By Jennifer Thomas – Senior Staff Writer, Charlotte Business Journal
May 28, 2020
Popbar will expand its local footprint with a location at Camp North End.
The frozen-dessert retailer has nabbed space at the The Bunkhouse in Camp North End’s Mount district.
Local Popbar franchisees Clarence and Kia Lyons — owners of Popbar’s NoDa shop — are behind that venture.
“The uniqueness of the property and its commitment to the Charlotte community aligns perfectly with our values of quality, service and authenticity,” Kia says.
Popbar serves handcrafted gelato, sorbet and frozen yogurt on a stick. The menu features 13 of the most popular pre-dipped and topped pops, frozen lemonade as well as a few items exclusive to Camp North End.
The new shop is expected to open in mid- to late June.
Popbar will serve customers via a walk-up window to meet social-distancing guidelines. Plans also call for Popbar’s cart on wheels to move throughout the site — with a portion of sales given to local nonprofits.
“This shop is another great example of how Camp North End’s ample outdoor space strategically supports open-air dining and walk-up ordering, which is critical to the successful return of small businesses after Covid-19,” says Tommy Mann, development director at Camp North End.
Camp North End is an adaptive-reuse project by New York-based ATCO Properties & Management. It includes more than 1 million square feet of former warehouse space at the site, located between North Graham Street and Statesville Road just north of uptown.
Popbar marks the 11th food and beverage retailer to sign a lease at the development.
Black Moth Bars, a Charlotte-based mobile specialty bartending company, announced last week it would be parking its renovated vintage Airstream camper at Camp North End’s Boileryard on Friday nights to serve seasonal cocktails. That followed news earlier this month that Raydal Hospitality — behind Sabor Latin Street Grill and Three Amigos Mexican Cantina & Grill — is planning to bring its new La Caseta concept to the food stalls at Camp North End in June.