For months now, the global financial meltdown has wreaked havoc on Charlotte's economic landscape, wiping out businesses left and right with no remorse.
Strangely, though, we as consumers don't often see the death of a beloved business coming; we generally don't know how bad it is for our favorite retail shops, eateries, car dealerships and the like until their doors finally close forever.
That being the case, we here at Creative Loafing decided to go out and visit 50 locally owned Charlotte-area businesses -- from your favorite fried chicken coop to that '80s club you like to frequent -- to find out how business is really doing in these tough economic times.
Read on to find out what places are struggling to hold on, what spots are doing surprisingly well, and who's pretty much middle of the road -- all straight from the owners' mouths.
Vespa of Charlotte, a scooter retailer
Stephen Speer: We have seen an uptick in business in the last 30 days. Our business has changed; we're doing a considerable amount more service business than ever before. New scooter sales are down from last year, but are equal to 2007. Last year we had a banner year because of the price of gasoline. We sold every scooter we could get our hands on. People are more conservative now. One of our challenges is financing. About nine out of 10 applications are denied. But we are seeing an uptick in business. People's attitudes are becoming better. The first part of this year, probably the first three to four months, people's attitudes were, "stay at home, don't enjoy yourself." Now we're seeing people sort of breaking out, getting out, starting to spend some money.
128 W Worthington Ave.
704-373-7400
The Pink Hanger, a women's designer clothing boutique
Whitney Avishar: This summer we are really seeing increased momentum in sales compared to last year. Our customers are taking more vacations, have more events to attend, and are genuinely more interested in the upcoming fashion trends than in the past year. Plus, our customers are truly embracing the "shop local" concept; they want to support local businesses to help enhance the cultural vibe in the Queen City.
2935 Providence Road, Suite 103
704-366-7272
Price's Chicken Coop, a fried chicken takeout eatery
Steven Price: We're maintaining. We're definitely more fortunate than some.
1614 Camden Road
704-333-9866
Niche, a clothing and sneaker boutique
Bobby Webster: I guess my general answer when everyone asks me this is, "It's not great, but it could be worse -- and I'm still here!" Honestly though, my holiday season last November and December was by far the worst I've had since I've been in business. People really weren't shopping. We literally had one week of good business in December.
On a more optimistic tip though, it is getting better. My most recent quarter, (April 1-June 30) this year was far better than '08. The market is bad, but the key is to adjust your strategy. For this past quarter, I had better sales but I also had cut my orders from the previous year, so that was also a plus.
1510 Camden Road
704-379-1811
Nikki's Tattoo Studio, a full-service tattoo studio
Nikki Thompson: We are doing really well. Business doesn't seem any less than previous years. Maybe better.
9010-B Monroe Road
704-845-1533
Beadlush, a bead retail shop
Lydia Stern: Business actually was going pretty well, I have to say, through the spring. It has slowed down considerably through the month of July, but we're hanging in there and we're very optimistic that things are going to pick up. I think a lot of people are on vacation right now. Having a retail business in the current economic environment is a bit of a challenge and owners need to be more creative with their businesses to get new customers in the door and retain existing ones. I can't stress enough how important it is to support those small local businesses that you would miss if they were gone.
1217 The Plaza
704-376-3331
Maria's Grill of Derita, a family-owned diner
Angelo Koutsoupias: We are a small family business here. It's my mother, myself, my brothers. We all work here. What we're finding now is that people don't have the expendable cash that they used to. We still have a fairly good clientele because people are now looking more for quality. When they go out, they want to go somewhere where they feel comfortable, kind of like Cheers -- everybody knows your name type of thing. And I think they find that here. Being a small family business, we're finding that we're getting squeezed even harder now from the chains -- the Applebee's, the Cheddar's -- they have deeper pockets. So what sets us apart is that we have the quality. I'm not saying that they don't have it, but we have a more individual type service; we're able to cater to our customers' needs and give that value. People don't go out to eat that often nowadays. What we've done is made it a treat for people to go out to eat now. And when they do go out to eat, they want to feel like they got the whole experience -- versus going out, eating something for $9.99, and being done with it.
