Tribal Outkast
Veteran
I really want to go to see Benny. Still thinking about it though.
The Official Charlotte, NC Discussion Thread
- Thread starter Towlie
- Start date
Mindfield333
Superstar
I just hate Sunday shows tbh
Speed Street is back & starts today at Romare.
Today, 10/7:
7:00 - Special Guest Appearance, think I heard on the news Bubba Wallace from Jordan team will speak on diversity
8:15 - Ray Singleton
9:30 - Hamiltones
SS - SCHEDULE - 600 festival
https://600festival.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Coca-Cola-Stage-Schedule-v6.pdf
Sneaker Tradeshow 10/16:
Charlotte - The Sneaker Exit - Ultimate Sneaker Trade Show
Participate – Taste of Charlotte Festival
Edit: Updated Sneakershow DAte
Today, 10/7:
7:00 - Special Guest Appearance, think I heard on the news Bubba Wallace from Jordan team will speak on diversity
8:15 - Ray Singleton
9:30 - Hamiltones
SS - SCHEDULE - 600 festival
https://600festival.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Coca-Cola-Stage-Schedule-v6.pdf
Sneaker Tradeshow 10/16:
Charlotte - The Sneaker Exit - Ultimate Sneaker Trade Show
Try the site, link below. Friday was cool but Saturday/Sunday it was too crowded (imo) for the ballpark. I wouldn't be surprised if they had to limit participation because of location this year.
Participate – Taste of Charlotte Festival
Edit: Updated Sneakershow DAte
Last edited:
KyokushinKarateMan
Train hard, fight easy
I just moved here today
I'm gonna need a barber
Whats there to do here? Right now I am subleasing a place from a college student at UNCC, am I far away from everything?
Let me know brehs
Do you still live here op?
KyokushinKarateMan
Train hard, fight easy
I just caught the worst craving for some big, hot, crispy onion rings. And there's not a single place in Charlotte I feel like driving to at during this time of day 
fridge full of food but I want a big sloppy cheesesteak and I more importantly I want ONION RINGS. And I want it NOW 
fridge full of food but I want a big sloppy cheesesteak and I more importantly I want ONION RINGS. And I want it NOW 
Yes sir , I'm deep in the game lol. Since I've been in Charlotte I've bought a house , got married, and have 3 kids. Charlotte has been good to me for sure
Congrats, that's a long way from the OP when you were looking for a barber and living near UNCC
Tribal Outkast
Veteran
I appreciate this thread and y’all keeping it going 
I hit six years being here in June and I’m not sure if I’m leaving unless something big happens. I enjoy living and being close to beaches and Mountsuhs and shyt lol. People from North Carolina love North Carolina. It’s been dope just getting around this state from Beech Mountain and Boone to the OBX to Raleigh. I guess I’m just going to chill here and enjoy more NC life
I hit six years being here in June and I’m not sure if I’m leaving unless something big happens. I enjoy living and being close to beaches and Mountsuhs and shyt lol. People from North Carolina love North Carolina. It’s been dope just getting around this state from Beech Mountain and Boone to the OBX to Raleigh. I guess I’m just going to chill here and enjoy more NC life
GRITS CLT: when you want a home-cooked meal...from a food truck - Q City Metro
GRITS CLT: when you want a home-cooked meal…from a food truck
With catering services and food truck, Jorieka Downey says she has big dreams for the future.
By Bethany Lane
October 8, 2021
Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority helps us explore local Black-owned restaurants across Charlotte, allowing us to tell the stories behind these businesses. Find guides for where to eat, no matter what you’re craving, at CharlottesGotALot.com
Jorieka Downey, a.k.a. Chef Jo, opened her catering business, GRITS CLT, in February of 2019.
“It took me quite a while to actually jump all the way off the porch, because I’m a single mom, so I was just scared to let go of my job,” she says.
But when the CIAA Basketball Tournament and the NBA All Star weekend came to Charlotte in the winter of 2019, Downey knew her time had arrived.
Those two events allowed Downey to make back everything she’d invested in just one month. Then she started lunch delivery for corporate clients in Uptown. “I was delivering to Bank of America, Duke Energy… It was going well; I sold out of lunches every day,” Downey recalls.
The food
The GRITS CLT menu has a variety of cuisines — Southern, NoLa, South of the Border, International and Caribbean. Downey says her best sellers are the lemon pepper collard greens and pimento mac and cheese.
“I was raised by chefs…so I’ve always had a passion for food,” Downey says. This, plus her entrepreneurial spirit and validation from friends and family, is what got her started on the catering path.
GRITS CLT posts its food truck schedule each week on their Facebook and Instagram.
Covid
Then came Covid-19. GRITS CLT shut down from March to July in 2020. Downey took this time to apply for grants, loans and to get her small business certified with the county. That’s when she decided to open a food truck — so if another pandemic happened, she could still have a source of income.
