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New restaurants, Insta museum opening at old Epicentre in uptown Charlotte

Queen City Quarter, formerly known as Epicentre and once Charlotte’s hot spot for nightlife, is undergoing a transformation including four new tenants.

An interactive museum, a Creole restaurant, and dessert and coffee shops will open this year at the four-floor mixed-used development, property management group CBRE said Tuesday in a news release. The 201 E. Trade St. complex is undergoing a major makeover. The uptown Charlotte complex is 302,324-square-foot.

In September, CBRE announced the former Epicentre complex was being rebranded and would become an entertainment destination instead of a nightclub venue.

Epicentre in uptown Charlotte has been renamed Queen City Quarter as part of its rebranding and renovation under new ownership.
Epicentre in uptown Charlotte has been renamed Queen City Quarter as part of its rebranding and renovation under new ownership.

What’s new?

The four new businesses at Queen City Quarter are:

Portal 123, an Instagram museum and immersive art experience, will open in a 3,190-square-foot space. Originally located at 114 S. Tryon St., the museum closed during the pandemic. It’s expected to open April 1, according to company information online.

Cajun Market, a fast-casual Cajun-Creole restaurant, will open in 1,270-square-foot space on the first floor in the former Grabbagreen spot. It’s expected to open this spring.

Nostalgia Hollow Co., a coffee and home goods shop based in Kannapolis, will open its second location in a 1,900-square-foot space on the first floor in the former Vida Mexican Kitchen y Cantina spot. It’s expected to open this summer.

Super Icy Brothers, a frozen dessert shop, will open on the second floor in a 1,929-square-foot space. It’s also expected to open this summer. The Italian ice shop sold alcohol-infused desserts at Carolina Place mall in Pineville, before closing two days ago, according to the company’s Instagram. Super Icy Brothers also plan to open a store at Northlake Mall.

Leases have been renewed with longtime tenants World of Beer, Mortimer’s Café & Pub and Bowlero, CBRE said. Other retail deals are in negotiations.

Other businesses and restaurants listed on the Quarter’s directory are Red Eye Diner, Fuji Hibachi & Teriyaki, CVS, Skyview Dentistry and Tailored Smoke cigar shop.

CBRE also will begin property renovations in late spring. Improvements include replacing walkway pavers in the 15,462-square-foot plaza and installing benches with planters in the main common area, CBRE said. The makeover also includes painting the building and stairway repairs.

Unfinished sidewalk on Trade Street by the Epicenter (background). This section is just north of the transit station.The city of Charlotte has paid developer Afshin Ghazi more than 1.6 million to improve sidewalks and trees around his EpiCentre entertainment project in uptown. But the contractor who did the work has never been paid. And now the contractor might have to pay an extra $40,000 out of his pocket to finish the job or risk losing a $200,000 bond he posted at Ghazi’s request. DIEDRA LAIRD-dlaird@charlotteobserver.com

Epicentre foreclosure

Last March, foreclosure proceedings started after Epicentre defaulted on its $85 million loan with Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas.

In August, Deutsche Bank took ownership of the one-block complex in August with its winning $95 million foreclosure auction sale bid on Epicentre. The lender was the only bidder.

When Epicentre opened in 2008 during the economic recession, the one-block center was lauded as a catalyst for development.

GO DEEPER: A timeline of Charlotte’s Epicentre: From nightlife hot spot to facing foreclosure

Its popularity dwindled over the years because of rising crime, as development shifted to South End, and the pandemic strained shopping and dining habits.

The complex is centrally located on College Street, between Trade and Fourth streets and within walking distance of Charlotte’s biggest attractions, including Spectrum Center, Bank of America Stadium and the Charlotte Convention Center. It’s accessible from the Overstreet Mall and features an on-site parking deck, a LYNX light rail station on the second level, and on-site property management.