'Chick Day' frenzy hits Renfrow Hardware
Plus: Top news of the week — McCrory departs No Labels; Ledger reveals betting secrets; Piper Glen prepares to descend on City Council; Charlotte FC star struggling to score
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Urban homesteaders line up early to beat the chicken sellout at Matthews hardware store
by Amber Veverka
Tallulah and her dad were taking no chances.
On Thursday morning, long before the 8 a.m. opening time, they were waiting on their folding chairs in front of Renfrow Hardware in downtown Matthews. Behind them, a line stretched down the sidewalk.
“Chick Day” at Renfrow Hardware is a day of hope and big dreams for urban homesteaders around Charlotte, who arrive early to secure their chicken breeds of choice. The chicks sell out early.
It’s a tradition at the old-time hardware store, interrupted only last year when hatcheries ran short of chicks due to bird flu. Those in line include the newly converted, who leave Renfrow with heat lamps, bedding and plenty of advice, as well as the more experienced farming faithful, like Tallulah Chopas, age 10.
Tallulah and her family have 26 chickens — all named — in their Matthews yard. Tallulah sells the extra eggs, complete with chicken pictures on each carton.
What was the young entrepreneur looking for on Chick Day? “Personality and egg production,” Tallulah said. Specifically, Ameraucanas (they have “fun faces and lay green eggs”) and Black Stars (“they have a fun name”).
“We want to foster the opportunity for our daughter and son to live off the land and take care of animals,” said her dad, Joshua Chopas. He and his wife, Debbie, homeschool Tallulah and her brother, Titus, 6, and use their chicken-keeping to work in lessons in biology, anatomy and environmental science.
Joshua Chopas with his daughter, Tallulah, who sells eggs from their flock in cartons adorned with chicken pictures. That’s Carolina Panthers punter Johnny Hekker in the green hoodie, also a chicken-keeper. (Amber Veverka photo.)
RIP, Batman
Behind the Chopases waited Carolina Panthers punter Johnny Hekker. When Hekker and his wife, Makayla, bought their south Charlotte house last year, it came with an unusual feature: a chicken flock.
Question: Is keeping chickens like playing football? Hekker: “I would definitely say being a specialist is similar to raising chicks and chickens. It’s mostly watching, but the contributions you do get to make help everyone else be happy.”
The Hekkers had an especially beloved black chicken named Batman, and soon learned what Renfrow Hardware owner David Blackley often says: Everything eats chicken.
“Batman got hawked!” said Hekker. “We miss her every day.”
When Ruth Harris, Blackley’s sister and part of the Renfrow crew, unlocked the front doors at 8, Hekker and all the others trooped in. They wove past the garden seed displays and the pot-bellied stove, following the sound of peeping. The first of some 1,200 or so female chicks Renfrow will order this spring snuggled together inside their warm brooders, looking like living pompoms.
Three-chick minimum
The chicks cost $6 each, and there’s a three-chick minimum. “They’re flocking creatures,” Blackley said. “If you get one, it’ll peep itself to death. If you have two, one will dominate the other. If you have three, it just works.” But most folks Thursday wanted many more than three.
Cathryn Cicetti and her three kids bought a dozen. “I’ve wanted to do this for about 13 years,” Cicetti said. She said her coop was all set up — an important first step. While chicks stay in a warm, protected spot under a brooder lamp until they feather out, when they move outside, they need a coop sheathed in hardware cloth — metal screening with small holes — or something similar, to keep them safe from predators (see tips below).
Of course, there’s the little matter of keeping the chicken owners safe from rogue chickens. Remi Mace, 6, watched as mom Missy Mace and sister Nora, 10, received their family’s chicks. He didn’t seem especially eager to peer into the box. “He got pecked last night by our chicken Ruthie,” Missy said. “We call her ‘Ruthie the Ruthless.’”
More chicks are on their way
Blackley and Harris were joined in the chicken-order filling by Matthew Williams, Blackley’s son-in-law and the newest addition to the family business. “This is my first chicken run. It’s great!” he said. Williams and his wife, Pressly, have 22 birds of their own but have their eyes on more.
