A now-deleted viral Instagram post from the bakery Wentworth & Fenn set off a conversation in Charlotte about the health of local small businesses, especially at Camp North End, prompting the question: Are small businesses here OK?
"We're dying," the post read. "If things don't turn around, we're done."
Zoom in: The Observer dove in to answer the question, interviewing several businesses at Camp North End and beyond that both empathized with the bakery's statement and disagreed with it.
Some, like Seemingly Overzealous co-owner Garrett Tichy, told the paper that the property provides strong support to small businesses and the small businesses support each other.
Others note that the season has been challenging. Chef Sam Hart of the restaurant Counter- recently posted on Instagram that "this first full Summer has been brutal to the hospitality and F&B industry."
Zoom out: It's clear that running a small business is not easy work. Nearly half of all private sector businesses fail within five years, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Just in the last few weeks, Popbar at Camp North End, Cold Hearted Gelato in Plaza Midwood, Harpers in SouthPark and Devil's Logic Brewery either closed or announced plans to close.
The bottom line: Local small businesses help give a city personality. If you like them, patronize them.