Her truck hit the streets in May of 2021 — smack in the midst of the Covid-related labor shortage.
“Right now, it’s my family — my son, cousins and best friends — who really help me keep this business going,” Downey says.
What’s next
“My dreams are big. I would love to franchise GRITS,” says Downey, who has lived in Charlotte for 20 years but hails from Winston Salem. She wants to take GRITS to her hometown and eventually open a restaurant, bar and grill there.
As a “foodie” in Charlotte, Downey is a fan of the Queen City’s dining scene. And although she doesn’t eat out as much anymore, Optimist Hall, she says, is next on her list.
GRITS CLT: when you want a home-cooked meal…from a food truck
With catering services and food truck, Jorieka Downey says she has big dreams for the future.
By Bethany Lane
October 8, 2021
Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority helps us explore local Black-owned restaurants across Charlotte, allowing us to tell the stories behind these businesses. Find guides for where to eat, no matter what you’re craving, at CharlottesGotALot.com
Jorieka Downey, a.k.a. Chef Jo, opened her catering business, GRITS CLT, in February of 2019.
“It took me quite a while to actually jump all the way off the porch, because I’m a single mom, so I was just scared to let go of my job,” she says.
But when the CIAA Basketball Tournament and the NBA All Star weekend came to Charlotte in the winter of 2019, Downey knew her time had arrived.
Those two events allowed Downey to make back everything she’d invested in just one month. Then she started lunch delivery for corporate clients in Uptown. “I was delivering to Bank of America, Duke Energy… It was going well; I sold out of lunches every day,” Downey recalls.
The food
The GRITS CLT menu has a variety of cuisines — Southern, NoLa, South of the Border, International and Caribbean. Downey says her best sellers are the lemon pepper collard greens and pimento mac and cheese.
“I was raised by chefs…so I’ve always had a passion for food,” Downey says. This, plus her entrepreneurial spirit and validation from friends and family, is what got her started on the catering path.
GRITS CLT posts its food truck schedule each week on their Facebook and Instagram.
Covid
Then came Covid-19. GRITS CLT shut down from March to July in 2020. Downey took this time to apply for grants, loans and to get her small business certified with the county. That’s when she decided to open a food truck — so if another pandemic happened, she could still have a source of income.
Her truck hit the streets in May of 2021 — smack in the midst of the Covid-related labor shortage.
“Right now, it’s my family — my son, cousins and best friends — who really help me keep this business going,” Downey says.
What’s next
“My dreams are big. I would love to franchise GRITS,” says Downey, who has lived in Charlotte for 20 years but hails from Winston Salem. She wants to take GRITS to her hometown and eventually open a restaurant, bar and grill there.
As a “foodie” in Charlotte, Downey is a fan of the Queen City’s dining scene. And although she doesn’t eat out as much anymore, Optimist Hall, she says, is next on her list.
Uptown Charlotte gets a new Black-owned restaurant - Q City Metro
Uptown Charlotte gets a new Black-owned restaurant
The local franchise of Salata Salad Kitchen is owned by two business partners with former ties to the Charlotte Hornets.
Photo: QCity Metro
By Glenn Burkins
September 20, 2021
Two investors with former ties to the Charlotte Hornets will open a Salata Salad Kitchen on the ground floor of an uptown high-rise later this month.
The investors, André Walters, the team’s former vice president of legal affairs, and Derrick Brown, a former player, are owners of Free Fenix, a venture capital firm based in Charlotte.
Free Fenix also has a “significant ownership interest” in Duck Donuts, with stores in Charlotte, Huntersville and Atlanta, according to its website.
Brown, who attended Xavier University and graduated with degrees in marketing and entrepreneurial studies, was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 2009, the 40th player selected that year. Walters has a law degree from the University of Baltimore and a MBA from UNC Chapel Hill.
Neither man could be reached for comment.
Salata sells built-to-order salads and wraps, plus soups, organic teas and lemonades.
The restaurant chain grew from a single salad bar in downtown Houston in 2005. It now has locations in 42 cities across four states. Walters and Brown have an “ownership interest” in the chain’s Charlotte market, according to their website
The uptown location is set to open Sept. 30 in the Ally Building, 601 S. Tryon Street.
Uptown Charlotte gets a new Black-owned restaurant
The local franchise of Salata Salad Kitchen is owned by two business partners with former ties to the Charlotte Hornets.
Photo: QCity Metro
By Glenn Burkins
September 20, 2021
Two investors with former ties to the Charlotte Hornets will open a Salata Salad Kitchen on the ground floor of an uptown high-rise later this month.
The investors, André Walters, the team’s former vice president of legal affairs, and Derrick Brown, a former player, are owners of Free Fenix, a venture capital firm based in Charlotte.