Some flock to Chick Day for the chance to raise birds humanely. The American Humane Society reports that the average commercially raised battery-cage hen lives her whole short life confined to a space the size of a sheet of paper.
For Missy Mace, the allure is sharing the fruits of her hens’ labor. “My love language is giving away eggs,” she said.
Fifteen minutes after the store opened, the brooders were emptying. Renfrow will continue to get new chicks through the end of April. Backyard chicken-keeping may be on-trend, but Blackley said the store has sold chicks since the turn of the century. Renfrow’s “Chickens 101” classes have sold out. Every spring brings more newbies, along with people whose families have always kept poultry. “She grew up getting chickens from us,” Blackley said, gesturing at one woman in line.
The peeping grew quieter as the customers took their boxes to the cash register. Tallulah and her dad headed home, rewarded for their first-in-line efforts with their Black Stars, Ameraucanas and two bonus Barred Rocks.
Since chickens are flocking animals, Renfrow Hardware has a three-chick minimum to keep them happy. (Amber Veverka photo.)
Tips for keeping chicks
It’s a girls’ club. A hen lays (infertile) eggs without the help of a rooster. Inside Charlotte, you can keep chickens (see the particulars here, under section 3-102), so long as they don’t annoy neighbors. Roosters usually crow at all hours.
Clean water is crucial. Hens need a balanced diet to be healthy but are not especially picky about food. However, a chicken will die of thirst rather than drink filthy water.
Ask me how I know. Chickens attract hawks, owls and raccoons. Hens need to roost in a secure coop at night. And don’t make the mistake of this writer, whose long-ago chicken ownership began with a coop fashioned from a dog kennel. The large holes allow a raccoon’s paw to slip through and snag a sleeping hen.
It’s easier than you think. Chicken-keeping is actually pretty simple. “They’re less work than a dog,” says David Blackley, Renfrow Hardware owner.
Amber Veverka is a freelance writer in Charlotte. She can be reached at askbackyard@gmail.com.
Today’s supporting sponsor is VIA Health Partners, formerly Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region. New name, same exceptional care for families in 32 counties across North and South Carolina.
40 OVER 40 TICKETS: Tickets are now available for The Ledger’s 40 Over 40 Awards, presented by U.S. Bank. Come celebrate people in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond who are making big contributions to making Charlotte a better place. April 30. Details here.
This week in Charlotte: Mecklenburg County keeps growing; Toppman’s take on Children’s Theatre production; TIAA eyes Quail Hollow tournament
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Education
CMS 2025-26 calendar options: (Observer) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has proposed two calendar options for the 2025-2026 school year, both starting on Aug. 25, 2025, and ending on either June 10 or June 11, 2026. The district is asking for community feedback via a survey, which closes on March 22.
Relief school named: (WFAE) A new relief elementary school in the Ballantyne area was officially named Knights View Elementary School this week.
Demand for school vouchers: (WFAE) State officials say the surge in applications for the state-funded Opportunity Scholarships means that about 40,000 applicants will be told they won’t receive funds because they make too much money.
Politics
McCrory steps down from No Labels: (Wall Street Journal, subscriber-only) Former N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory said he’s leaving the centrist political group No Labels, as the organization takes steps to launch a presidential ticket.
Elections board dismisses residency challenge: (Observer) The Mecklenburg County Board of Elections rejected a challenge to the residency of Caleb Theodros, the Democrat who won the District 41 N.C. Senate race. Second-place finisher Lucille Puckett had argued that Theodros did not meet the residency requirements to run in the district.
Local News
New timeline on Carolina Theatre renovations: (Ledger) Restoration of the historic Carolina Theatre on Tryon Street, undertaken by the Foundation for the Carolinas, is now 85% complete and set to finish this fall, after years of construction and funding challenges.
County population grows at steady pace: (Ledger) Mecklenburg County's population continued to grow steadily, adding 19,626 residents in the 12-month period ending last July, bringing the total population to 1,163,701.
Business
Pay shrinkage: (Biz Journal) The compensation of Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good dipped slightly in 2023, after a year marked by challenges. Her total compensation totaled $20.6M, down from the record $21.4M she received the year before.
Online booze: (WFAE) Customers to all 30 Mecklenburg County ABC stores can now order liquor online through an app. The Ledger tested the new service last August.
Sports
Beating the sports gambling apps: (Ledger) North Carolina launched its online sports betting apps this week, and The Ledger tested out some of the promotional offers and strategies to try and make a profit.
TIAA, Truist interested in sponsoring golf tournament: (Biz Journal, subscriber-only) TIAA and Truist Financial Corp. are in discussions to take over the title sponsorship of the PGA Tour event at Quail Hollow Club. Wells Fargo, the current title sponsor, announced its decision not to extend its sponsorship beyond the spring of 2024.
From the Ledger family of newsletters…
Erin Santos isn’t backing down: Erin Santos, founder of the Isabella Santos Foundation, initially felt burnt out after 16 years of fundraising for pediatric cancer research but has now revitalized the foundation by expanding its reach to more hospitals in the Carolinas.
5 tips as online sports gambling starts: Online sports betting is live in North Carolina with eight platforms, and BetCarolina.com writer Steve Bittenbender has some pro tips about choosing a betting platform, using multiple platforms, starting with familiar sports, employing good money management and understanding that big wins are rare.
Review of Children's Theatre's ‘Catching the Moon’: Ledger arts critic Lawrence Toppman attended “Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream,” which runs through March 24 at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. Read the full review.
North Meck fan hoists crockpot in victory: A North Mecklenburg High fan stole the spotlight last week at Friday night's basketball playoff game against Myers Park High by brandishing a crockpot, symbolizing the team's “cookin’” success. North Meck advanced to the state semifinals with a 79-63 win over the nationally ranked Myers Park.
The birth of a contraceptive-free OB/GYN practice: Dr. Stephen Blaha, a devout Catholic OB/GYN, made a significant career shift to align with his religious beliefs, establishing the first Natural Family Planning (NFP) practice at Atrium Health, offering an alternative to conventional contraceptives.
Apartments galore in ‘Whispers’ column: In the latest Charlotte Commercial Real Estate Whispers column, get caught up on potential developments and rezoning projects, including the possibility of more apartments in SouthPark, a potential residential component at Cotswold Village, an upcoming apartment building in Fourth Ward and a high-rise development opportunity in Midtown.
County schedules meeting on south Charlotte flooding: Mecklenburg County has scheduled a public meeting on April 11 at William R. Davie Park in response to concerns raised by south Charlotte residents regarding potential flooding worsened by proposed developments.
🎧 New podcast episode: In a recent episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Emily Jensen Wheeler of Dress for Success talks about the nonprofit’s mission and services, and the Your Hour Her Power campaign that’s currently underway.
Piper Glen residents gear up for public hearing: Residents opposed to a controversial rezoning proposal for the Piper Glen area are preparing for a Charlotte City Council public hearing on Monday by organizing transportation, distributing T-shirts and gathering signatures against the development.
Court upholds reverse-discrimination verdict against Novant: A federal appeals court upheld a $3.4M award for a former Novant Health executive who claimed discrimination based on race and sex. Novant's efforts to diversify leadership were cited as motivation for the firing.
Judy Vinroot, wife of former Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot, died March 6 at the age of 81 after a long struggle with cancer. Judy left behind a legacy of kindness and compassion as a teacher, tutor and minister.
Why aren’t green groups pushing remote work? Mecklenburg County's decision to require employees back in the office contrasts with findings showing significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through remote work, sparking discussions about the environmental benefits of hybrid schedules and a broader lack of advocacy for remote work as an emissions-reducing measure.
Copetti adds injury to scoreless start: Enzo Copetti, Charlotte FC's star striker, has yet to score this season and may miss the upcoming match due to a hamstring issue. Despite missed scoring opportunities, coach Dean Smith has expressed support for Copetti. Patrick Agyemang is a potential replacement if Copetti is unable to play.
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