Build your own cheese board at Babe & Butcher’s new storefront

Why it matters: Camp North End has seen immense growth in the past year, opening 13 food and beverage tenants in the midst of a pandemic. Babe & Butcher’s arrival is just a continuation of the development’s rise as Charlotte’s creative core.

Background: Partners Lindsay Anvik and Rob Henricks launched Babe & Butcher in 2019, and the demand for their boards was almost immediate. In their first year, they created upwards of 13 boards a day. Now, they create as many as 130 in a day.

• The charcuterie boards are complex — more like art than just a tray of meats and cheeses.
• Up to now, Anvik and Henricks have been focused on catering for weddings and other events, creating grazing boards that span as long as 20 feet or about the length of the 3-point line on a basketball court.

What to expect: This new space will have a consumer facing element in addition to having the space to fulfill catering orders.

• Customers can walk in and choose what cheese and charcuterie they want on their board and watch as employees make it in real time as part of an “interactive experience,” Anvik says.
• Inside the display case, you can choose from local and imported cheeses — from truffle to pimento to homemade balsamic blueberry goat cheese (yum).
• There will be a viewing window into the catering kitchen.
• The shop will offer same-day delivery of wine, beer, champagne, and their charcuterie boards and boxes.

Vibe: The first thing you’ll see when entering the fun space is a glowing neon sign that reads “Life is Gouda” and a moss wall with a neon heart and the words “Babe & Butcher” on it. It’s all so Instagramable.

• Outside the shop, there will be a mural by local artist Darion Fleming.

What they’re saying: “It takes a lot to bring someone into the family,” Camp North End community manager Varian Shrum tells me, speaking of Babe & Butcher’s opening. All the tenants share common traits, she says. “(They’re) creative and savvy and resilient and community-minded and really committed to their craft.”

• Anvik said in a statement that they chose to open their first brick-and-mortar in Camp North End because of the “collaborative spirit” of the 76-acre complex. “We take great pride in being a strong community partner.”

Location: 301 Camp Road, next-door to Leah & Louise, which was my pick for Charlotte’s best new restaurant of 2020, btw.

• Babe & Butchers charcuterie boxes are easy to take anywhere on the complex — hello, socially distant picnic.

Hours: Open 11am-6pm on Tues, Wed, Thurs and Sun. Open 11am-7pm on Fri and Sat.

What’s next: Openings will slow down in Camp North End this year, but 2022 will be a big one. Phase two is already underway for more retail, offices and a parking garage.

• After that’s complete, construction on apartments will begin.

Editor’s note: This article was last updated on June 10, 2021 to include opening details.

Go deeper: User’s guide to Camp North End, the growing development near Uptown, now home to 40+ cool tenants