Shopping
Shoppers will discover an abundance of choices waiting in the Queen City. Visit outlet centers for name-brand clothing and shoes at discount prices. Browse specialty shops, upscale boutiques, and galleries for that one-of-a-kind item. Enjoy the best national retail stores at regional mega-malls. Choose fresh fruits and vegetables at Charlotte Regional Farmers Market or the Center City Green Market. Explore small towns for great buys on a variety of antiques. Find funky little shops, galleries, and restaurants in converted textile mills from South End to NoDa. There’s something to suit every taste here.
Entries in this chapter are arranged alphabetically according to the size of the shopping experience, starting with the big malls and ending with small specialty shops. Listings are located in Charlotte unless otherwise noted.
Shopping - The Arts
The Queen City’s vibrant arts community is backed by the Arts & Science Council (ASC), a proactive nonprofit organization that provides planning, oversight, and funding to dozens of affiliates in art, science, history, and heritage. Organized in 1958, the ASC operates one of the nation’s most successful united arts fund drives, raising between $7 million and $10 million annually.
Charlotte is full of visual and performing arts opportunities. A variety of art graces our buildings, thanks to a city law that requires 1 percent of all new public building costs be allocated to artistic expression. The Queens Table, an anonymous group of arts patrons, has also donated art throughout the city, most notably the statues at Trade and Tryon Streets and Queen Charlotte at the airport. Corporations also add to the artistic landscape, with beautiful pieces such as the Ben Long frescoes in the Bank of America Corporate Center and the Transamerica Square Building. For more information on public art, see the sidebar in this chapter.
Performing arts also are important to Charlotteans. Events range from symphony pops shows at SouthPark and after-work Uptown concerts on Thurs evenings to the Charlotte Sunset Jazz Festival. Holiday traditions include The Nutcracker and the Singing Christmas Tree.
On a weekly basis, one of the best ways to find out what’s happening in the arts is through the Charlotte Observer’s Sunday Arts section. The CLT section, available in Friday’s paper, will let you know what’s going on around town and in the Carolinas. The ASC (227 West Trade St., Suite 250 in the Carillon Building, 704-372-9667, www.artsandscience.org) is a good place to start if you are interested in becoming involved in the community’s arts programs.
The following is a guide to the Charlotte arts community broken down into sections on dance, music, theater, visual arts, and writing. Entries are alphabetical and are located in Charlotte unless otherwise noted.
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
Address: 6801 Northlake Mall Dr.
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
Address: 4400 Sharon Rd.
3. The Arboretum
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
Description: South Charlotte’s Arboretum is one of the busiest shopping centers in town with Wal-Mart; Michael’s Arts & Crafts; Bed, Bath & Beyond; Gap; Stride Rite; Birkenstock; and a Harris Teeter grocery store. Boutiques such as Hand Picked, with sterling silver and beaded jewelry; two children’s clothing stores; and a nice lamp shop create a more interesting atmosphere than the standard chain offerings. On weekends this suburban center is an entertainment hub, with couples, families, and groups of friends headed to eat at Mickey & Mooch, New South Kitchen & Bar, and a breakfast joint called Le Peep. The Arboretum also has a 12-screen multiplex movie theater.
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
5. Carolina Pavilion
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
Description: Carolina Pavilion opened in 1997 on the northern edge of Pineville’s retail development sprawl. Located at the intersection of I-485 and North Polk Street, it has remained popular even as other centers popped up at nearby Carolina Place Mall. Tenants include such discount giants as Target, Office Max, Marshall’s, Best Buy, Michaels, Sports Authority, Babies ‘R Us, hhgreg, Kohl’s, Designer Shoe Warehouse, Old Navy, and Bed, Bath & Beyond, plus several fast-food restaurants.
6. Colony Place
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
Description: This is a neighborhood-oriented shopping center with great restaurants, service businesses, and several unique stores. Harris Teeter and Walgreen’s anchor the center, with restaurants such as Tomi and Caribou Coffee scattered throughout. The Mole Hole is a longtime Queen City gift shop that moved from the SouthPark area. Social Butterflies is a great place for party invitations, place cards, and other stationery.
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
Address: 224 South Sharon Amity Rd.
8. Metropolitan
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (704) 295-7638
Address: 1224 Metropolitan Ave.
Description: Metropolitan provides the best shopping option near Uptown. This mixed-use project combines retail, condos, lofts, and office space on the site of the old Midtown Square Mall, which was Charlotte’s first enclosed mall. Shopping options include Target, Best Buy, Marshall’s, Staples, West Elm, Trader Joe’s, and Modern Salon & Spa. Developer Peter Pappas received a blow in 2009 when the Home Depot Design Center closed. It was one of the original anchors and had not been replaced as of early 2010. However, the Met has been a blessing for center city residents who have needed more retail for years. A neat aspect of this project is the involvement with the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. The greenway flows alongside the Metropolitan.
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
10. Northcross
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
Description: Often voted the best shopping center by readers of Lake Norman Magazine, NorthCross features more than 50 stores. Anchors include Target, Lowe’s, Rack Room Shoes, Kohl’s, Old Navy, and Omega Sports, but you’ll also find more unusual offerings such as imported pottery and garden accessories at Uncommon Scents, and a pottery-painting studio called Meg-art. Mickey & Mooch is a popular restaurant for both Lake Norman residents and Charlotteans. After shopping, relax at the outdoor fountains, where musicians perform from 7 to 9 p.m. Fri and Sat from early May to early July.
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
Address: 4201 Park Rd.
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
13. Promenade On Providence
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
Description: One of south Charlotte’s newer shopping centers, the Promenade’s stores are designed with parking on both sides and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks in the inner courtyard. Stein Mart, Home Depot, Staples, and Ann Taylor Loft are the bigger chain stores. Boutiques include Belly Guru, with pre- and post-maternity wear; women’s clothing and accessories at Ecco Couture; unique gifts and home furnishings at Go Fish; eclectic home and women’s accessories at Sedona; and art at Stillwater Galleries. Arooji’s Wine Room, Café Carolina & Bakery, Cold Stone Creamery, Sushi 101, and Wolfgang Puck Express are good places for a post-shopping snack or meal.
14. Sharon Corners
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping
Description: Opposite SouthPark Mall, this shopping center has been redesigned into a two-story architectural blend of Georgian and Colonial Williamsburg with open walkways, plantation moldings, and cupolas. There are clothing options for the entire family, including women’s boutique Chocolate Soup, Men’s Wearhouse, Scarlett Plus-Size Boutique, Destination Maternity, and Shower Me With Love. For those who love the outdoors, you’ll find a great selection at Jesse Brown’s Outdoors, which carries first-rate equipment for fly fishing, camping, backpacking, and climbing. Footwear aficionados love Mephisto, a high-end European shoe store. After shopping grab a bite at the Original Pancake House, Harper’s Restaurant, Baoding, or Moe’s Southwest Grill.
City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Shopping