What's In Store

Surveying the retail landscape in the Charlotte region and beyond

Goodwill to open a boutique in South End

about 2 days ago

Goodwill is opening a GW boutique in lower South End.

about 3 days ago A promotion at Build-A-Bear stores in Charlotte Thursday morning turned out to be much more popular than planned, drawing lines of hundreds of customers in a Black Friday-like frenzy at Carolina Place Mall and Concord Mills.

The German grocer Aldi is opening two new local stores, in Charlotte and in Huntersville.

about 3 days ago An Aldi store in Charlotte at the corner of Rama and Idlewild/Monroe roads will open in 2019. A new Aldi store in Huntersville — at 14126 S. Statesville Road, near the Gilead Road intersection — will open this fall.

The new midtown building at 209 S. Kings Drive, across from Target and BJ's.

about 3 days ago A midtown building under construction will house four national tenants that recently signed leases: CorePower Yoga, The Habit Burger Grill, Verizon Wireless and Bishops Cuts & Color.

As part of a plan to close 15 underperforming stores nationwide, Fresh Market will soon close its north Charlotte store on Prosperity Church Road.

about 5 days ago As part of a plan to close 15 underperforming stores nationwide, The Fresh Market will soon close its North Charlotte store on Prosperity Church Road.

Showmars, a Greek restaurant chain that first opened in Matthews, is expanding its footprint.

about 5 days ago Showmars, which opened in Matthews in 1982, will open its first restaurant in the Triangle soon in Wake Forest. Showmars has most of its 30 locations in the Charlotte area but has other stores in Greenville, South Carolina, and in Shelby.

Rite Aids in Mooresville, Gastonia, Mint Hill, Charlotte and Cornelius will soon close, Walgreens said this week.

about 1 week ago Walgreens is in the process of closing several more Rite Aid stores in the Charlotte area than was previously reported.

As part of its deal to buy hundreds of Rite Aid stores, Walgreens will soon close five Charlotte Rite Aid stores, and transfer the prescription records to nearby Walgreens stores.

about 1 week ago As part of its deal to buy hundreds of Rite Aid stores, Walgreens will soon close five Charlotte Rite Aid stores, and transfer the prescription records to nearby Walgreens stores.

The Staples store at the Metropolitan shopping center in midtown Charlotte is closing July 13. The company cited an increase in online shopping as a reason it needs to

about 2 weeks ago The Staples store at the Metropolitan shopping center in midtown Charlotte is closing July 13. The company cited an increase in online shopping as a reason it needs to "right-size" its retail footprint.

The Fresh Market, the anchor tenant at Strawberry Hill, will remain open as construction forces the temporary closure of some other retailers in the south Charlotte complex this summer.

about 2 weeks ago Construction underway at the Strawberry Hill development in south Charlotte is causing several retailers to temporarily close their doors this summer.

The upscale men's and women's underwear retailer Tommy John is opening its second-ever store in SouthPark mall later this summer.

about 2 weeks ago The popular upscale underwear maker Tommy John is opening its second brick-and-mortar store later this summer in SouthPark mall. Tommy John currently operates only one other store, which opened last October outside Philadelphia.

The new Pasta & Provisions in Wilmore is now open.

about 3 weeks ago Pasta & Provisions owner Tommy George is breathing new life into a previously sleepy corner in the heart of Wilmore, an up-and-coming neighborhood next to South End.

Duck Donuts has been celebrating National Doughnut Day since the Outer Banks chain began franchising in 2013.

about 3 weeks ago Whether they are created by individuals, businesses or advocacy groups, fake holidays like National Sunglasses Day and National Doughnut Day are ways to drum up sales and brand awareness — and Charlotte companies are capitalizing on the trend, too.

about 3 weeks ago With Publix continuing to expand its footprint in Charlotte, and with Charlotte's grocery options uptown increasing with the opening of Whole Foods last week, many readers are curious: What's the status of the rumored Publix uptown?

Peloton is opening a showroom in SouthPark mall.

about 3 weeks ago Peloton is opening its first Charlotte NC showroom in SouthPark mall late this summer. The upscale indoor cycling company will be in a 2,182 square-foot space previously occupied by Smart Bamboo, which closed this month.

The Publix in Cotswold opens Wednesday at 7 a.m.

about 3 weeks ago The new Publix opening in Cotswold is the latest reminder of how competitive Charlotte's grocery scene is. The 50,000 square-foot store, which opens Wednesday at 7 a.m., is right across Randolph Road from Harris Teeter.

The Last Word, known for its eclectic mix of used books, CDs and videos, has filed for bankruptcy. This is a November 2010 Observer file photo at its now-closed location in the Grand Promenade shopping center.

about 3 weeks ago A family-owned used bookstore in Charlotte, aptly named The Last Word, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. The move comes over a month after the retailer closed its store on North Tryon Street.

This is the former Kohl's interior that's being converted into an office space.

about 1 month ago A former Kohl's store near UNC-Charlotte is being renovated and turned into office space. The 87,000-square-foot building is at 9315 North Tryon St., across the street from the university's entrance and near the JW Clay Blvd light-rail station.

The ABC store in Cherryville in a 2007 file photo. A new ABC store was approved this week near Concord Mills.

about 1 month ago On Wednesday, the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission approved a new ABC store at 2940 Derita Road, off Concord Mills Boulevard. This will be Concord's fourth ABC store.

The Bag Lady's new store is at 1516 East 4th St. in Elizabeth

about 1 month ago The Bag Lady, which closed its doors in Dilworth in March, has found a new store location in Elizabeth near Central Piedmont Community College. The boutique, which sells apparel and gifts for women, will host a grand opening celebration June 23-24.

Build-A-Bear built a promo that left frenzied Charlotte shoppers frustrated

about 3 days ago

Low-cost German grocer to open two more Charlotte-area stores

about 3 days ago

New retail tenants to open soon in a booming Charlotte neighborhood

about 3 days ago

Fresh Market to close one of its Charlotte stores

about 5 days ago

Another popular Charlotte-based restaurant chain is expanding

about 5 days ago

Several more drugstores in the Charlotte area set to close soon

about 1 week ago

Five Charlotte drugstores will soon close, but plans are in place to help customers

about 1 week ago

A major retailer will close its midtown Charlotte store soon

about 2 weeks ago

Stores closing temporarily as prominent south Charlotte shopping center gets a face-lift

about 2 weeks ago

Upscale underwear retailer to open second-ever store at SouthPark mall

about 2 weeks ago

Popular specialty grocer opens in up-and-coming neighborhood near uptown

about 3 weeks ago

From sweet tea to sunglasses: How Charlotte companies capitalize on made-up holidays

about 3 weeks ago

Here's the latest on the next grocery store eying uptown Charlotte

about 3 weeks ago

Another upscale fitness brand is coming to Charlotte

about 3 weeks ago

Charlotte's grocery wars are getting even more intense. Just look at Cotswold.

about 3 weeks ago

Family-owned Charlotte bookstore files for bankruptcy

about 3 weeks ago

Another former big-box retailer is getting a face-lift for an unexpected new use

about 1 month ago

New ABC store approved near Charlotte

about 1 month ago

Charlotte Things To Do

Katie Peralta covers retail and breaking business news for the Charlotte Observer. She previously wrote about the U.S. economy from inside the Beltway. If you have a tip or story idea, you can reach Katie at 704-358-5079 or by email. She's also on twitter: @katieperalta.