These upscale services are pampering the parents (free version)
These upscale services are pampering the parents (free version)
Plus: How to avoid long early voting lines; Northwood buys apartment tower; NoDa establishes guidelines on street vending; City shelves bus station overhaul; Fire closes Bridges BBQ
Good morning! Today is Friday, October 25, 2024. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Today’s Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by Carnegie Private Wealth. At Carnegie Private Wealth, we exist to make our clients’ lives easier. We provide planning and guidance to produce more clarity, less stress, and greater confidence around complex financial and investment decisions.
Editor’s note: This is a shorter, free version of The Charlotte Ledger sent to people on our free sign-up list. The complete version for paying members went out 15 minutes ago. It included:
The dish on new services cropping up around Charlotte for new parents, including a $900/night postpartum retreat in SouthPark, a New Mom School franchise in Ballantyne and a private club for families with young kids in Myers Park.
The scoop on how to avoid standing in long lines for early voting, from Charlotte’s utmost expert on everything electoral — Mecklenburg County elections director Michael Dickerson.
The skinny on an eyebrow-raising apartment tower purchase that happened this week in the heart of uptown.
The lowdown on new guidelines in NoDa that are designed to self-regulate street vending, which has caused strife between vendors and local businesses.
The dish. The Scoop. The skinny. The lowdown. Leave it to The Ledger to serve up original, thoughtful, news and information you won’t get elsewhere in Charlotte. Join us today as a paying member of the Ledger community, and you’ll be helping raise the bar for journalism in Charlotte. We rely on members to sustain us — won’t you join us today?
Paid subscriptions to The Ledger start at $9/month, and you receive full access to every edition by email and on our website, including the complete Wednesday and Friday issues. Details here.
From a private social club for young families to a postpartum retreat and a ‘school’ for new moms, pricey new services are upping the baby game
The Grove private club for young families in Myers Park keeps a low profile by design, says owner Stephanie Muhs. It is opening its doors to non-members on Election Day, however, offering free one-hour bookable childcare slots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. so that parents can vote, with 10 open reservations per hour. You can sign up here. (Photo courtesy of The Grove)
by Cristina Bolling
Stephanie Muhs was nine months pregnant with her second baby when she and her husband moved from Brooklyn to Myers Park in 2020, and she quickly found that mommy-and-me music classes and occasional mom meet-ups weren’t satisfying her social itch.
So last February, she opened a private club on Providence Road in Myers Park called The Grove, where families ranging from expectant parents to those with kids ages 8 and under can enjoy an “upscale hospitality experience” ranging from childcare sessions to exercise classes, parent wine nights, summer camps and educational programs.
The Grove opened quietly, without press releases or an ad campaign; new members must be referred by current members or come in to meet with staff before joining.
Muhs said she now has about 100 member families who pay entrance fees ranging from $2,750 to $3,950, plus monthly dues of $250 to $300. The club is adding five to 10 new families each month, she said.
Charlotte is seeing a wave of new high-end services with high-end price tags aimed at supporting parents during the challenging early months and years of parenthood.
A franchise location of California-based The New Mom School will open in Ballantyne Village in January, offering new moms eight weekly sessions where they can get support from one another and hear from experts on topics like infant sleep and pelvic floor health.
And Ziva Postpartum Retreat will open in SouthPark in February, where moms can spend from 3 to 10 days being pampered with meditation sessions, meals and help from a lactation consultant and postpartum doula.
The businesses are designed to appeal to the growing number of parents who are seeking help and connection to help them survive early parenthood.
Pro tip: How to avoid those long early voting lines; advice from Mecklenburg’s elections director
Since early voting in North Carolina started last week, there have been long lines at polling places.
Yes, that’s good for democracy. But is there a way to make your voice heard at the polls without waiting in line for 45 minutes?
We asked Mecklenburg County elections director Michael Dickerson for tips on finding the less crowded times and places to vote. His suggestions:
Also, a shameless plug for The Ledger’s Election Hub
If you need to learn about the candidates in state and local races, check out the Charlotte Ledger Election Hub, with brief bios, candidate questionnaires and links to additional information on 200 candidates in five Charlotte-area counties. It is getting rave reviews from our readers.
Rare Charlotte apartment sale: Northwood buys 42-story uptown tower
In one of the biggest deals of the year for residential towers in Charlotte, Northwood Investors this week bought a high-profile uptown tower.
NoDa establishes street vending guidelines to create a more ‘safe and welcoming’ environment
The NoDa business association has rolled out new community guidelines in hopes of self-regulating street vending, which sparked controversy last year between vendors and brick-and-mortar businesses along North Davidson Street.
