Iconic Map Shop moving from its 20-year spot on Morehead Street
You’ve likely driven by the building a million times over the years, and maybe you’ve stopped in for a globe or a map. Now, The Map Shop will get a new — and bigger — spot on Charlotte’s map.
The Map Shop will be moving in April from its 20-year location at Morehead Street near Kings Drive. It needs a bigger space due to its recent acquisition of the assets of American Educational Products, the largest manufacturer of raised relief maps in the country.
This is not the shop’s first Charlotte move. In 1991, it opened in its original location on South Boulevard, then moved to the current location on Morehead Street in 1999. It was purchased in 2016 by Tony and Katie Rodono. The Map Shop’s next home will be at the South End Business Park at 3421 St. Vardell Ln. near Clanton Road, where its owners are planning to have a large showroom for local shoppers.
Retail sales make up just a small percentage of the shop’s total revenue. The move will give the team more space for the rest of the process: printing, framing and manufacturing its maps on site. The owners will be able to host more workshops in the new space as well.
“We’ve been a part of the Dilworth neighborhood for 40 years and have made a lot of friends,” Tony Rodono told CharlotteFive. “Saying goodbye to the neighborhood will be the most difficult part of the move.”
And yet, the move is the right one, he said. “We want to build a company where we show up every day and make something cool. The new location gives us the ability to bring in more equipment to allow us to do this at a larger scale.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 3:02 PM.
