Building design factor: Can You Instagram It?
Building design factor: Can You Instagram It?
Plus: Mark Vitner and Braxton Winston debate economics; Retailers warned on brewery ties; OK, Boomer is named Kannapolis baseball mascot
Good morning! Today is Friday, January 17, 2020.
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Programming note: Because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, The Ledger will return on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
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Design meetings regularly include talk of ‘Instagrammable’ features; Generates buzz, but ‘a bit narcissistic’?
People who design buildings in the Charlotte area say they are increasingly being asked to consider adding features that make the structures more desirable for people to post on Instagram.
The push seems to come from building owners and marketers who believe that people who post frequent pictures of themselves on social media can create buzz and generate free publicity. That can be particularly helpful for restaurants and other retail establishments that depend on foot traffic.
But it also has the potential to rub architects the wrong way, because it can carry the implication that they should design a gimmicky feature and that the overall structure doesn’t matter as much.
“I have been in many meetings where people talk about that Instagrammable spot on your project — as if you can build a mediocre piece of architecture, but if there’s one special place that people can gather around and take their selfies, then you are good to go,” says David Furman, one of Charlotte’s best-known architects, whose credits include 1616 Center in South End and the TradeMark building on West Trade Street. “As an architect, I think we should strive to create great environments and great designs and great public places, just because that’s what makes a great community — not because I need to document every millisecond of my life.”
‘Instagram spot’: Furman runs most of his own projects, so he rarely has to meet with people pushing for Instagram-friendly features. But he hears people describe their designs and say, “Yeah, this is what we’re doing, and over here will be this, because it’s where the Instagram spot is.”
He says he’s “one of those old guys” who doesn’t care to document his life for public consumption — a practice he finds “a bit narcissistic.”
Artists Sharon Dowell and Irisol Gonzalez painted a mural for Eastway Crossing shopping center at Eastway Drive at Central Avenue in east Charlotte. Businesses are incorporating design features with Instagram in mind, architects and retail brokers say.
Creating a location that’s sure to get likes on Instagram can range from the structural design of a building to how its interior is decorated to commissioning a mural or stringing some lights on a patio. Murals seem especially popular: They are popping up all over South End, NoDa, Plaza-Midwood and other neighborhoods close to uptown, and Charlotte is experiencing “an explosion in commissioned and uncommissioned exterior and interior wall art,” according to Charlotte Is Creative, which runs programs encouraging creativity. It estimates the number of Charlotte murals to be in the hundreds.
Pre-selfie art: Amber Thompson retouches a mural at Sixth and Graham streets uptown. It was previously restored by her grandfather in 2002. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte Is Creative)
Charles Thrift, a partner with Thrift Commercial Real Estate Services, says building owners can’t just slap murals on anything — they have to fit with the project. He says retail projects with an Instagrammable element attract more visitors and attention.
The desire for Instagrammability could be positive if it focuses attention on better building design, says Adam Williams, a partner with Legacy Real Estate Advisors.
“It’s putting a premium on thoughtful, well-themed design, which should have never gone away,” he says. His advice: “Hire somebody talented. Have them design something cool. It’s not new.”
Opposite views on Charlotte’s economy
One of the notable exchanges at this week’s City Council retreat in Durham took place between Mark Vitner, one of Charlotte’s top economists, and Braxton Winston, who is perhaps the council’s most outspoken member.
Vitner had just finished an upbeat, hour-long assessment of the economy, citing low unemployment and robust job creation. In the Q&A, Winston, though, questioned whether numbers told the full story. The two politely debated.
Here’s the exchange:
Winston: Economic numbers don’t always tell the entire picture, right? I hope we as a policymaking body look between those numbers. Economic data, that doesn’t really equate to the quality of life of our constituents. A good war will drive those economic numbers up. Poverty is very profitable and drives those numbers up. Natural disasters drive those numbers up. So they don’t tell us very much without critical analysis.
Vitner: There’s no such thing as a good war, OK?
Winston: In an economic sense. It definitely drives up GDP.
Vitner: Sometimes it drives up GDP, but there’s no such thing as a good war.
Winston: I agree. I’m talking from economics. The Vietnam War was one of our longest periods of economic expansion. … You look at this gig economy, and it looks good for employment, but I can tell you from first-hand account, the gig economy leads to all types of other social impacts and problems. If Lyft and Uber are your job, you pretty much gotta drive 20 hours a day to make a wage that works in Charlotte. …
Our growth and our strong numbers, it is also pushing people that are native to Charlotte out, so where are the people going to go? What is the correlation between some of these wage impacts and these numbers to the actual impact on people? While we have expansion in wages on both ends, there’s still a possibility of increasing that wage and income gap.
Vitner: Those are all great points. There has never been a time where we didn’t have challenges in the economy. … First-time claims for unemployment insurance are the lowest it’s been since the 1960s. But it’s another number. It reflects real activity. The question that should go off is: When we have good economic times and we’re not making progress on these persistent issues, we need to ask ourselves, “If we can’t do this when we’ve got the wind at our back, how can we change things so we can take advantage of this good opportunity?”
Winston: Is the wind really at our backs, though? … Is the wind really at the backs of those folks at the bottom? Is it becoming harder for people at the bottom to survive, live and make it?
Vitner: It is challenging for people at the bottom. It always is challenging.
Right now, there’s so much demand for workers that we’re seeing that it’s putting some pressure on wages, it’s pulling some people into the workforce that wouldn’t have had that opportunity before.
—
They continued for a few more minutes, respectfully discussing wage and income gaps, the gig economy and minimum wage laws. (If you live for these things, the back-and-forth starts at about 3:38 on this video.)