2801 W Sugar Creek Road
704-921-6370
Scout & Molly's of Charlotte, a clothing boutique
Megan Tee: I opened seven months ago. This is my first summer, and it will be my first fall season, so I don't have anything to compare [against]. I knew I was opening in a recession, and I think that as far as goals go, I'm never satisfied. The thing that is good about opening in a recession is it teaches you to be really creative and really conservative. If I can make it now, I'll be able to make it any time. But one thing that surprised me since I opened is that even seven months later, people are still coming in for the first time and just discovering the boutique. And in addition to that, I have customers that came in the first week, and they still come back every week. I've built a client base, and I find that women that love clothes and love to shop, whereas they might not be spending as much, they're still buying things.
3920 Sharon Road, Suite B150
704-817-7009
www.scoutandmollysofcharlotte.com
JSW Media Group, a full-service brand management company
Jameka Whitten: Surprisingly enough, business is good and steady. Most of the time in a struggling economy, PR and marketing is the first to go; however, people find the services we provide valuable, and that is a beautiful thing. No complaints here.
704-965-3297
Peek-A-Boo Couture, a children's clothing boutique
Candace Khashman: People used to not blink an eye at an $80 outfit, but now it has to be a $30 outfit, so I have to offer a more affordable product for the customer. If not, people aren't going to shop here. If someone comes in the store, they're not going to want to buy an outfit that a child's going to wear once in a while; they want something that they're going to get two seasons out of. I generally use companies that have an elastic waist that you can adjust, so it may be a little bit bigger in the pants but you can take it up, so customers are saving money. I have to constantly run promotions. If I sat here in the store and waited for a customer to come in, it's not going to happen. I have to come up with events that do not cost the consumer any money and make them want to come here, whether it's giveaway bags or a model search, whether it's a fashion show where people can buy outfits and be in our fashion show -- we have to come up with all kinds of events. We do four events a month. It used to be that we were so slam-packed that I didn't have the time to do anything. I look at my numbers this year in comparison to last year and I'm down 25 percent. I think that's pretty much any retailer that you go to, it's pretty much standard. This is a specialty shop -- this is not a necessity shop.
1315 East Blvd., Suite 150
704-332-5338
Venus Phli, a clothing boutique specializing in independent designers
Aquilya McIlwan: It's growing. For us, we're a new business so I don't think we really know the difference between the harsh and the good times yet. We came in during the recession -- right in the middle of everything. We are actually saying that it's growing. It just takes a little bit more footwork and promoting.
3039 South Blvd., # B
704-521-6005
BodyArt by Dave, a full-service tattoo studio
David Sinard: Our business is medium. Business owners who are striving and finding new ways to get their name out are making it OK.
10915 Monroe Road, Matthews
704-846-6003
Chen-Fu, a Chinese restaurant
Tony Chen: We've been here for 17 years; we're pretty well known in the Matthews area. We're surviving off our reputation. Business is slower, of course because of the recession -- at least 15 to 20 percent slower. We're trying to keep all of our employees, keep our customers happy and just hold on. That's all we can do.
9623-N E. Independence Blvd., Matthews
704-845-6282
The Boulevard, a boutique specializing in art, fashion, craft and gifts
Cindy Harris: We are one of the few people who can say business is good. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we're in a very popular part of town, NoDa, of course, the arts district. We have our gallery crawls, which keep the people coming down. To make sure that we did find success during this down time, we really turned to social marketing. We established ourselves on Facebook and Twitter, and we're pretty active in those arenas. I think that's the difference in the changes that we've made. We're very happy this year.
