‘We aren’t the exception’: Local restaurant will close at Camp North End

After over a decade in business, a local restaurant in Charlotte is closing its doors.

The team behind Bleu Barn, known for its local farm-to-table menu, will be shutting down at Camp North End.

The elevated-fast casual spot, which was established in 2014, originally started as a food truck before eventually expanding with catering, a food stall and commissary kitchen.

But after doing everything they could with “love, sweat, and tears,” the team said it can no longer afford to sustain the small business in that space.

The team told CharlotteFive that there are no plans at this time to reopen in another space, but the plan is to continue Bleu Barn’s pantry line of locally sourced jams, pickles, spice blends, hot sauces, and sourdough starter at the Davidson Farmers Market and other pop-up markets around town.

“This past year has been really hard on small businesses, and we aren’t the exception. We have seen a steady decline in the economy, on top of rising costs, we can no longer afford to keep our doors open,” the team said in a Facebook post about the food stall’s closure. “It has been extremely difficult for us to navigate as a small business.”

[WHAT CAN WE DO? 10 ways to help Charlotte small businesses during the end-of-summer slump.]

This comes on the heels of another Camp North End tenant who went viral on Instagram for sharing about the struggles of having a small business in the retail center.

“We’re dying,” Wentworth & Fenn baker and owner Sam Ward wrote in an Instagram post last week. “If things don’t turn around, we’re done.”

Though the post has since been removed, it sparked conversation among other business owners and local residents who’ve also come forward about how difficult this season has been, CharlotteFive previously reported — not just at Camp North End but around other parts of the city, too.

“Bleu Barn Bistro has been a cornerstone of Camp since the early days. It’s been a joy and privilege to watch them expand their business across the city in the many years since then,” Camp North End’s team said in an Instagram post about the restaurant’s closure.

“To the entire Bleu Barn team, we are so grateful for your friendship, for all you’ve contributed to our community, and for more delicious meals than we can even begin to count. You will be dearly missed.”

What’s next for Bleu Barn?

But as this week marks the end of an era for Bleu Barn, it may not be gone for good.

“Bleu Barn is and always has been about our community. What began as a dream and a food truck in 2014 has slowly grown into a small food group loved around the Charlotte area,” the restaurant’s announcement says.

“We hope that you are left with the love, passion, and smiles that we have brought to the community over the past 10 years. We have done everything with love, sweat, and tears. Come celebrate the closing of one chapter, and the opening of another.”

Bleu Barn’s final day in business at Camp North End will be Sunday, Aug. 4.

Bleu Barn

Location: Camp North End, 1801 N Graham St Suite 100, Charlotte, NC 28206

Menu

Cuisine: American

Instagram: @bleubarnnc

This story was originally published July 31, 2024 at 4:01 PM.

Chyna Blackmon

The Charlotte Observer

Chyna Blackmon was a service journalism reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she grew up in Columbia, SC, and graduated from Queens University of Charlotte. She’s also worked in local television news in Charlotte, NC, and Richmond, VA. Support my work with a digital subscription