Free Fenix also has a “significant ownership interest” in Duck Donuts, with stores in Charlotte, Huntersville and Atlanta, according to its website.
Brown, who attended Xavier University and graduated with degrees in marketing and entrepreneurial studies, was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 2009, the 40th player selected that year. Walters has a law degree from the University of Baltimore and a MBA from UNC Chapel Hill.
Neither man could be reached for comment.
Salata sells built-to-order salads and wraps, plus soups, organic teas and lemonades.
The restaurant chain grew from a single salad bar in downtown Houston in 2005. It now has locations in 42 cities across four states. Walters and Brown have an “ownership interest” in the chain’s Charlotte market, according to their website
The uptown location is set to open Sept. 30 in the Ally Building, 601 S. Tryon Street.
Scoop: Black Is Beautiful creator to open Charlotte brewery and incubator
Scoop: Black Is Beautiful creator to open Charlotte brewery and incubator
By Laura Barrero | October 8, 2021
Weathered Souls Brewing Co. — a Texas-based brewery that’s co-owned by the founder of the Black is Beautiful initiative that swept the country in 2020 — will open a Charlotte location next year.
From left to right: Mike **** (owner), Marcus Baskerville (Co-founder), Marissa Memolo (general manager). Photo: Laura Barrero/Axios
Background: Co-founders Baskerville and Mike **** opened Weathered Souls in San Antonio, Texas, in 2016. It quickly grew in popularity and has since earned several accolades, including “The Best Craft Brewery in the Country” by Hop Culture Magazine.
What’s next: Baskerville plans to turn Black is Beautiful into the Harriet Baskerville Incubation program, named after his grandmother, who used to brew during prohibition.
“I thought it was important to honor her,” said Baskerville of his grandmother, who is a pillar of her community in Compton, CA. Photo: Courtesy of Marcus Baskerville
The incubation program will be 100% based in Charlotte, Baskerville tells me. It’ll give minorities and women access to equipment and information about beer that they normally wouldn’t have access to, he says.
By the numbers: Out of the nearly 8,500 breweries in the U.S., only 12% are owned by people of color. Baskerville hopes the incubation program will change that.
As for Weathered Souls, Urban MVMNT in South End is making room for the new brewery. Stu Brauer, who owns the space, says this was “always part of the plan.”
Urban MVMNT owner, Stu Brauer, says they originally designed the space similarly to Unknown Brewing. Photo: Emma Way/Axios
They plan to open in April 2022.
Scoop: Black Is Beautiful creator to open Charlotte brewery and incubator
By Laura Barrero | October 8, 2021
Weathered Souls Brewing Co. — a Texas-based brewery that’s co-owned by the founder of the Black is Beautiful initiative that swept the country in 2020 — will open a Charlotte location next year.
- On top of that, Marcus Baskerville plans to use the Clanton Road facility as the home for an incubation program that gives traditionally underrepresented people a start along the road to a career in craft brewing.
- And the city will be home to his program that helps put more Black owners and brewers in the industry.
From left to right: Mike **** (owner), Marcus Baskerville (Co-founder), Marissa Memolo (general manager). Photo: Laura Barrero/Axios
Background: Co-founders Baskerville and Mike **** opened Weathered Souls in San Antonio, Texas, in 2016. It quickly grew in popularity and has since earned several accolades, including “The Best Craft Brewery in the Country” by Hop Culture Magazine.
- Of note: Baskerville and **** say that Charlotte was always part of the plan. They even considered the Queen City as the first home for the brewery before settling on San Antonio.
What’s next: Baskerville plans to turn Black is Beautiful into the Harriet Baskerville Incubation program, named after his grandmother, who used to brew during prohibition.
- Harriet stopped brewing because someone fell off her roof and she didn’t want to go to jail. Baskerville didn’t learn this story until he started brewing a few years ago. “I’m glad to pick up where she left off,” he says.
“I thought it was important to honor her,” said Baskerville of his grandmother, who is a pillar of her community in Compton, CA. Photo: Courtesy of Marcus Baskerville
The incubation program will be 100% based in Charlotte, Baskerville tells me. It’ll give minorities and women access to equipment and information about beer that they normally wouldn’t have access to, he says.
By the numbers: Out of the nearly 8,500 breweries in the U.S., only 12% are owned by people of color. Baskerville hopes the incubation program will change that.
As for Weathered Souls, Urban MVMNT in South End is making room for the new brewery. Stu Brauer, who owns the space, says this was “always part of the plan.”
Urban MVMNT owner, Stu Brauer, says they originally designed the space similarly to Unknown Brewing. Photo: Emma Way/Axios
They plan to open in April 2022.
