An ode to the Epicentre, back when it brought the ‘wow’ factor to uptown Charlotte
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in July 2021 after it was announced that the Epicentre was facing foreclosure. It has been updated ahead of what was to be the center’s public auction on May 12, 2022 at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. The Epicentre and its retail, restaurant and entertainment venues will be sold “as is” to the highest bidder. On May 12, the auction was postponed until July.
In August 2009, my grandmother chastised me for not yet taking her on the “new” LYNX Blue Line, as it had been open for nearly two years in Charlotte at that point. Being a good granddaughter and trying to make up for lost time, I immediately made plans to drive her to the Pineville park-and-ride stop.
We took the trip into uptown Charlotte, got off at 5th Street Station, where we enjoyed a fancy white-tablecloth lunch at the Epicentre’s then hot spot, Mez. It was a fantastic day, one for the memory books.
In the early to mid 2010s, when friends would visit from out of town, I had a trick to avoid hosting them in my boring suburban neighborhood: I’d book a room or two at the Aloft at the Epicentre, and we’d spend the weekend partying with seemingly all of Charlotte.
[LEARN MORE: Scheduled auction of troubled Epicentre postponed until July, officials announce.]
The true epicenter of Charlotte
Back then, the Epicentre was the wow factor of Charlotte — the Vegas strip, the Times Square. I was proud to show my friends why Charlotte was a destination city, and this little pocket in the middle of uptown was as good as proof as any for people in their 20s and 30s.
We did all the things at the Epicentre: We waited in line at Suite. We did bottle service and VIP tables at Bubble. My friend Nikki and I did sunrise yoga at Gold’s Gym once (Yes, only once — sunrise comes early. But I frequented the cardio cinema room there for a short time). We bowled at Strike City, sang at Howl at the Moon and ate late-night pizza at Libretto’s. The Epicentre was the true epicenter for all things Charlotte nightlife. There were silent discos, rooftop yoga events, Alive After Five Thursdays.
But then things changed.
Mez closed in 2013.
Libretto’s left the Epicentre in 2018.
Epicentre faces foreclosure
As the news broke about the Epicentre facing foreclosure and again ahead of its public auction (now postponed until July), I couldn’t help but think of its better days and wonder what went wrong.
The last time I was there, a few weeks ago, the entire top level was blocked off from guests. A security guard told me I should leave because “it’s not safe here.” He thought I was visiting from another city, unaware that I once knew every square inch of this place.
I’ve grown up myself, and I suppose somewhere along the way I grew out of the nightclub scene. But during that moment in time, I was so grateful and proud to have a place in Charlotte — my city — with so much energy.
My grandmother died in 2011. I’ll never forget that day in 2009, as we embarked on our light rail journey in what would be her first and only ride, and how proud I was that I knew just the perfect spot to take her.
This story was originally published July 2, 2021 at 1:06 PM.
