Kings Kitchen, other Charlotte businesses struggle to hang on during COVID-19 closures
As we all make adjustments to daily life as we know it, Charlotte business owners are doing the same. Everyone is tired of the words “pivot” and “new normal” at this point, and there’s a good reason why — it’s all most of us have been thinking about for months.
For our city’s restaurateurs and retailers, closing down permanently is often the worst-case scenario. We’ve had to say goodbye to many of our Charlotte favorites already. Some are determined to hang on, and when the community hears about businesses in trouble, it bands together to help.
Lang Van customer Carly West famously started a GoFundMe fundraiser when she heard the restaurant was in trouble. She wanted to raise $10,000. At last count, her fundraiser was at $58,000+.
The community rushed to help struggling ArtPop in the spring. Donations have helped The Dog Bar and Abari as well. There’s even a new Instagram account called Lift Up Charlotte dedicated to helping businesses. Co-creator Ginny Robbins said the account owners plan to alert followers to local businesses in trouble and include ways customers can help.
Here are some Charlotte businesses that have struggled during the pandemic:
CHARLOTTE BUSINESSES STRUGGLING DURING THE CORONAVIRUS
Abari
1721 N. Davidson St.
The arcade/bar has been closed since the COVID-19 shutdown in March. Owner Zach Pulliam got a PPP loan to help pay staff but said it only covers a small amount of what the employees usually make, and he is facing having to sell games to make rent and other financial obligations.
Update: On August 6, Abari announced it will not reopen its Villa Heights spot.
AerialCLT
801 N. Tryon St.
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Shut down since March 17, the Charlotte studio known for its aerial silks and trapeze classes is now facing the possibility of a permanent closure due to the COVID-19 crisis. Online classes were unable to keep the facility afloat.
Update: On July 28, AerialCLT announced its new summer camp program.
ArtPop Street Gallery
P.O. Box 5322 Charlotte, NC, 28299
The nonprofit organization that displays artists’ work on billboards, digital signs and newsstands is facing a funding shortfall unrelated to the coronavirus. Director Wendy Hickey will make a summer announcement if fundraising efforts in Charlotte are unsuccessful, forcing ArtPop to go on hiatus next year.
The Dog Bar
The NoDa bar that welcomes dogs has been closed because of COVID-19 since March 16, Owner Travis Bickford has asked for community support, noting that The Dog Bar has already lost about 43 percent of its total annual revenue from being shut down during its busiest season.
Iyenagar Yoga Charlotte
1940 E. 8th St.
The yoga studio won’t return to its 8th Street location in Elizabeth, but it has transitioned during the coronavirus shutdown to offering classes online only. “If in the future we can safely be together in class, I will be looking for a new space to do that,” owner Phyllis Rollins told her students via email.
King’s Kitchen
129 W. Trade St.
The nonprofit restaurant King’s Kitchen is temporarily closing its doors, noting that staying open for business during slow times is tying up resources it feels are better spent on feeding meals to community members in need, a news release said. It’s seeking donations, as well as volunteers.
Lang Van
3019 Shamrock Drive
Social media posts warning that the Vietnamese restaurant is facing financial trouble have rallied customers to place orders at the Charlotte staple in Plaza-Shamrock. It is open for takeout only as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on.
Neighborhood Theatre
511 E. 36th St.
The largest independent music venue in Charlotte has held a few fundraisers and has been working with its landlord to stay afloat during COVID-19. Greg McCraw, owner of Maxx Music, which operates the Neighborhood Theatre, told CharlotteFive, “We all know restaurants have been hit hard, but venues can’t do ‘take-out music.’
NoDa Yoga
Since March, NoDa Yoga has been abiding by the governor’s order to keep gyms closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, switching to online pay-what-you-can classes in order to help make yoga affordable for all during this time. Before COVID hit, owner Jillian Longsworth was building a second NoDa Yoga location in Oakhurst, and there is still rent to be paid at the original location on North Davidson Street. “After talking with Jillian, she is worried about the future of Noda Yoga and she does not want to shut down,” wrote GoFundMe organizer Katie Overcash.
“Right now, we are very low in terms of what we are bringing in, in terms of revenue and, to be completely transparent, it feels like a downward spiral most of the time, but I remain hopeful we can keep our doors open,” Longsworth told the community on Instagram Live recently. “I have no desire to close.”
Per the second location at Oakhurst, Longsworth said the landlord is working with NoDa Yoga’s owners to help get the studio through this time of not being able to have students. “We’re still on track to open the second location,” Longsworth said. “There was definitely a time we were thinking that may not happen, and I’m feeling pretty optimistic.”
Beginning August 17, new online classes will be offered, including some $10 classes in addition to the pay-what-you-can offerings.
Sunshine Daydream
11300 J Lawyers Road, Mint Hill
The gift boutique moved from its longtime home in NoDa at 3325 N. Davidson St. with plans to reopen in mid-July in downtown Mint Hill. In March, a GoFund Me page was started after stores had to close and owner Brooks Huff’s only employee was let go because of COVID-19.
This story was originally published July 7, 2020 at 1:48 PM.
