Charlotte Collective Announces Closure of Plaza Midwood Location
Announcement blames rising rent
Local retail shop Charlotte Collective announced Tuesday that it will close the doors of its flagship Plaza Midwood location at the end of January.
Located on Central Avenue, technically in the boundaries of the Elizabeth neighborhood just outside Plaza Midwood, the announcement is the latest in a string of local businesses that have been forced to move out of the area due to rising rent costs and redevelopment.
“Across Charlotte, small businesses are facing rent increases that aren’t sustainable for a small business, and we are now part of that sad pattern as well,” read an Instagram post announcing the upcoming closure on Tuesday. “We absolutely love Plaza Midwood and our customers there, so we are sad to close our flagship location.”
Opened in 2019, Charlotte Collective brands itself as an “alternative retail shop” that showcases the work of local creatives, makers and artists. “When you come to our stores, you will find yourself a part of the shop small movement,” reads the Charlotte Collective website.
Charlotte Collective joins a growing list of businesses that have been forced out of the Central Avenue corridor in recent years, including Dairy Queen, Reggae Central, Elizabeth Billiards, Book Buyers, Soul Gastrolounge and Coaltrane’s Char Grill.
Reggae Central has since moved to The Shoppes at Citiside, a large and diverse shopping center located at the corner of The Plaza and Eastway Drive, while Book Buyers and Dairy Queen relocated to Eastway Crossing, joining former neighbor Tommy’s Pub, which was forced to close its Central Avenue location in 2017.
Charlotte Collective opened its second location at 110 West Boulevard in South End, a location that will remain open, according to Tuesday’s post.
“We absolutely love Plaza Midwood and our customers there, so we are sad to close our flagship location,” the post read. “This was our first home where we started one of the first retail collectives in Charlotte. During our time there, we have helped many small business owners grow their businesses and created a go-to gift store for the neighborhood. As sad as it is to close our Plaza Midwood store, we’re thankful to have our South End location, and we hope you will come shop and support our small businesses there!”
The team at Charlotte Collective will remain open through the month, selling inventory as well as store fixtures.
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