A movement is trying to save The People’s Market in Charlotte. Can it be done?
Update: CLT Black Owned posted a message Wednesday, Nov. 19 via Instagram: “We organized quickly, gained momentum and make it do what it do, but forces beyond our control made it too late to #SaveThePeoplesMarket. BUT IT AINT TOO LATE FOR OTHERS!” The group’s GoFundMe page included an updated note, saying $9,500 of $26,407 raised will “go to Cory Duran to help cover the final payroll for The People’s Market and help take care of displaced employees,” adding that “remaining funds will be allocated to businesses who can demonstrate a crisis.”
A group dedicated to supporting Black-owned businesses in Charlotte is working on an attempt to save The People’s Market, which announced that its two locations were permanently closing.
Within hours of the restaurant’s Thursday Instagram post, sharing that financial strains and other pressures made it impossible to keep the doors open at the all-day market and restaurant, CLT Black Owned put together a GoFundMe Campaign seeking $30,000 to help owner Cory Duran.
“If this place has ever made you feel seen, inspired or simply at home, we ask you to give what you can. Together, we can keep this Charlotte treasure alive for generations to come,” the GoFundMe message read in part.
Within a few hours, the effort raised more than $8,000 from 200-some donors, with no signs of stopping.
Messages from CharlotteFive left this week with The People’s Market via email and Instagram have not been returned.
Charlotte’s history of generosity
A campaign to save a restaurant via GoFundMe has worked at least once before in Charlotte.
In 2020, word spread that Dan Ngyuen’s beloved Lang Van restaurant — now a Michelin Bib Gourmand — was in danger of closing amid the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The original $30,000 goal for the GoFundMe, set up by a customer, was hit in less than 24 hours.
And the donations kept pouring in. In all, more than $62,000 was raised.
In CLT Black Owned’s Instagram post read sharing the effort to raise funds for The People’s Market, the group explained the effort to get involved.
“We’ve never done anything like this before, and it might be ‘out of our lane’ but sitting back and watching another one of our beloved businesses close just doesn’t sit right with us,” it read. “CLT Black Owned exists to support and increase the support for Black-owned businesses, but in the last few years, we’ve said goodbye to more than we can count,” the message continued.
“And enough is enough. We gotta do everything we can to show and prove that our businesses deserve the support they need too. So let’s make it do what it do. Whatever you got, even if it’s $7.04, even if it’s $1, lets #SaveThePeoplesMarket ! @the.peoples.mkt.”
A message for the group left by CharlotteFive has not yet been returned.
The People’s Market
Location: 1609 Elizabeth Ave, Charlotte, NC 28204 (now closed)
Location: Tranquil Court, 2810 Selwyn Ave, Charlotte, NC 28209 (now closed)
Instagram: @the.peoples.mkt
This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 1:39 PM.