Last summer, The Ledger wrote about the tension between vendors and businesses in NoDa, with vendors saying they rely on their streetside booths to sell their wares, while business owners voicing frustration over vendors clogging sidewalks and blocking entrances to their buildings.
In response, the NoDa Neighborhood and Business Association put together a task force earlier this year of business owners and community members to discuss street vending and establish community guidelines.
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
NOV. 4: Unpretentious Palate's 2024 UPPY Awards, 6-9 p.m. at the Visulite Theatre, Charlotte. Save the date for the 2024 UPPY Awards! Unpretentious Palate‘s fourth annual People of the Year Awards, or The UPPYs, will be held on Monday, November 4th from 6-9 p.m. at Charlotte’s historic Visulite Theatre. The annual event celebrates the best in Charlotte’s restaurant industry, from chefs and bartenders to sommeliers and general managers. Tickets are on sale now! See this year’s finalists
NOV. 21: “Women of Land and Smoke” Artist Talk, 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. at Mint Museum Randolph. Artist Maya Goded joins Jen Sudul Edwards, PhD, chief curator and curator of Contemporary Art at The Mint Museum, to discuss works in the exhibition. Free event.
🎥Coming up at the Independent Picture House: A 25th anniversary screening of Tim Burton’s ‘Sleepy Hollow’
On Oct. 29, for one day only, join The Independent Picture House for a 25th anniversary screening of Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow.” Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people; the culprit is legendary apparition The Headless Horseman. The screening will be followed by a virtual Q&A featuring Industrial Light & Magic's Robert Weaver, computer graphics sequence supervisor on the film. This discussion will be moderated by Dan Brooks, writer and co-author of the upcoming Star Wars Encyclopedia from DK Publishing. Formerly of Lucasfilm, Dan previously served as senior editor of StarWars.com and Lucasfilm.com.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief
City backs off plans for bus station redevelopment: The city of Charlotte is postponing plans to redevelop the Charlotte Transportation Center uptown because of ballooning costs and the unlikelihood of Mecklenburg County participating in the funding, a city official said Wednesday. The city had been planning to move the bus station underground and redevelop the site in partnership with White Point Partners and Dart Interests, but those plans are now shelved, and the city will focus on upgrades like renovating bathrooms and a break room and adding new lighting. (Biz Journal, subscriber-only)
Fire closes Bridges BBQ: A fire broke out Thursday night at Bridges BBQ Lodge on U.S. 74 in Shelby, one of North Carolina’s best-known barbecue restaurants. The extent of the damage is unclear, but the restaurant will be closed until further notice. (WBTV)
Second hurricane relief bill: The General Assembly unanimously approved a $604M relief bill for hurricane recovery in Western North Carolina, with money to repair water and wastewater infrastructure and public schools and to provide loans to small businesses. It’s the second such measure from the state, and more are expected. (WRAL)
American beats projections: American Airlines beat analysts’ expectations on earnings and revenue in the 3Q and raised its outlook for the year, which the airline said sprang from a revised sales strategy for corporate and business travelers. (CNBC)
American fined $50M over disability assistance: The U.S. Department of Transportation fined American Airlines $50M, citing “numerous serious violations” of laws to protect airline passengers with disabilities. An investigation determined the airline repeatedly failed to offer prompt assistance to passengers using wheelchairs and that it damaged or delayed the arrival of thousands of wheelchairs. (NPR)
Google might expand data center: Google is considering a $600M expansion of its data center in Lenoir, in Caldwell County. The city and county approved economic development incentives. (Observer)
CMS principal of the year: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools named the principal of Providence High, Tracey Harrill, as its principal of the year. During her 16-year tenure as principal, the school has consistently met or surpassed benchmarks. (Observer)
Beer Temple expansion: Carolina Beer Temple in Matthews plans to move into a new location and double its existing space. It is planning to open at the new spot, 215 N. Ames St., in January. (Biz Journal, subscriber-only)
Curling coming: Charlotte will host the 2026 national curling championships at Bojangles Coliseum, the sport’s governing body, USA Curling, announced Wednesday. (WCNC)
Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all 4 of our local newsletters:
➡️ Opt in or out of different newsletters on your “My Account” page.
➡️ Learn more about The Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte Ledger is a locally owned media company that delivers smart and essential news through e-newsletters and on a website. 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.
Like what we are doing? Feel free to forward this along and to tell a friend.
Social media: On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Sponsorship information/customer service: email support@cltledger.com.
Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman