Charlotte native hopes to raise $40K in 40 days to “Archive” Black culture

What’s happening: The Charlotte native, who grew up on Hoskins Road, is transitioning her online store, Archive, into a brick-and-mortar coffee and vintage shop at 2023 Beatties Ford Road.

Driving the news: Terry started a 40k in 40 days gofundme to raise money for plumbing, electric, and carpentry needs for the space. To date, she’s raised more than $14,000 since launching the fundraiser on Feb. 26. She’s hopeful she’ll raise enough over the next month to be able to complete the project.

• “Nowhere in Charlotte can you go and put your hand on 10 Jet Magazines or 20 Ebony Magazines, and that fueled me be like, ‘you know what, if thousands of people online are interested in this and they think I can, Cheryse, get out of your own way,'” Terry told me.
• Of note: The online store is currently paused while Terry works on the brick-and-mortar side.

What to expect: Archive will work with Charlotte-based herbal tea shop Sip Teashop, which is also Black-owned, and Enderly Coffee.

Much like her home, expect a lot of plants, white walls with black trim, and mid-century modern pieces at Archive. Terry will also display her photography.

• Plus, she plans to host community activities, such as collage workshops, which would pay homage to renowned Charlotte artist Romare Bearden.
• Expect a soulful vibe, with artists like Miles Davis and Aretha Franklin playing in the background.
• Archive will also sell stationery, used books, vintage magazines, and more.

What she’s saying: “I want residents to be involved [here] and have an opportunity to learn something and display their work,” Terry told me.

Why it matters: Archive is more than a cool coffee shop. It’s a beacon of hope for kids who have the odds stacked against them, a feeling Terry experienced.

• She had her first child in ninth grade. By the time she was 19, she had two daughters. Today, she has three daughters, and she and her husband Chris Terry live in northwest Charlotte.
• While she’s been an entrepreneur for a decade, she never thought owning her own brick-and-mortar shop would be possible, but here she is, turning her dream into a reality.

• “I thought it was so far out of reach for a long time, so I never pursued it,” Terry told me. “I thought vending was as good as it was going to get for me.”

Flashback: She grew up going with her mother, Yvonne Burton, to yard sales, thrift stores, and antique shops. Her mother died in 2014 from congestive heart failure.

• “She didn’t get a chance to see me begin selling and build a business around it,” said Terry, whose youngest child’s middle name is Yvonne after Terry’s mother.

Zoom out: Terry hopes top open Archive at 2023 Beatties Ford Road, one of two commercial properties at the corner of Beatties Ford Road and LaSalle Street owned by developer Christopher Dennis’ E-Fix Development Corp.

• Chase bank, 2023 Beatties Ford Road’s anchor tenant, opened on Nov. 4, 2021.
• BW Sweets, a Black-owned bakery, is in the buildout phase and targeting a mid-2022 opening.
• A fitness studio, which the developer declined to name, is also slated for the site.

What’s next: Terry hopes to open Archive in May of this year.

Here’s a look at some of Terry’s collection: