Charlotte’s hospitality and retail scene is changing rapidly, but what’s really driving the evolution?

Industry experts agree that Charlotte’s hospitality market is thriving but becoming more competitive, with new players entering the scene and raising consumer expectations. Neighborhoods like South End have been pivotal in putting Charlotte on the map. However, the suburban retail market is now gaining momentum — like in SouthPark, Ballantyne and Huntersville.

A new report, called the Charlotte Hospitality and Retail Guide 2025, lays out the key trends shaping the city’s retail landscape. In this episode, Ledger editor Tony Mecia is joined by three contributors to the report: Daniel Gibson of NiceDay, a marketing agency that specializes in retail, hospitality and real estate; Adam Williams of Rebel Rebel, an urban retail advisory firm that provides full-service brokerage and consulting services; and Bryan Southwick of Southwick Architecture + Interiors, a hospitality-focused architecture and interior design firm

They break down the city’s shifting development patterns and the rise of smaller-format retail, new expectations from consumers and how developers and restaurateurs can adapt to stand out in a competitive market.

This podcast episode is brought to you by Coca-Cola Consolidated, Charlotte’s local bottler and the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the US. Coke Consolidated recently invested $15 million into its Monroe facility, which included a new technical training academy, the first of its kind within the Coca-Cola System. Learn more at www.CokeConsolidated.com/media.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast was produced by Lindsey Banks.

For more information on The Charlotte Ledger, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com.

Before Susan Evren became the executive director of the Go Jen Go Foundation, a Charlotte nonprofit supporting families facing breast cancer, she was no stranger to pushing limits. A passionate ultrarunner, Evren has completed grueling 50k races — events that test not just endurance, but mental grit.

Evren’s journey on the trail has informed her approach to nonprofit work, she says. Just as every race comes with unexpected hills and challenges, so does supporting families in crisis. At Go Jen Go, she walks alongside women navigating one of the toughest seasons of their lives, ensuring they feel seen, supported and never alone.

In this episode, Susan opens up about how ultrarunning shaped her leadership philosophy, the lessons she’s learned from the families Go Jen Go serves and the legacy of Jen Pagani — the organization’s namesake and her friend. It’s a conversation about endurance, heart and what it really means to keep showing up, mile after mile, for the people who need you most.

Evren received The Ledger’s 40 Over 40 Award in 2025. Find out more about the 40 Over 40 awards by going to Ledger40over40.com.

You can learn more about Go Jen Go here.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is sponsored by Child Care Search, a service of Child Care Resources Inc. Looking for child care? Our team provides guidance every step of the way! Search online at www.FindChildCareNC.org or call 1-888-600-1685 for live assistance and free, customized referrals.

For more information on The Charlotte Ledger, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com. The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

Before Grace Weisiger could join her family’s four-generation business, The Weisiger Group (formerly Carolina Tractor and Equipment), her parents told her she needed to gain some experience in a different industry. In 2014, while still a student at the University of Georgia, she received a call from a friend of a friend, who had a cryptic pitch: “I can’t tell you what we’re doing, but we’re starting a company, and it's going to be huge. And we’d like you to be a part of it.”

Skeptical but intrigued, Weisiger listened. That call led her to Bumble, a dating app, which was then just a fledgling idea with a bold mission: empower women to make the first move. What followed was a crash course in startup grit, cultural change and marketing innovation that would shape her career. Today, Weisiger is the founder of Willow Hill, a private investment vehicle.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Weisiger sits down with Ledger editor Tony Mecia to discuss her career, including her family’s business, The Weisiger Group, her early role at Bumble and what she learned, the principles of search funds, her journey in investment and how she approaches finding and leading scalable businesses.

Today’s episode is sponsored by Hillandale Advisors, a Charlotte-based investment and advisory firm that provides strategic counsel to local business owners and invests in private businesses, public equities, and commercial real estate. The Private Business Roundtable hosts events to connect and educate the private business community in Charlotte, Raleigh and Winston-Salem. Are you looking for support in capital raising, hiring key talent or selling your business? Contact [email protected] or learn more at www.HillandaleAdvisors.com.

You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger, and subscribe to our locally focused newsletters, at TheCharlotteLedger.com.

This episode was produced by Lindsey Banks.

Charlotte celebrated the 250th anniversary of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence on May 20, 2025, at a ceremony and re-enactment in uptown Charlotte.

Watch the full celebration, with commentary and interviews by co-hosts Tony Mecia and Cristina Bolling of The Charlotte Ledger — with impromptu guests including former county commissioner Matthew Ridenhour, planning commission member Clayton Sealey and Ledger history correspondent John Short.

You might also enjoy this podcast about the Meck Dec:

Related Ledger articles:

* “Debating the Meck Dec” (May 12)

* “Charlotte breweries release Meck Dec-themed beers” (May 7)

* “Blowout celebrations planned for Meck Dec milestone” (March 17)

* “Historical Heavyweights: Charlotte’s revolutionary tavern keeper” (March 15)

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If you've ever tuned into Charlotte’s NPR station in the mornings, you've probably heard the soothing voice of Marshall Terry. But you probably don't know much about him otherwise. In an era marked by building personal brands, influencers and oversharing on social media, Terry is refreshingly old school. He doesn’t post on social media, and he rarely talks to media interviews outside of his job.

