It’s becoming increasingly more difficult not to notice the vacant storefronts that dot the two blocks of South Cochran Avenue in downtown Charlotte. The latest going out of business signs popped up at Michigan UnTapped this past week, announcing another soon to be vacant location.
Just two short years ago, downtown storefronts were nearly 89 percent occupied. Last year, that percentage dipped to 85 percent. A study for 2014 hasn’t been completed, but the eyeball test indicates that number may be continuing in the wrong direction.
City of Charlotte Community Development Director, Bryan Myrkle said that while the overall health of Charlotte’s economic climate is stable, the downtown vacancies have heightened the awareness of many residents and business leaders.
“We have to look at this as a moment of crisis, but also as a moment of opportunity,” Myrkle said. “It is very clear there is concern in the community about the number of vacant stores downtown, but the more people that care about the issue makes it more likely we will make some progress.”
Organizers of Charlotte’s Economic Summit, held twice this summer, have identified the downtown vacancies as one of two priorities — along with the perception of Charlotte Public Schools — for which to take action. Myrkle, who helped organize the summit said results of the last meeting, held Aug. 27 will be used to formulate a strategic action plan. Results from more than 350 community surveys completed online in August were also shared at the Aug. 27 meeting.
One aspect of the plan gaining traction is to organize a business recruitment strategy.
“It is very difficult for individual retailers to succeed downtown,” Myrkle said. “People tend to want to take a shopping trip, not stop at one specific store. We need to create or recruit some destination businesses downtown to replace businesses like a Christensens, which was an anchor for our downtown for a long time. Losing the grocery store downtown was also a blow to the community.”
Sarah Kopulos, who owned Bella’s in Charlotte for about a year and a half, said her biggest problem was struggling to keep up the foot traffic coming. Kopulos moved her business to Marshall this past summer, a move she said she was reluctant to make.
“I did everything I could, but I was just breaking even,” Kopulos said. “I really wish it would have worked. I would love to see Charlotte thriving … this is still home for me.”
Kopulos said she thinks part of the problem is that there aren’t enough retail stores downtown.
“If there were more retail it would have helped,” she said. “It’s so hard to tell, there’s no magical answer.”
Restaurants and service-based businesses dominate much of the downtown real estate and Myrkle said it is hard for building owners to hold properties for retail-specific businesses, especially when their property sits vacant for an extended period of time.
Myrkle said the city has reached out to the state for funding assistance for job creation, the establishment of downtown apartments as well as some blight clean up. It still takes private funding, however, to bring business downtown.
Myrkle said there may be another meeting or two of the Charlotte Economic Summit before a strategic plan is unveiled.
