Fresh to Order opening in Carolina Place mall

Fresh to Order, a "fast-fine" restaurant, plans to open its first North Carolina location in December at Carolina Place.

The company, founded in 2006, operates restaurants that serve food that sounds closer to a fine-dining than a fast food menu. The food is prepared fresh in 10 minutes, Fresh to Order says, and sells for around $10 an entrée.

“This will be the first of North Carolina location for us, and we think that a location at an established center such as Carolina Place is the right venue to introduce our restaurant concept in Charlotte,” said Pierre Panos, Fresh To Order CEO, in a statement. “We have targeted North and South Carolina for expansion and expect Fresh To Order to soon be a favorite dining spot for the communities we join.”

Here's a description of the restaurant, from Fresh to Order: "Fresh To Order, the pioneer of “fast fine” dining, combines chef-inspired cuisine, high quality ingredients and affordable prices...Fresh To Order’s menu highlights include almond crusted tuna steak, brown sugar roasted pork loin with caramelized onion apricot chutney and ‘better for you’ black bean and tuna burgers."

Tuna for the taking

Publix to open Oct. 22 in southwest Charlotte

Publix Super Markets is opening its latest Charlotte grocery store on Oct. 22, the company said Thursday.

The store is located in the Whitehall Commons shopping center at 8120 South Tryon Street. This is Publix's eighth local grocery store to open. The company plans to have 14 stores in and around Charlotte open by late 2015, as Publix muscles into the local grocery market.

The Whitehall Commons Publix is a former Bi-Lo grocery store. Publix bought seven Charlotte-area Bi-Lo stores last year to accelerate its growth.

Publix is also ramping up its expansion in other parts of  North Carolina. The company is opening a store in Cary on Oct. 29.

Microsoft retail store opening Oct. 18 in SouthPark

Microsoft is putting the finishing touches on its first full-scale retail store in Charlotte, as the computer company prepares to open its SouthPark store Oct. 18.

The 2,261-square-foot store will be Microsoft's 104th retail location. The company has had a kiosk in SouthPark mall for years, but this is a fully-enclosed retail store - more like Microsoft's competitor and forerunner in the retail space, Apple stores.

Mecklenburg building permits show the store cost more than $4 million to renovate and build out. Microsoft has been investing heavily in its retail strategy, with plans to open 10 more stores before Black Friday and build a Fifth Avenue flagship in New York City.

The company has been training workers for its new SouthPark store for the past several weeks. Jonathan Adashek, Microsoft's general manager for communications strategy, visited Charlotte from Microsoft's Redmond, Washington headquarters Wednesday to prep for the opening. The Streets at SouthPoint in Durham has North Carolina's only other store.

A Microsoft store making college students smile

The first 1,500 customers in line for the 11 a.m. Microsoft store opening on Oct. 18 will receive two tickets for a Kelly Clarkson concert the following day, Sunday, Oct. 19.

I talked with Adashek for a little while Wednesday. Here are a few things he said to expect about the Microsoft store.

• Expect a "curated selection" of the best devices made by Microsoft and other hardware makers, including laptops, Xboxes, computers, Windows phones and Surface tablets.
• Come with any broken or malfunctioning device, anytime, and the Microsoft store's "Answer Desk" will do their best to fix it for you, no matter where or when you bought it.
• The store will have a heavy emphasis on providing good customer service and well-trained employees. Microsoft is trying to build human connections people who have viewed the company as a faceless utility-like provider since the beginning of computing.
• A panoramic video wall wrapped around the store's interior.
• Two 96-inch TVs set up for people to play Xbox.
• Every product with a screen will have a touch-screen.
• The store will emphasize community involvement and events, with free computer classes, videogame tournaments and meeting space. To get an idea of what to expect, take a look at the event lineup at the Durham store this week:
  
  Thursday, October 9
  3:00 PM Teen Game Day/Computer Lab at the Library
  6:00 PM Easy ways to collaborate via the cloud
  Sunday, October 12
  1:00 PM Windows 8.1 Workshop
  Monday, October 13
  4:00 PM Office 365 Fundamentals
  5:30 PM Excel 101
  8:00 PM Microsoft Madden Mondays
  Wednesday, October 15
  6:00 PM Junior Game Developer Night
  Thursday, October 16
  3:00 PM Teen Game Day/Computer Lab at the Library

 

Vera Bradley outlet open at Concord Mills

A new Vera Bradley outlet is now open at Concord Mills, the designer's first such location in the state.

The store is located in the mall's Neighborhood 2, near the Guess Factory Store. Here's how Concord Mills describes it: Providing new fabrics and styles each season for more than 20 years, Vera Bradley creates colorful and feminine quilted cotton luggage, handbags and accessories to fit each woman’s personality and style. The iconic fashionable products are now available at affordable prices at the new Vera Bradley Outlet at Concord Mills.

Publix headed to Cotswold?

It seems there could be a Publix Super Market in the works for Cotswold, directly across Randolph Road from a longstanding Harris Teeter.

A rezoning application filed for the 2.2 acre site between Randolph and Colwick roads seeks permission to build up to 65,000 square feet of retail space, constructed above a parking garage. The site (map below) is currently occupied by a nearly 50-year-old office building. The rezoning application was filed in conjunction with Stiles, a Florida-based developer building several new Publix locations in Charlotte.

A Stiles representative couldn't immediately be reached. Jeff Brown, a lawyer representing the developer, said that the site is intended primarily for a grocery store, but declined to name the tenant. Publix spokeswoman Kim Reynolds said she could not confirm the possible location. The Florida-based grocer has a policy of not commenting on potential sites until a lease is signed.

Publix and Stiles have joined to build supermarkets in Ballantyne, Mint Hill and South End. Stiles opened a Charlotte office last year, in part to help facilitate Publix's planned spread across North Carolina. The company has announced locations for 14 planned supermarkets in and around Charlotte.

The rezoning site is directly across from a Harris Teeter, one of Publix's main competitors as it tries to muscle into Charlotte. But Publix hasn't been shy about locating near Harris Teeter. Its McKee Farms location in Matthews is directly across from a Harris Teeter, for example.

The proposed retail establishment in the rezoning site plan looks as though it would be similar to the Whole Foods in the SouthPark area, which also has parking located under a supermarket accessible by escalator and elevator.

A public hearing on the rezoning request is scheduled for Dec. 15.

Publix's planned Charlotte-area locations

Home South opens Rock Hill Galleria store

A new home goods store is open now at Rock Hill Galleria, the second area location for Home South.

The 30,000 square-foot store carries a variety of goods from kitchenware to food to home furnishing accessories.

Here's Home South's description of itself: "Merchandise categories available include tabletop accessories, kitchenware, home accents and decor, seasonal products, candles, ribbon, outdoor furniture and accessories, floral supplies, wine and local food products.  In preparation for the final months of the calendar year, Home South’s current inventories feature extensive winter and Christmas merchandise.   

The interior of the store

"We are thrilled to open our second Home South store at Rock Hill Galleria,” stated Grady Marsh of Home South.  “We feel Rock Hill Galleria is the perfect regional destination for our business, and we are excited to be serving the needs of the surrounding communities."
The Rock Hill Galleria location marks the company’s second operating store.  Its original store is situated in Charlotte, N.C.  The company was founded in 2013 by the operators of Carolina Pottery.
"We are pleased Home South has opened its doors at Rock Hill Galleria," stated Michael Wheat, managing director of leasing and marketing for Cypress Equities, the Galleria’s owner and managing agent.  "The addition of Home South introduces Rock Hill Galleria shoppers to a merchandise category we are confident will be warmly welcomed."

Beer tasting & growler shop to open in South End

Craft Tasting Room & Growler Shop is set to open Oct. 23 in South End, offering another craft beer option in Charlotte's rapidly-growing craft beer scene.

The 3,000 square-foot shop, located at 1320 S. Church Street, will also have a 1,000 square-foot beer garden. It's located next door to the Unknown Brewing Co., one of Charlotte's newer breweries. The store will serve "elevated yet simple bar bites."

The store will have 36 taps, half dedicated to local breweries and half to regional beers or special releases.

“I want to give Charlotteans a way to enjoy the taste and freshness of craft beer and special releases in a bar, as well as at home: growlers are the only way to do so at home,” said Dan Davis, the shop's owner, in a statement. “I was introduced to Growlers about five years ago, and I’ve seen the momentum build in the U.S. I’ve had this idea in my head for two years and I’m excited that I am finally able to bring it to fruition.”

Here's the store's description of itself: "The shop will sell growlers in two sizes: 64 oz. and 32 oz. Patrons may buy a growler and refill it as many times as they want. Unlike some shops, Craft Growler Shop patrons may exchange any size empty for any size full at no extra cost. 

Local is important to freshness, and the sense of community (Dan) wants to build. He will partner with local breweries, cheese makers, and farmers to pull together their labors of love and infuse it in the shop.

The shop is created to practically be an adult candy store for beer lovers, foodies and party hosts. Patrons can add an eclectic touch to his/her cocktail hour, party, picnic or gift by simply choosing an item from the shop. It’s not an average grocery store."