On this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Terry talks with Ledger editor Tony Mecia about the unique aspects of Terry’s career, his love for the early morning radio lifestyle and his unexpected journey into broadcasting.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is sponsored by Child Care Search, a service of Child Care Resources Inc. Looking for child care? Our team provides guidance every step of the way! Search online at FindChildCareNC.org or call 1-888-600-1685 for live assistance and free, customized referrals. 

You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger, and subscribe to our locally focused newsletters, at TheCharlotteLedger.com.

This episode was produced by Lindsey Banks.

Did a group of Charlotte patriots really declare independence from Britain more than a year before the rest of the colonies? Or is the tale of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence — the “Meck Dec,” said to be signed on May 20, 1775 — just a case of wishful thinking and poor recollections?

As the 250th anniversary of the Meck Dec approaches, this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast looks deeper into that enduring debate — one that has been raging for more than two centuries, and one that even Thomas Jefferson and John Adams weighed in on.

The episode is a recording of a panel discussion held in early May 2025 at The Sharon at SouthPark retirement community and led by The Ledger’s Cristina Bolling. The panelists were:

Scott Syfert,  co-founder of the May 20th Society, chairman of the Trail History Board and author of “The First American Declaration of Independence?”

Kendall Kendrick, director of the Charlotte Trail of History and  Charlotte Liberty Walk

John Short,  a history buff who writes The Charlotte Ledger’s “Historical Heavyweights” series

In this episode, the expert panel unpacks the history, explores the evidence and explains why this centuries-old mystery still matters today. Whether you’re a history buff or just curious about Charlotte’s past, this conversation will fill you in on one of the region’s most fascinating and contested stories.

You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger at TheCharlotteLedger.com. You can find out more about the May 20 Society at may20thsociety.org .

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast was produced by Lindsey Banks.

Joanna Beck has an eye for identifying inefficiencies. She helps businesses see their potential for improving their operations. She founded Beck Insights, a business consulting and strategy firm, with the mission to help businesses recognize their challenges and make the necessary changes to thrive.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Beck sits down with podcast host Steven Dunn to talk about her experience in transforming inefficient business operations into profitable, structured systems — and how small changes can lead to significant improvements.

This episode is part of a series in which we interview winners of The Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 Awards, which honor people aged 40+ who are making our community a better place. Beck won in 2024., Find out information about those awards at Ledger40Over40.com.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com.

This podcast was produced by Lindsey Banks.

In a world where the disparity between different socioeconomic classes is increasing, organizations like United Way of Greater Charlotte play a critical role in forging paths toward greater economic mobility for future generations.

United Way of Greater Charlotte is one of the Charlotte region's largest health and human services nonprofits. The nonprofit stands at a unique confluence of the public sector, private corporations, philanthropy and nonprofit organizations, which allows it to harness resources and expertise from different arenas.

United Way has put nearly $18 million in community investments into 134 nonprofit organizations across a four-county area: Anson, Cabarrus, Union and Mecklenburg.

In this episode of the Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Kathryn Firmin-Sellers, who first joined United Way of Greater Charlotte in 2018 as chief impact officer before becoming president and CEO in April 2025, sits down with Ledger editor Tony Mecia to discuss the organization's mission to lift children and families out of poverty by leveraging community partnerships.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast was produced by Lindsey Banks.

You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger at TheCharlotteLedger.com. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

In a time of economic turbulence and market volatility, understanding where things stand—and where they’re headed—feels more important than ever.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Ledger editor Tony Mecia talks with economist Mark Vitner. Vitner, a longtime Charlotte-based economist formerly with Wells Fargo, is now chief economist for Piedmont Crescent Capital, a boutique economic consulting firm. He explains why the Charlotte region has remained resilient—and what clouds may be gathering on the horizon.

Vitner notes that while the fundamentals remain solid, warning signs are starting to flash—especially when it comes to trade tensions, inflation expectations and real estate. He also discusses how Charlotte’s unique strengths position it better than many peer cities to weather a potential downturn.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast was produced by Tony Mecia.

You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger at TheCharlotteLedger.com. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Aging is a stage of life that many of us are either confronting personally or experiencing through the eyes of loved ones. Discussing it can be uncomfortable and overwhelming, especially when there is some resistance or hostility toward extra care as you or your loved one gets older.

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Caregiving Corner CEO Jennifer Szakaly shares practical and compassionate advice for families navigating aging and caregiving. It's the audio of a webinar held in April 2025 by The Charlotte Ledger and Caregiving Corner, which provides care management and counseling services for older adults and their families.

Szakaly talks with Ledger managing editor Cristina Bolling about practical strategies to help families prepare for the aging journey with less stress and more support.

For more information on Caregiving Corner, visit https://caregivingcorner.com/

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is sponsored by Caregiving Corner. Caregiving Corner works with families who are taking care of aging relatives and need assistance navigating the long-term care system. Whether you are planning for aging, or needing help managing a crisis, our team is here for you. For more information, visit CaregivingCorner.com.