Other Vitner points in his speech:
On Charlotte’s strength: “Where Charlotte really excels, we are a city that young, college-educated folks want to live in because there’s a lot of fun stuff going on here. We’re attracting lots of great talent.”
On MLS and Tepper: “Soccer is a natural. It’s very popular with young people. I think that’s another home run for us. Certainly, David Tepper is a home run for us.”
On the Whitewater Center: “When we first built the Whitewater Center, there were a lot of people pretty critical of it. I don’t know if we were lucky or good. It turned out to be a home run. Who knew millennials were going to want to go work up a sweat before they drank lots of beer, and they were all going to do it at the same place?”
Bonus: Ely Portillo of UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute has a nice run-down of four growth-related themes emerging from the City Council’s retreat: affordable housing ownership, higher development standards, transit funding and managing high-growth areas. (Article here)
Retailers warned against brewery signs and T-shirts
Following a string of alcohol busts in Charlotte, the association that represents North Carolina retailers has sent postcards to its members reminding them of some of the state’s alcohol laws.
The postcard from the N.C. Retail Merchants Association highlights what it says are the five most-frequent ABC violations, which are:
Outside signs: “What’s not fine is a sandwich board on the sidewalk or poster in an outside-facing window advertising the daily specials, or even a sign affixed to your building with a specific brewery’s name.”
Staff consuming alcohol: “You must strictly prohibit this activity.”
Recycling program: Permitees must “have a program to recycle beer and wine containers.”
Happy hours for select groups: Permitees “cannot offer a special price on drinks for a select group of people. For example, runners participating in their run club or bikers that participate in their biker club, but not extending the special to other customers.”
Staff wearing branded apparel: “Yes, your staff person loves the t-shirt with the hottest brewery in town emblazoned across it, but don’t let them wear it while they are working for you as that is a violation.”
The warning comes after The Ledger revealed last month that the director of the Whitewater Center was threatened with jail if he didn’t hand over records and that Amelie’s French Bakery was fined $2,500 after agents saw a Facebook post in which one of its macarons leaned up against a beer.
In brief
Rough year: American Airlines was ranked ninth out of nine airlines in the Wall Street Journal’s annual ranking of major U.S. carriers on operational performance. It had the worst rating in canceled flights, two-hour tarmac delays, mishandled bags and involuntary bumping. Delta has been #1 overall for the last three years. (Wall Street Journal, subscriber-only)
More arts cuts ahead? The president of the Arts & Science Council warned of deep cuts if the organization doesn’t receive more money from private donors or local government. Jeep Bryant wrote in a email to supporters on Thursday: “If our efforts to secure additional resources aren’t successful, the funds available for ASC grants will likely decline as much as 50-percent in the coming fiscal year. We will also be forced to make significant, additional cuts to ASC’s expense budget.”
FBI inquiry: The FBI sought documents from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools after superintendent Clayton Wilcox resigned last year. “Federal investigators were checking whether federal funds had been misused,” school board members said. (Observer)
Active-adult community: Proffitt Dixon Partners has bought a 21-acre site on Providence Road north of Rea Road and plans to develop it for senior housing. Construction is expected to start by mid-summer at the site, which is by the northwest corner of where Lynbridge Drive meets Providence. (Biz Journal, subscriber-only)
Science museum teardown? Discovery Place could be knocked down and rebuilt as part of a revitalization push, city officials said this week. “It remains unclear how Charlotte intends to finance such changes — and how much public money, most likely derived from tourism revenues, would be available.” (Observer)
No city tax increase: City Manager Marcus Jones does not anticipate seeking a property tax increase this year, he said at the City Council retreat this week. (Biz Journal)
New shelter? The Charlotte Rescue Mission has submitted documents to the city saying it wants to build a “new four-story building that will include new cafeteria, counseling center and dormitories” at its site on First Street in uptown, records show.
Million-dollar Cotswold houses: Grandfather Homes and Charlotte Living Realty are building 21 homes on 10 acres in Cotswold, off Providence Road by Trinity Presbyterian Church. Homes will start at $1M. The development is called ClairCross. (Grandfather Homes)
South Charlotte bank: Fifth Third Bank looks to be interested in Waverly. City records show it’s planning a 2,400 s.f. branch with drive-through at the corner of Ardrey Kell and Providence Road, behind the CVS.
More marketing genius: The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers have named the team’s mascot “Boomer.”
Today’s supporting sponsor is The Charlotte Ledger’s 40 Over 40 awards: Because mid-life doesn’t have to be a crisis. Nominate today.
Food and drink news
A weekly wrap-up of the week’s eating and drinking developments
Nugget giveaway: Chick-fil-A is “giving away free 8-count nuggets at participating restaurants through January 31” to customers who log in to the company’s mobile app. They can also swap the nuggets for a kale crunch side. (WBTV)
Reopening: Brooks’ Sandwich House in NoDa will reopen Feb. 1, nearly two months after co-owner Scott Brooks was shot and killed in an apparent robbery as he opened the restaurant. It will no longer serve breakfast. (WBTV)
More Italian: Osteria LuCa is now open in Park Road Shopping Center in the former Charlotte Cafe space. (Agenda)
Dinner deal: Charlotte Restaurant Week starts tonight and runs through Jan. 26 with 142 participating restaurants offering fixed-price dinners for $30 or $35. Agenda breaks down the 11 best deals (if you can get a table).
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The Charlotte Ledger is an e-newsletter and web site publishing timely, informative, and interesting local business news and analysis Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, except holidays and as noted. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing, or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.
The Charlotte Ledger is published by Tony Mecia, an award-winning former Charlotte Observer business reporter and editor. He lives in Charlotte with his wife and three children.