World of Beer in South End is now Helles & Dunkel

South End visitors may have noticed a change at the bar formerly known as World of Beer.

The bar has rebranded itself and is now Helles & Dunkel, German for "light and dark."

"We just wanted out of the corporate position of World of Beer to be able to be a little bit more creative and do what we want to do," said Rachel Sunderland, the bar's general manager.

The change took effect Monday and wasn't a response to bad reviews or poor sales. In fact, Sunderland said, sales are up about 20 percent from last year. 

World of Beer, a Tampa, Fla.-based chain with dozens of locations across the country, opened in Charlotte in 2012. The newly branded bar is still focused mainly on beer and has 60 rotating taps and 250 bottles, Sunderland said.

Because it doesn't have a kitchen, Helles & Dunkel doesn't serve food. But the bar has expanded its bar offerings to include a full selection of liquor (before it only had a few bottles) and will also have a selection of games, including a shuffle board table, darts and a pin ball machine.

"Basically we had to get everything approved before through corporate. Now we don’t have to do that," Sunderland said. 

The bar is maintaining its same staff and hours. But gift cards for World of Beer, Sunderland said, unfortunately will not be honored at Helles & Dunkel, though there are other World of Beer locations in Raleigh, Cary and Columbia. 

Inner Peaks climbing center coming to South End

Charlotte businesses just can't get enough of South End.

Inner Peaks, the indoor climbing center, will open a second location this summer on South Tryon just past the intersection of West Tremont Avenue.

The popular fitness spot announced the new location a couple of months ago but look to be hard at work readying the former warehouse space. The new facility will include a 15,000 climbing wall (taller than the one at its other location) and super-thick boulder padding, according to Inner Peaks' Facebook page.

It'll also have a fitness room, a multi-purpose room for yoga, cross training and possibly even (very intense-sounding) Ninja Warrior obstacles.

The fitness center currently has one location in Charlotte on Monroe Road near the Sardis Road intersection.

The new site at 2200 South Tryon Street joins a handful of other workout spots close by including Ultimate Crossfit, Charlotte Martial Arts Academy and Charlotte Jr. Gym.

Friday roundup: Whole Foods, new South End boutique

Whole Foods is now targeting late summer for its long-anticipated opening in Charlotte, a company spokeswoman said this week.

The retailer broke ground on its new SouthPark-area store almost a year ago, in April. The company originally said it would open the store at Fairview and Sharon roads this spring, although no date was set.

Spokeswoman Darrah Horgan said the new opening date will be in late summer, although the store doesn't announce specific dates until they're within a few weeks. Construction is unpredictable, she said, and the new store's interior still has work to be done.

Also, in South End, a new boutique called Blush is set to take Niche Market's place at the intersection of South Tryon Street and Camden Road. No details yet, but there's a sign up in the window announcing it's coming soon. Here's a post about Niche's quiet closure.

Niche Market location in South End for rent

Niche Market, an apparel retailer in South End, is for rent, according to a sign in the windows.

The store couldn't be reached by phone, and the owners didn't respond to an email sent to the store's email address, so it's not clear if the store is moving or shutting down. But the red and white for rent signs in the window and in front of the store have been up for some time now.

The store, at the fork of Camden Road and South Tryon Street, was founded in 2005, according to its website. Niche carries clothes and shoes for men and women, focusing on casual and streetwear brands.


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Grand opening for Savory Spice in South End

Savory Spice, a store featuring hundreds of fresh-ground spices, herbs and extracts, has its official grand opening scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 21.

The Colorado-based franchise has been open in its Atherton Mill location since late November. Owners Amy and Scott MacCabe have scheduled a variety of events to mark the grand opening.

Starting at 9 a.m., the first 100 customers will receive a goodie bag of free spices. There will be a demonstration of cooking with curry from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and spice cabinet organization tips and tricks from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. There will also be a chili bar, jalapeno cornbread, iced chai and desserts (corrected, although iced chai would be nice in the desert) and pastries.

The store will also be offering an exchange program, where customers can bring in a competitor's containers of spice and exchange them for the Savory Spice brand for $1.