Two Charlotte favorites are up for national USA Today awards. Here’s what to know
SouthPark Mall and Manolo’s Bakery have both landed on USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards shortlists, putting Charlotte in the running for top honors in two categories. Local fans can vote daily to push them to the top.
Here are key takeaways:
- SouthPark is among the 20 best malls in the country in the Best Mall category, ranking it alongside shopping centers across the U.S.
- The mall is home to more than 160 stores and restaurants, including luxury brands, national retailers and local businesses, with recent additions like Zara and QUAY Eyewear.
- Swatch’s release of a collaborative pocket watch with luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet drew hundreds of people to SouthPark before the doors even opened last weekend. Voting for the mall ends June 1.
- Manolo’s Bakery in east Charlotte was nominated in the Best Cake Shop category, placing it alongside bakeries from across the country. The shop is known for customizable tres leches cakes with 11 fresh fillings and six cake sizes.
- Owner Manuel “Manolo” Betancur gave away more than 5,000 birthday cakes to local families during COVID and helped deliver 52,000 meals in 2020 in collaboration with World Central Kitchen.
- The bakery became a gathering point for community support during federal immigration raids in Charlotte last fall, when Betancur temporarily closed the shop for the first time in its history. Public voting for Manolo’s is open through June 8.
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists. To learn more about how The Charlotte Observer is using AI in our newsroom, see our policy here.
Evan Moore
The Charlotte Observer