453 E. 36th St.
704-332-0142
Amber Crest Custom Winery, a retail winery that offers wine education
Mark Adams: We have had many parts of our business that are way up and some that are not. So we are actually in the process right now of really trying to take the business in more of a virtual direction. We're going to introduce a new Web site called Really Fun Wine Show that will be more of a Web TV show about the education of wine. We're trying to expand beyond our initial four walls here. We're in the beginning of our third year. The first year we were having double-digit monthly increases up until about seven or eight months ago; we were growing quite a bit and now's it's somewhat leveled off. We have months where we're up and some when we're down. Over the second year we were down slightly.
9623-L E Independence Blvd., Matthews
704-708-9463
Black & Blue, a men's and women's denim shop
Cheryl Little: Business is challenging. One month it seems like things are starting to get back to normal and the next month sales will drop again. However, since Black & Blue was not around when the times were extremely good, we had an easier transition of adjusting our inventory levels and expectations compared to other stores. Our biggest challenge was opening during the beginning of a significant recession combined with a storefront that ended up not having the visibility we expected ... but we are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to move to another space at Morrison that will provide more visibility and exposure. Look for the new store to open late August/early September.
720 Governor Morrison St. # 180
704-366-9339
LuLu, a bistro-style eatery
Marc Jacksina: In a good economy, it's never busy enough as far as from an owner's point of view. But being a realist, knowing what's going on out there and seeing what's going on in it, Charlotte seems pretty insulated from it, particularly in my industry. The number of restaurants that have closed is pretty minimal compared to Dallas, San Francisco, New York -- particularly larger markets. I was actually surprised how insulated we've been. By inauguration, I expected that we would have a larger number of closings and I'm surprised at the number of closings that were corporate rather than small business. But in hindsight not really because corporate can afford to close a restaurant, where small businesses, it's not our luxury to close. This is a dollar and a dream, and if you close up you don't have a dollar, all you've got is a dream.
All said and done, my business is down percentage-wise and the number of people we have come in the door, but I think the way that we handle costs ... at the end of the week we're still paying the bills and still making it through. Being in our fourth full year of business, this is supposed to be the big push year so this has almost felt like we've been knocked back about a year and a half. The third year is always kind of a struggle year; once you get through, you make your adjustments. We've been fairly lucky; we adjusted early. We adjusted last April before things started to come up. September and October of last year were probably the ugliest in the industry period, as far as costs being up, gas prices being up, so we got the double whammy, and then the triple whammy with customers not being able to go out, so that was surprising. I think between that and offering a prix fixe menu, which has been a saving grace for us because Charlotte is not an early dinner town. Our lunches have been decent; we've never been a big lunch restaurant, but prices are pretty fair so you still manage to maintain the amount of people coming in less than a year ago. Because we adjusted the menu for it, it still balances out. I think we're all feeling the pinch ... everybody's worried about the health care bill and how it's going to affect us. But what I've got to worry about is what comes in tonight and how we handle it."
1911 Central Ave.
704-376-2242
The Breakfast Club, a three-level nightclub that plays '80s music
Jody Sullivan: We're actually having our best summer yet. It's kind of amazing. Earlier in the summer we thought it might have just been a fluke with people just wanting to get out and have some fun. I think that's the entertainment aspect of it. We're running this crazy drink special on Fridays, and our Friday numbers have doubled. We do this thing called "123 nights" and we've been doing it for a while. We've just actually seen a bit of an increase on our Friday nights. It's $1 bottle beers, $2 imports, $3 mixed drinks and we're really pushing that out there. Overall, we haven't seen any decrease.
225 N Caldwell St.
704-374-1982
Greek Isles, a restaurant that offers Greek cuisine
Frank Photopoulos: It's definitely dropped. People just aren't going out to eat as much. We're still surviving; there are a lot of restaurants that are closing down left and right. Our prices are fairly low so I guess we're what people are looking for. We're surviving.
200 E Bland St
704-444-9000
Park Road Books, an independent bookstore
Sally Brewster: Business is a little soft. We were trending up until July, and then it looked like everyone went out of town on vacation. It is soft, but I don't think I've come across another business owner that hasn't said the same thing. I think it's just one of those two steps forward and maybe one step backward. You have to just keep on putting one foot in front of the other and looking down the road instead of micro-managing every minute of the day or the week.
