Camp North End Announces Five Live-Work Business Tenants

Camp North End on Friday announced five businesses that will operate out of the campus’s new Kinship at Camp residential development, occupying storefronts in the base of the newly opened building as part of its live-work program that allows small-business owners to work and reside there simultaneously. 

Each live-work unit features a dedicated business entrance from the main street in front of Kinship and a separate private residential entrance to the living quarters from within the building’s interior. With seven love-work units in total, two are still available for lease.

The newly announced live-work tenants include some entrepreneurs who have already built a presence within Camp North End and a few new arrivals, as listed below: 

CELL THERAPY
Davita and Dion Galloway, siblings and founders of DUPP&SWAT, will open their collective’s third Camp North End location, a salon and barbershop called CELL THERAPY. “Purposeful in sharing the value of Black artists and creatives, all DUPP&SWAT brand entities marry art and entrepreneurship through the real life application of talent, interest and skill for the culture and community,” stated a release sent out on Friday. 

Named after a 1995 Goodie Mob track that is one of Davita’s favorites, the establishment will feature multiple chairs and stations for services including haircuts, hairstyling and braids, facials, makeup, brow waxing and nail offerings. “Visitors can expect the shop to feel otherworldly and quirky, filled with plants, greenery and a fun vending machine selling items such as lashes, press-ons, beard oil, a variety of brushes and more,” the release read. 

House of Asaki
Courtnye Jackson will open her first brick-and-mortar storefront for House of Akasi, a boutique offering unique and sophisticated destination-inspired clothing and accessories. Launched online in 2020, the concept has evolved to include tropical-inspired candles, home goods, pet items, and spa-worthy body care featuring health-conscious ingredients. 

The Zen Cave
Founded by tattoo artist Tia Wilson, The Zen Cave will be a hybrid of tattoo shop and meditative boutique, offering body art services while also selling divine goods like crystals, sage and other elements that Wilson finds meditative. Three artists will occupy booths at the studio in addition to room for a rotating guest spot. Wilson said she began her tattooing career after spending time surrounded by other talented artists onsite at Camp North End, where she works as operations manager of Canteen. 

FITTEDS
Giovanni Brown’s custom hat retailer FITTEDS will move from the Keswick Platform at Camp North End to a live-work unit at Kinship. Brown opened his first physical storefront in Keswick in 2023. FITTEDS sells custom one-off New Era and Mitchell & Ness hats including officially licensed MLB, MBA and NFL products. The majority of the items are custom designed by the FITTEDS team and sold exclusively in-store. Featuring stylish color combinations and side patches, the designs often draw inspiration from regional and historical sporting events.

Read more: Charlotte Knights Collab with Local Creatives for HBCU Night (2022)

DECO Beauty Club
Nail artist and owner Alexandra Cuadros will move her DECO Beauty Club, a private nail art studio that “pushes the boundaries between function and fashion” by “emphasizing community, trust, and a truly individualized experience for each client,” from NoDa to Camp North End to participate in the live-work program. The studio specializes in intricate hand-painted nail art and Russian-style manicures using high-quality builder gel products. 

The shops will begin opening in April, with all but two operating Tuesday-Sunday. CELL THERAPY will be open from Tuesday-Saturday while The Zen Cave will operate Wednesday-Sunday, eventually transitioning to seven days a week.

“We are thrilled to introduce live-work units, a unique first-to-market offering that will allow small business owners to work and reside at Camp North End while providing Kinship with an engaging street level experience,” stated Tommy Mann, development director of Camp North End, in Friday’s release. “From retailers and service providers leaping into brick-and-mortar for the first time to large commercial headquarters, our team remains committed to providing space options where a variety of businesses can grow and evolve in the community.”