After nearly 40 years in Plaza Midwood, Charlotte shop owner says goodbye
Car enthusiast and artist Fred Floyd took a lot of pride in sprucing up the interiors of cars at his Plaza Midwood shop for decades.
“Whenever you finish them, you get to look at the finished project,” the Charlotte native said about the bittersweet moment of seeing cars roll out the garage. “But you get to see it for like a day, and then it’s gone. So, you don’t really get to enjoy it.”
Now, Floyd is locking the doors and handing over the keys to a new owner. His business, C. Fredrick’s Automotive Interiors Inc., closed for good on Sunday, May 31, after being a staple in Plaza Midwood for almost 40 years.
The auto shop specialized in work such as convertibles and vinyl tops, leather interiors and headliners for factory-correct restorations and custom design options.
After receiving several offers, Floyd finally received the right one. The property at 1320 Nandina St. was sold for $2 million on May 11 to members of the Taryn Morgan White Family Trust, according to Mecklenburg County property records. Additional details about future plans for the building were not provided.
It’s another sign of how quickly the popular Plaza Midwood neighborhood is changing.
In late November, the VFW Mecklenburg Post 1160 sold its former headquarters at 1917 Central Ave. for nearly $1.5 million, Mecklenburg County records show. It was sold to 1917 Central Avenue LLC, which is run by local investment firm Shadow Ridge Capital.
Additionally, Scout Motors is set to bring its new corporate headquarters to the Commonwealth development, a $207 million investment the company says will create more than 1,200 high-paying jobs. Nearby, the historic former Midwood Elementary School is being torn down to make way for a seven-story apartment building.
Floyd bought his shop for $150,000 in December 1995, according to county property records.
“I could keep working and get to where I can’t physically keep the place up, and then have to sell it, and the price is going to be a lot less,” he said. “But if you’ve got something in here that’s willing to pay your price now, you’d be stupid not to take it.”
From flipping burger to Charlotte business owner-operator
When Floyd was in high school, he worked at McDonald’s for just two weeks before taking a job offer from his uncle Kenny at his auto upholstery business.
While training under his uncle, he attended Central Piedmont Community College to study art. But after realizing there were “a lot of starving artists” in the world, Floyd switched his major to business at the UNC Charlotte.
He earned the degree, but Floyd knew he wasn’t going to be happy with a corporate job. Inspired by his uncles (Kenny in upholstery and David in the sign business), he opened his own shop in 1988 when he was 24.
C. Fredrick’s first home was in a rented retail building on Independence Boulevard. After two years, the state widened the highway and paid Floyd to relocate.
The business moved to Plaza Midwood, where he rented space from Ken Hefner, owner of Charlotte Paint & Body. To save money on rent, Floyd later bought the current building in the mid-1990s.
During those years, he watched the neighborhood change, including seeing the historic Harris Teeter (a major foundation property for the grocery chain) across the street flip to face his shop. He spent time making sure C. Fredrick’s matched the neighborhood’s aesthetic by refacing the building.
With a background in art, Floyd designed a lot of high-end street rod interiors.
One of his biggest achievements was working on a 1937 Ford roadster for NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs. In 2006, the car was featured in the Detroit Autorama, which is considered the Super Bowl of car shows. It placed in the Great Eight group, which includes the top eight cars.
Transforming interiors takes a lot of work and months to complete, and it eventually began to weigh heavily on him.
Over the years, Floyd downsized the business to just himself and his son, Trevor. They shifted their focus to daily automotive work to avoid weekend burnout.
“A lot of the guys that are in my field are having heart attacks and stuff because they’re working so hard,” Floyd said. “And I’m thinking, you know what? I don’t want to keep working until I die. I don’t want them to find me on the floor back there dead. I want to enjoy life a little bit.”
Retirement plans — and a ’55 Chevy project
Now 62, Floyd plans to enjoy his 7-acre home in Midland, where his wife can pursue her passion for horses. They previously lived in Plaza Midwood as a stepping stone since it was only five minutes away from the shop, but it wasn’t enough space for their animals.
“I knew staying over here in Plaza Midwood with a tenth of an acre, I was not going to be happy in retirement,” he said.
Along with spending more time with his family and grandchildren, Floyd plans to finish building a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe that he bought when he was 21.
Faith played a major role in everything lining up for him, especially during this retirement phase. After Floyd turned 62 in late February, he received an offer on the building shortly afterward.
“That doesn’t happen accidentally,” he said. “The Lord has put this thing together.”