4139 Park Road
704-525-9239
blynk organic, an eat-in or take-out organic food restaurant
Karl Purkarthofer: Despite the difficult times, we have seen a positive trend in our business during this year. For sure, such times are challenging for startups, specifically premium brands like blynk organic. But consistently each day we strive to provide our customers with a superior quality product, superior service, and ongoing innovation. People who come to blynk value the benefits of organic and healthy food. Moreover, they realize that by buying blynk products they not only do good for their body but also conserve our planet. More and more people are concerned about what they eat and about their ecological footprint. Seeing this number of health and eco-conscious people increasing day by day is the greatest motivation for our team. We believe that Charlotte is a great place for blynk organic -- a dynamic city, which will exploit its potentials and continue to thrive again.
200 S. Tryon St.
704-522-3750
RealEyes Bookstore, an independent used bookstore
Jaz Vincent: I look at it like this ... every business owner will be challenged at one point or another. This recession is nothing new for most of us -- many of us are used to struggling. This recession can either be an excuse to fail or motivation to succeed and try harder. I had to be very creative for RealEyes Bookstore to be still standing. That includes partnering with other organizations with similar motives, attaching my name to other major events that promote literacy, etc. I strongly believe that when a person leaps out on a limb to start something as challenging as a new business, it can only fail when you give up because its like having a child; when you're down, the business is down, when you're up and feeling good, ideally, you're more creative and you tend to distance yourself from at least most of the negativity surrounding you. Your business can cry and cry but when you're ready, you realize that you always had the milk to silence the noise.
3306 N Davidson St.
704-377-8990
The Common Market, a convenience store that offers sandwiches, beer and an extensive wine collection
Blake Barnes: Business is actually up. I think the neighborhood I'm in is doing pretty well through this whole mess. And the other thing is, I put a bar in my convenience store about a year ago because of Trader Joe's -- because I knew it would put a dent in my wine business. I didn't even realize how people would like it. People can come here in a relaxed environment and drink at retail, not at a bar, price. I have all these beers from all over the world, wines from all over the place. People can just come in and sit down and chill out. And somehow we're even surviving [in the new Southend location]. We signed that lease April of 2008 and watched the economy steadily fly straight down. So it's been a rocky start over there but that thing has taken off just fine. And I think it's just the nature of these small little neighborhood-y businesses -- people just like something that feels more grassroots.
2007 Commonwealth Ave.
704-334-6209
1515 S. Tryon St.
704-332-7782
Oakdale Greenhouses LLC, a supplier of tropical plants, trees and more
Bill Kay: I bought the business about two-and-a-half years ago; that's before the recession took hold and the recent drought in Charlotte. It's been rather tough, primarily due to the drought. Business for me has been affected starting two years ago with the drought, and then the recession came in right behind that. My business is actually down quite a bit. Business is running at about 60 percent of what it was two years ago. The greenhouse business is traditionally slow during the summertime when it's hot. Our busiest time is in the spring and in the fall. We're in a normal season slowdown. It usually picks up around the end of August and first of September.
5626 Statesville Road
704-596-4052
Tempo Nightclub, an entertainment venue/nightclub
Jumaane Torrence: It's not bad at all; it's going pretty good. It's not going as well as it was once before, '07-'08, early part of '08, before everything kind of took a nosedive. But we're still doing pretty well. We did take a dip in latter part of 2008, early part of 2009. The quarter numbers were down, of course except for CIAA, which actually did better than the two previous years. Aside from that, business itself has kind of shifted because of more establishments opening. People are going to see what's new, but it seems like they're coming back. Our numbers are coming back up to the occupancy numbers that we usually have on the weekends. But people are spending less money. Spending is down per person approximately 15 to 20 percent. But business is still going well. It's still in our normal projected growth overall, but as a whole, we're a little lower than we were at one point.
