across the street. Honestly, can’t believe they’ve lasted this long. They have nice corner spot though which helps with visibility. 

[Temeteron]

1 hour ago, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

Flemings is going to have even more of an uphill battle with STK right across the street. Honestly, can’t believe they’ve lasted this long. They have nice corner spot though which helps with visibility. 

Quite frankly the amount of expensive steakhouses in uptown is absurd.  Can’t understand why we need so many

[KJHburg]

1 hour ago, Temeteron said:

Quite frankly the amount of expensive steakhouses in uptown is absurd.  Can’t understand why we need so many

I went to one today at lunch and this high end uptown steakhouse was packed! 

[RANYC]

2 hours ago, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

Flemings is going to have even more of an uphill battle with STK right across the street. Honestly, can’t believe they’ve lasted this long. They have nice corner spot though which helps with visibility. 

Flemings would like to give thanks to its lord and savior, Doordash.

31 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

I went to one today at lunch and this high end uptown steakhouse was packed! 

Honestly, everything appears packed in uptown these days.  It's just a much deeper market than people think and you really only get a sense of how deep it is when you walk around it on a regular basis. 

[15895]

Something no one has really delved into. 

Epicenter has crashed, burned and failed knocked far from its hey days. It slid into decline and is an apocalyptic, 2020 Covid-era version of itself. 

How / why did the epicenter fail? 

Obviously there’s renovations in process but so far, it doesn’t seem promising from the current owners. 

Should the city step in and offer up millions of $$$ to kick start a revitalization of this area, pump money into it with the hopes of a multiplier effect on surrounding properties & business? Otherwise, I sort of fear it won’t get out of a death spiral when there’s so many reasons this should be succeeding (again) and if it gets to a certain point, it may never succeed again?

Theres no need to wait for a new NFL stadium to pump public funds into an “entertainment district” from scratch when this infrastructure already exist next to a stadium, connected to rail transit, etc. 

Edited December 17, 2023 by AirNostrumMAD

[CLT Development]

2 hours ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

Epicenter has crashed, burned and failed knocked far from its hey days. It slid into decline and is an apocalyptic, 2020 Covid-era version of itself. 

How / why did the epicenter fail? 

It failed because CIM Group, the previous owners, used one of their favorite tactics... using less-than-savory practices to try to get rid of all of their tenants. They stopped investing in the property and pushed people out, and then Covid ramped their timeline up tremendously. Their attempts to devalue the property were too successful ultimately and suddenly they had almost no cash flow, and then they went into bankruptcy. Epicentre was badly designed, and  has been plagued with terrible ownership, that's the WHY. 

Edited December 17, 2023 by CLT Development