No Grease barbershop expands again, now with a franchisee who has big goals
No Grease barbershop expands again, now with a franchisee who has big goals
No Grease! franchise owner Edmund Washington stands in front of a mural by Marcus Kiser and Wolly McNair in his second No Grease! location. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
By Ashley Mahoney | October 14, 2021
Edmund Washington wants to own more No Grease barbershop locations than the founders.
Washington opened his first location at Northlake Mall in 2019, becoming the first franchisee who was not a barber.
“Strictly entrepreneur,” Washington told Axios with a smile.
No Grease co-founder Damian Johnson and franchisee Edmund Washington. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
His backstory: Washington holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Gardner-Webb University and a master’s in information technology and cyber security from Florida Institute of Technology.
Passion project: By day, he works as a technical sales specialist for Microsoft.
Lead barber Darnele Chisholm and franchise owner Edmund Washington stand in front of a mural in the new No Grease barbershop. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
By the numbers: Washington invested $180,000 into transforming the space, approximately the same amount he spent preparing his first location.
No Grease! in action. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
Art makes a space: Charlotte artists Marcus Kiser and Wolly McNair created a mural highlighting the Black experience for the new location.
Moss art by The Savage Way. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
More than a barbershop: Washington envisioned a luxury concept expanding beyond a haircut or shave.
Alpha Male nail care. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
No Grease barbershop expands again, now with a franchisee who has big goals
No Grease! franchise owner Edmund Washington stands in front of a mural by Marcus Kiser and Wolly McNair in his second No Grease! location. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
By Ashley Mahoney | October 14, 2021
Edmund Washington wants to own more No Grease barbershop locations than the founders.
Washington opened his first location at Northlake Mall in 2019, becoming the first franchisee who was not a barber.
“Strictly entrepreneur,” Washington told Axios with a smile.
- His second barbershop opened in August at Charlotte Premium Outlets, with a grand opening scheduled for Oct. 23 from 3-8 p.m.
- The grand opening, which is open to the public, will feature a red carpet and food by chef Siobhan Brown, Washington’s sister.
- Since shedding high-interest loans in 2018, they’ve accelerated their growth intentionally, planting No Grease shops from here to Atlanta and elsewhere.
- They now have a barber school and 12 locations, six corporate and six franchise locations.
- Washington owns two franchise locations, and hopes to open a third location in late 2022.
- “This journey with Edmund has been quite an experience,” Damian told Axios. “By him not being in the industry and just diving right in and really wanting to be a sponge and learn the barber industry has been one of the joys of my journey as an owner.”
No Grease co-founder Damian Johnson and franchisee Edmund Washington. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
His backstory: Washington holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Gardner-Webb University and a master’s in information technology and cyber security from Florida Institute of Technology.
Passion project: By day, he works as a technical sales specialist for Microsoft.
- No Grease! is his passion project and something he is building for his 12-year-old son, Caleb Washington.
- “It’s a legacy move I can pass down,” Washington said.
- Like the Johnsons, who got the entrepreneurial itch from their mother, a hairstylist in Buffalo, Washington was inspired by his great grandmother. She owned a nail salon and a restaurant.
- Lead barber Darnele Chisholm also owns 10% of the venture.
- Washington hopes the equity in the company will allow Chisholm to open his own barbershop one day.
Lead barber Darnele Chisholm and franchise owner Edmund Washington stand in front of a mural in the new No Grease barbershop. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
By the numbers: Washington invested $180,000 into transforming the space, approximately the same amount he spent preparing his first location.
- “You need to invest six figures to get a six-figure return,” Washington said.
- He used contractor Ramon Perry of Like Father Like Son.
- Designers Megan Butler and Wendy Brit-Perez, who worked on the Northlake barbershop too, helped create a luxurious atmosphere at the Charlotte Premium Outlets space.
- No Grease Charlotte Premium Outlets includes seven chairs for clients to be serviced.
No Grease! in action. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
Art makes a space: Charlotte artists Marcus Kiser and Wolly McNair created a mural highlighting the Black experience for the new location.
- The Savage Way also produced moss art, including a sign reading “No Grease!” above the front desk.
Moss art by The Savage Way. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
More than a barbershop: Washington envisioned a luxury concept expanding beyond a haircut or shave.
- He partnered with entrepreneur Sheena Pickett to add Alpha Male nail care to the space.
- Alpha Male is only for men.
- Washington is also pursuing a liquor license for this location in order to add a bar.
- It will be a full-service bar with a cocktail menu, and customers will be able to scan a code with their phone to place a drink order upon arrival.
- Twin Towers is signature cocktail named for the Johnson brothers, featuring Maker’s Mark, maple syrup and bitters.
Alpha Male nail care. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
Go vote today if you don't live in Charlotte (The Charlotte elections were postponed until next year)