4809 Wilkinson Blvd.
704-391-8909
Cottage Chic, a lifestyle store offering everything from furniture to personalized jewelry
Julie PageSmith: It has been improving a little bit. I wouldn't say we're over the hump, but people seem to have more of a positive outlook right now. We're hoping for the best.
1232 East Blvd.
704-375-1888
Black Sheep, a skateshop that also sells clothing and sneakers
Josh Frazier: There's no doubt that it's been a challenging environment for retail, but we've been extremely fortunate. Black Sheep's mission is to carry unique brands that are exclusive to our store. Our customers are looking for the latest styles of sneakers, clothing and skateboards that are not available anywhere else in town. As independent, specialty retailers, we really have to focus on our customers and product differentiation even in the best of times. We've also worked hard to collaborate with other local businesses to throw free events like art shows, fashion shows, and autograph signings as a way of keeping our name out there and saying thank you to our customers. Luckily, we have won the support of some very loyal customers, and that has made all the difference.
1504 Camden Road
704-333-1423
The Rat's Nest, a vintage clothing shop
Brian Wilson: Business has been good. I'm fortunate to be in this area, in a tight-knit community where a lot of people will support local businesses. Being in this area helps a whole lot. Haven't really felt a dropoff or anything like that. If anything, I may have picked up a few more people who were shopping at Nordstrom's or wherever it may be, and may come in here just because you get more bang for your buck. In the type of business I'm in, it's been fortunate that way, too. I think more of the higher-end businesses have been affected more so than -- well, I've got $10 to $12 T-shirts. People still want to have something new and fresh and different in their lives. They can still afford to do that here.
442 E 36th St.
704-371-3599
www.myspace.com/theratsnestkicksass
704Events, an online community events calendar
Kim Hughes: Business is actually doing really well. I think a big part of it is not being afraid of the economy. When business is slower, I usually schedule meetings with people in my circle to reaffirm connections, to get advice, to strategize. I also take out my business plan and see what I can do differently. I take a step back and see what my clients want more of. The economy is not bad for everyone, and it's what you make of it.
1300 Southend Tavern, a neighborhood restaurant and bar
Jeffrey Edwards: We'd be in big trouble if it wasn't for our regulars. We're hurting like everyone else. It's not anything like we projected, but we have a lot of regulars who look out for us. When I check out the other restaurants, we're about the same or a little less. It's mainly the regulars who are extremely loyal to us -- they keep coming back and raving about our food. I also think a lot of people are leaving south and going Uptown, too. We're coming up on our one-year anniversary, and people have said to be able to make it in this economy for a year is doing pretty good.
1300 South Blvd.
704-372-2980
Comet Grill, a music venue/restaurant
Tommy Noblett: Horrible. It's just really bad. I've got a lot going against me. One, the economy. Two, I have a huge amount of construction going on outside of me; there's a huge Bi-Lo shopping center that's been closed down for like three months, and they're doing all of this demo work. It's killing me because people look at the anchor store as part of the shopping mall. So they see it's closed and they're thinking we're closed. It's definitely been bad for business. As far as the economy goes, we've taken a huge hit on it. I've tried doing numerous specials, different things -- it's been bad. My numbers are off by about 40 percent from where they were last year. It's definitely been rough. We're a musical venue for the most part, so four nights of the week we have music. I don't charge cover, unless it's a huge band that comes through here, and it's been rough. People aren't coming out as much to see the music, but I still have to pay the band the same amount. Overall, it's been tough all around.
2224 Park Rd
704-371-4300
Ragin' Uptown Party Charters, entertainment transportation
Luxury Yacht Charters, largest luxury yacht
TowBoat US, dispatch towing services
Catering Creations, a catering company
Jeremy Thompson: When it boils down to how's business doing right now, the best way I can tell you is we're still growing. If we combined all four companies, the difference between '07 and '08 is that we did a 9 percent growth and we're looking at a 10 percent growth from '08 and going into the part of '09. We're not growing leaps and bounds, but we're still growing, which is nice.
Diversity is the key. I think creativity is the key. If one company takes a dip, another company is there to balance that and pick it up. If the bus business is slower in June, then the boat was there to pick up the lax. I think that's where the whole diversity thing comes in, being able to help minimize risk and increase return across the board. I think the creativity, and being able to work with people, when it comes to a hotel or a restaurant, people are going to play with their prices right now to make sure people are going to utilize their services by walking through the door.
The reason why I think we've been blessed and we've been fortunate is the fact that life is still happening. There are still life events going on. People are still turning 30. Your husband or boyfriend still wants to throw you a 30th birthday. You're still turning 40. You're still turning 21. You're getting married, and you still have to throw a bachelor or bachelorette party. Your bachelor party a year ago might have been in the Bahamas; now it's going to be in Charlotte because it's cheaper. And that's going to help us. Rather than spending the money on traveling dollars, you're going to spend it here locally.
We've seen the whole new term "daycation," sort of thing, happening more around here. We're just trying to be that outlet.
Once again, you can live technically without what most people think about Ragin' Uptown, but with everything that we do, we're centered around a lot of life events, whether it's birthdays, bachelor/bachelorette parties, weddings and such. That's why I think we're still on a good growth pattern.
8218 Parkton Gate Drive, Huntersville
704-451-7433
Qcitymetro.com, a site offering news and information specific to Charlotte's African-American community
Glenn Burkins: We all wish the economy were better. But during good times and bad, business is about winners and losers. Smart business owners find a way to win, even during tough economic times. Ever notice how many great companies were founded during the Great Depression?
Village Emporium, a boutique with everything from home décor to jewelry
Phyllis Smith: We've been here about 10 years, and I think we're pretty lucky right now because we don't sell just one thing so we can adapt to the market. So if people are looking for lower-end items, we can find and sell lower end items because we have used and new stuff. We do that and just find things that we know people want. We know our customer base, we talk to them and try to figure out what they want and find what they want and carry that, instead of what we might like. We might like something different, but we have to adapt to the market. And we have vendors here, so we have a lot of different stuff because everybody has their own booth, so they can put what they want in theirs depending on what their customers like. So that's what we try to do to stay afloat, and I think it's working for us. From talking to other people, I think we're doing really well.
1615 Sardis Road N # 2B
704-849-8225
www.villageemporiumcharlotte.com
Front Door Fabrics, a fabric and wallpaper store
Karen Dixon: We bought Rogers Brothers Fabrics about two years ago right as the recession was hitting, and since we have been in business, it has been a rollercoaster. We have had extreme highs and extreme lows. In March, we had probably our best month in a long time. April was probably one of the worst months, so we are just trying to figure out how to do business based on the average, not on any given month. We've seen an upturn in the last month. But the time we felt that the recession really hit Charlotte -- probably in April, you know after the first quarter earnings came out and unemployment started going up -- that's when we felt like it had hit. But in the past month we've seen an improvement. It's a wild ride. We've had a lot more focus on service. People aren't as willing to just give up their dollars anymore -- they're taking a lot more time and thinking about their purchases longer, so it's a lot more careful buying.
9517 Monroe Road
704-844-6330
Asana Activewear, a speciality apparel retail company for active men and women
Gary Schwake: In terms of business, it's a challenging environment. We've only been open for two years. We opened in September of 2007, and therefore, have no prior indications of how business went. We were in our first year, which is a challenge with any retail business to begin with. Then of course with last summer it really started to weaken out a little bit, and then of course the bottom fell out in September when the financial mess happened. We have been able to hold in there well with last year. You obviously want to see growth, but given the environment, we are pleased that we're able to hang in there. We're optimistic about the fall, although I think it's going to be a challenge for a long time. I think it's going to be a year or more before we start to feel a little bit of confidence come back. I don't think it'll get worse necessarily; I just don't think it's going to bounce back. It's going to be a long slow climb now, so we focus on how we're spending money and the lines we're bringing and what we're investing in inventory and how we're spending our marketing dollars so we can continue to be here to add value to our customers.
You can't take anything for granted. It takes a lot of work to make sure that you stay with your customers, that you're constantly evaluating and experimenting with new ideas and new things. We feel very good in that we, in activewear and athletic apparel, are a place where people are seeking refuge. It's a place that they're willing to invest in because of the practical nature of the apparel, serving both a workout function as well as being able to be worn throughout the day as a lifestyle. It fits in the theme of really being smart with how they spend money. From our specific business standpoint, we continue to be very aggressive and continue to work through our marketing plan and try to add value to our customers in terms of selection and just keep our nose down and keep doing what we're doing and come out strong on the other side.
3920 Sharon Road
704-366-8020
LazyDay.com, a social networking Web site
Scott Valentine: Lazyday.com has been pretty recession-proof so far. We are very pro-active in looking for new ways to make money for both our company and the bars/clubs we work with. Three of our four cities are making more money this year than last, including Charlotte. Lazyday.com is even expanding into Greensboro, N.C., next month. The trick is to be flexible and creative when the economy takes a turn and to save money when things are going well (politicians take note).
The BookMark, an independent bookstore
David Friese: Oh, it's horrible. We are a good reflection of the economy. We are not a destination store; we are a convenience store. And so we are affected by discretionary cash and things like that. We reflect what the economy is reflecting.
100 N Tryon St. # 265
704-377-2565
Charlotte Yarn, a yarn store
Remi Haygood: Charlotte Yarn has experienced higher sales in the past year. We have moved from Selwyn Avenue to Kenilworth Commons on East Boulevard. The new location has made us more accessible and easier to find. We have been getting more first-time customers and there seems to be an increased interest in knitting and crocheting from our regular customers. We have had an increase in the number of people that sign-up for classes and come by to sit, knit/crochet, and socialize. Knitting and crocheting are therapies that relieve stress during these difficult economic times, especially if you are job hunting. Conversations with customers seems to indicate that they are staying closer to home and finding that knitting and/or crocheting are less expensive than going out to dinner or other hobbies. They also say that they have begun making gifts, rather than going out and buying them. We have noticed a definite increase in sales from people making baby items for gifts or personal use.
1235 East Blvd.
704-373-7442
Kilwin's Chocolates and Ice Cream, a confectionary shop
George Click: Business is OK. It's not tremendous, but it's not horrible. We're pretty much holding our own right now. We've started to see some signs of recovery; things are starting to point back upward again after a somewhat of a slowdown. We've had some signs of improvement that we've been able to see in the economy.
14835 John J Delaney Drive
704-369-5250
Rockhouse Events, an events and promotions company
Rich Saner: It's actually been pretty good I should say; considering the economic times, business has been very steady. Summer for Rockhouse tends to slow down -- I don't think I blame that on the economy. That happens to Rockhouse every year because we don't have as many big events and people are taking vacations, people are going to the lake. I usually expect a little bit of a downturn in the summertime for Rockhouse. Overall for the year, though, we're staying pretty solid. I think we're lucky because our events are somewhat reasonably priced. You know, people might be cutting back on major expenses, but at the end of the day, I think people still want to go out, have fun, blow off some steam and socially network. So business has actually stayed pretty consistent. A little bit of a dropoff; but, you know, I always tell people when they ask me, "How's business?" I say: "Well, I'm still in business, so that's good for now."
Internet Contrasts, a computer networking and Internet services company
Chris Jenkins: Our computer networking business has been very strong as we've recently been contracted to project lead for Morgan's Wonderland, a special needs amusement park. Our Internet Services division has been lagging all year; however, as Google's local business service continue to take over the online directory market for small businesses, we are seeing an increase in helping clients get listed.
