Hef's Bar & Grill reopening on Sardis Road Saturday

Hef's Bar & Grill has traded up for bigger, snazzier digs.

After about three months of construction, Hef's – which according to Yelp, is popular for its wings and happy hour – is reopening its doors Saturday in a new space more than three times bigger than its last location, where it stood for about a decade.

The restaurant was previously situated in Parketown Village in Myers Park, across the street from the Park Road Shopping Center. Its new spot, a former O'Charley's at 1920 Sardis Road, is almost 5,500 square feet, owner Andy Tao said – a big upgrade from its former space of about 1,500 square feet.

''We decided to go big when the lease was up,'' Tao said.

The new restaurant will feature about 27 televisions and a patio will be built in the spring, Tao said. Except for a few new Asian-inspired items, the menu will largely be unchanged.

David Tschirhart, a commercial broker at Legacy Real Estate Advisors, represents the landlord of the new building. He said the area is ripe for business growth since more people have moved in nearby.

''That area's seen a lot of apartment growth and people are there now versus 7 or 8 years ago,'' Tschirhart said. 

Carowinds hiring 2,200 part-timers for 2015 season

Carowinds is gearing up early for its upcoming season with a wave of hiring for its popular theme park off I-77.

The park will take on 2,200 part-time workers for a variety of positions to staff rides, attractions and events for the 2015 season, which runs March 28 through Nov. 1.

Construction on the Fury 325

Carowinds is staffing in several departments, from admissions and guest services to rides and maintenance.

''Our goal is to put together a strong team with a gold star work ethic to deliver our guests their 'best-day-of-summer,''' said Mike Fehnel, Carowinds vice president and general manager.

Applicants must be at least 15 years old and can apply online. According to a statement from the park last week, job seekers should then visit Carowinds' employment office on Catawba Trace, just off Carowinds Boulevard, for a pre-screen interview. 

The park said as part of a $50 million multiyear investment, it's building two new rides: the Fury 325, the world's tallest and fastest ''giga coaster'' that lifts riders 325 feet up before plunging them down at an 81-degree drop at almost 100 miles per hour, and the SlingShot, which hurls two people in a capsule 295 feet into the air at almost 60 miles per hour before slinging them back to the ground. 

Teen retailer Garage to open Carolina Place store

Teen retailer Garage  announced Wednesday it will open its first Charlotte store in Carolina Place Mall this spring.

The Canadian fashion company, which sells apparel and accessories geared towards young women, will be located in the center court of the mall next to Starbucks.

The news of Garage’s opening comes as many other teen retailers like Wet Seal and Delia’s are struggling to survive. Both recently filed for bankruptcy.

Garage’s parent company – Groupe Dynamite, which also owns a brand called Dynamite – operates more than 300 brick-and-mortar stores globally, according to its website. The company operates one other North Carolina store in Raleigh. 

Lowe's to hire 240 seasonal workers in Charlotte

Lowe's Companies announced today that it plans to hire about 240 seasonal workers for its 14 stores in the Charlotte area.

In total, the Mooresville-based company said it plans to take on 30,000 seasonal employees across the country this spring, the busiest time of year for home improvement projects. Positions include cashiers, lawn and garden employees, loaders and stockers.

According to Lowe's, most of its seasonal employees work at least 20 hours a week. The home improvement retailer has already begun hiring in warmer states such as Florida, California, Texas and Arizona.

''To help make shopping and selection easier, we want our stores staffed with knowledgeable employees who'll provide exceptional service for customers,'' Scott Purvis, Lowe's vice president of human resource operations, said in a statement.

Lowe's is the second-biggest home improvement company in the country behind Home Depot and operates more than 1,800 stores in North America. 

Tropical Smoothie Café continues Charlotte expansion

Tropical Smoothie Café said over the next 'several years' it hopes to expand its Charlotte presence by about 20 new stores. There are currently two in the area in Midtown and Ballantyne.  

The Atlanta-based company opened its 400^th café last year and signed franchise development agreements for 101 new locations, up 28 percent from 2013, in several cities including Charlotte. By 2015, the company hopes to operate 500 stores nationwide.

Charles Watson, the restaurant’s vice president of franchise development, said the company is on pace to open a total of seven more cafes in North Carolina this year, including “probably three more” Charlotte-area locations this year. One more will be from a current franchisee Everette Brown, a former Panthers defensive end.

“(Given) the disposable income, home prices and the growth of Charlotte as a city, we think that Charlotte is a great fit for the demographics that Tropical Smoothie Café goes after,” Watson said.

Further, Watson said, expansion in the Charlotte area fits well with the regional growth strategy of the company, which operates about 80 locations in Virginia and about 120 in Florida.

“The Carolinas for us are huge in terms of connecting the dots on down to Georgia. That’s really our goal as we try to saturate the Southeast,” Watson said.

Tropical Smoothie Café, which sells “better-for-you food and smoothies,” reported 11.4 percent comparable store sales growth in 2014, meaning growth in stores that have been open at least a year. 

Wet Seal files for bankruptcy; four NC stores remain open

Following a slew of other troubled teen clothing companies, young women's fashion retailer Wet Seal has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the company said Friday.

The retailer said it'll receive a $20 million loan from B. Riley Financial to keep its remaining 173 stores open, effectively making B. Riley the majority shareholder of the reorganized company once it exits bankruptcy protection.

Last week the company announced it was closing 338 – about two-thirds – of its brick-and-mortar stores effective ''on or about'' Jan. 7, resulting in the loss of 3,695 full and part-time positions.

According to the company's website, there are four stores still in North Carolina – including one at Carolina Place Mall and at Concord Mills – and two in South Carolina.

The quick closing of dozens of stores was a frustrating surprise to many employees and shoppers who took to social media with the hastags #forgetwetseal and #boycottwetseal. 

''Our financial condition leaves us no other alternative than to close these stores,'' CEO Ed Thomas said in a statement. ''This is an extremely difficult time for the entire Wet Seal team, and we are doing everything we can to protect the interests of all of our stakeholders, including our employees.''

Wet Seal last month reported another quarter of sales and earnings drops, losses Thomas described as ''ongoing challenges.'' But the Foothill Ranch, Calif. company isn't the only struggling teen retailer.

Last month both Delia's Inc. and Deb Stores filed for bankruptcy, and Aeropostale, American Eagle and Abercrombie and Fitch have all experienced sagging sales as teens gravitate more towards ''fast fashion'' retailers like Forever 21 and Zara, as well as electronics like Beats by Dre and iPhones.

Brian Yarbrough, an Edward Jones retail analyst, said this is the most bankruptcy filings he's seen in the industry in about 15 years. The struggle for teen retailers is driven by a number of factors, said Yarbrough, who doesn't cover Wet Seal specifically.

''Teens would rather buy a $4 t-shirt and replace it in five months than buy a $25 t-shirt and keep it forever,'' Yarbrough said. What's more, there's been a ''lack of excitement'' in trends that drive young shoppers, like jeans in the 2000s, Yarbrough said.

Wet Seal could not be reached for comment.  

Will a grocery store take the place of the former Dilworth Blacklion?

While it's not known what will take the place of the former Blacklion space in the Dilworth Gardens shopping center, it’s looking more likely a small grocery store could move in.

According to public records, engineering and land-planning firm Kimley-Horn submitted a request this week for “redevelopment of existing Blacklion tenant space for new grocery use.”

The majority of the work is “internal to existing structure,” according to the request.

The space formerly occupied by the home furnishings store, which closed Monday, is 14,200 square feet, a little bigger than the standard Trader Joe’s but about one-third the size of a traditional Charlotte-area supermarket like Harris Teeter or Publix.

Natural foods market Talley's Green Grocery previously occupied the space before it closed in 2008 after 17 years in business. 

Brad Murr – a managing partner MPV Properties, which manages the Dilworth Gardens property – said in an email to the Observer that they’re a “couple weeks away” from announcing the Blacklion replacement. Kimley-Horn could not be reached for comment.