Uchi, Van Leeuwen, Solidcore, The Salty to open in Plaza Midwood
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Alexandria Sands/Axios
Plaza Midwood will get a slate of new businesses as the Commonwealth development opens, including a James Beard award winner's restaurant.
Why it matters: Like it or not, the eclectic neighborhood is entering a new chapter. Most of the incoming businesses are new names in Charlotte but are trendy and well-known in hot cities like Austin, Miami and Atlanta.
Driving the news: The first buildings for the future 12-acre development will open in phases between August and December.
- Charlotte developer Crosland Southeast and investment manager Nuveen Real Estate broke ground on the project in fall 2021.
- The tenants announced so far are:
Uchi
A Japanese restaurant by Texas star chef Tyson Cole.
- The "sushi-focused menu innovates traditional Japanese fare and focuses on meticulous service, elevated dishes, and an inventive cocktail program," according to a press release from the developer.
- Uchi will open in one of the two revitalized, 100-year-old buildings on site.
- Cole has been nominated for a James Beard Award six times and won in the Best Chefs category in 2011.
Van Leeuwen
A Brooklyn-based ice cream chain, with crazy flavors and options for vegans and dogs.
- Van Leeuwen has tested boundaries with flavors like Kraft Mac n' Cheese and Hidden Valley Ranch. Recently, Sabrina Carpenter collaborated with the brand to create an "Espresso" ice cream — a nod to her hit single.
- The company has roughly 30 locations scattered across East Coast metros and California. This will be their first store between Washington and West Palm Beach.
Yonder Yoga
An infrared hot yoga studio that hails from Georgia.
- Most of their locations are in the Atlanta market. This will be their first storefront outside Georgia.
The Salty
The Miami-based doughnut shop and coffee bar you may be familiar with from their South End location.
- The company has 15 spots across the South, including Miami, Austin, Orlando and Dallas. It's opening this fall at The Bowl at Ballantyne.
- They're known for their super-soft 24-hour brioche donuts.
Solidcore
A fitness franchise with "Pilates redefined" classes.
- The full-body workouts are 50 minutes of slow and controlled movements on Pilates-style reformers.
- It's Charlotte's favorite Pilates class on ClassPass. Not surprisingly, since low-impact workouts are exploding in popularity.
Lucchese
A high-end Western bootmaker.
- There are 21 stores across Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
The big picture: In addition to retail, Commonwealth will have 383 residences and 150,000 square feet of boutique office space.
- Around the buildings, there will be a walkable main street, green space and gathering areas.
What's next: More business announcements are coming for the 90,000-plus square feet of ground-floor retail.
- Crosland Southeast is negotiating with other "tenants of similar profile," per the release.