Neighborhood Theatre, a music venue
Mike Stone: Business for us has been holding up pretty good. We have seen some downturn on some shows here and there, usually on our higher ticket priced shows. If we have several shows close to each other that are somewhat similar in genre, we have seen some picking and choosing between the shows where in the past they might have attended all the shows. Other than this, we have to this point felt like we have done a good job presenting shows and our shows have been attended well. My guess would be our music-loving fans are bypassing a trip out of town and are staying closer to home this year and are spending their entertainment monies with local businesses.
511 E 36th St
704-358-9298
Heels.com, a Web site selling women's shoes
Eric McCoy: We are doing very well, locally, nationally, internationally -- all facets of our business have seen growth this year.
801 N. Tryon St.
866-33-HEELS
Canine Café, a pet supply store that offers homemade healthy dog treats
Meredith Thompson: While we are fortunate to have great loyal customers, we've noticed that compared to last summer, our business is down a bit. We've added a do-it-yourself dog wash in our bakery area to fill in the gap. Our customers are loving this because it provides them with an inexpensive way to groom their dogs and reduce the stress and mess involved with trying to bathe their dogs at home. (Anything that makes life a little easier in these trying times is a good thing.) We provide all the shampoos, conditioner, doggie colognes, grooming tools, raised bath (to save your back) and warm and cool water. And, of course, plenty of treats to sweeten the deal for the dog. The cost is only $12 (or $20 for two dogs) and the 12th bath is free. The response so far has been that this is a great value and an added convenience that our customers appreciate. I think it's important to adapt in this economy and give customers what they need, so we've tried to do that with this new service.
1447 S Tryon St.
704-588-3647
Double Door Inn, a music venue
Nick Karres: Business right now is definitely off. I believe it's off because, of course everyone knows about the economic downturn here in the last four, five, six months. But I believe in combinations of reasons. I don't think there's ever just one reason why something happens. To answer your question, we're holding on and it's definitely off from the past years. Another reason I think, is to me, there's a huge excess of entertainment options here in Charlotte, which spreads the discretionary entertainment dollars very thin. Just for an example, Johnny Winter is a blues rocker who's been around since the '70s. A friend of mine promoted a concert of his in Wilmington N.C., and they snapped up 800 tickets. He just played in Charlotte at the Neighborhood Theatre, and he drew 300 people; they even did a 2 for 1 on tickets. That's just the difference, when you have excessive entertainment options. Granted, Wilmington has very few entertainment options. So, boom, there ya go. The economic downturn sure didn't hurt them because they sold all their tickets. It's definitely an excess of options here in Charlotte for our type of business.
1218 Charlottetowne Ave.
704-376-1446
Ed's Tavern, a neighborhood bar
Alan Cole: It's still steady, but not as good as last year. Definitely feeling the economic slowdown but the neighborhood is still taking care of us very well.
2200 Park Road
704-335-0033
William Wilson Clothing, a men's clothier
William Wilson: Business has been great for me. Given my infrastructure make-up and my outside-the-box marketing strategies, I have been able to introduce a unique combination of price, service and luxury to the marketplace.
704-363-0224
Alliance Jiu Jitsu of Charlotte, a school that offers Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instruction
Luis Togno: Business is going good. Even though the recent economic downturn has hit a lot of other businesses, we're doing pretty well. The Creative Loafing ad we have is helping me generate more business and more attention and more people from the community.
1607 G Montford Drive
704-477-8552
Blis, a gift boutique
Susan Young: It's coming back. It has been slow, but we're beginning to see more people in the store. It's another summer slowdown, and we're looking forward to going into the fall.
100 N Tryon St. # 290
704-376-3888
Boris & Natasha, a hip clothing store
Hope Nicholls: I think we're in the same boat everybody else is in. Everybody is feeling the pain. Every day, you never know -- it could be up or down. Very unpredictable. We're not going to go out of business unless something really drastic changes, of course. Some days are normal and some days are not. It's obviously not like the booming time it was a year ago or two years ago.
1214 Thomas Ave.
704-375-0079
Classic Attic, a consignment store
Ede Graves: Things have really picked up a lot; it's going OK.
4301 Park Road # C,
704-521-3750
