Support local while you can. Your favorite small business might be days away from closing, and you don’t even know it yet.
Why it matters: Charlotte is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and we’re reaping the benefits in the form of fancy New York bagel and ice cream chains, Los Angeles-based salad chains, and Texas-based burger chains. Meanwhile, local owners are drowning in debt, struggling to pay rent and doing what they can to stay open.
Driving the news: From Essex in Uptown to Resident Culture in South End, several locally owned restaurants and bars either closed or announced their closures within the last few weeks, many of them citing economic conditions as the primary reason.
For details, visit here: https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/08/15/local-business-struggle-charlotte-developers-landlords