Charlotte Community Talk: Laurie Martin



So you want to put the house up for sale, but the thought of going through all of your stuff is too intimidating? Or maybe you just want more room in the house you live in now? We know that downsizing your possessions can be exhausting and emotional. But like any journey, it starts with that first step — and maybe some help from the pro’s.

Laurie Martin is that pro. She is a professional organizer and for the past 16 years, has helped people downsize, let go, or organize what they own. She owns Simplicity Organizers in Charlotte and has some good advice for us now about keeping it simple.


Charlotte Community Talk: RunCharlotte



We know road races have been canceled because of COVID-19, but runners are still out there training and staying in shape. In fact, a lot of folks have picked up running as a new sport because gyms are closed but greenways, parks, and neighborhood streets are wide open. Now.. they want a place to put their skills to the test.

A lot of events have become virtual races, but one allows you not just flexibility.. but a great way to see some of the Queen City’s favorite views, on 6 set routes, at your convenience. The RunCharlotte Neighborhood Tour checks out some of the best routes around the area. Tim Rhodes and Jeff Cooper are here with us on Charlotte Community Talk to give us the scoop.


Charlotte Community Talk: Terrell Huntley



We all love a big family meal, especially at times like this. But a big community meal is something we’re missing — meals like the kind that brought our communities together during civil unrest of the 1960’s and other times when things got tense.

The community table returned to Charlotte last year, in a regular event called Civil Gatherings. It’s on hold for right now, but organizers have used this time to do good in our community when they couldn’t bring people together around a table. Terrell Huntley is here to tell us about all that’s going on.


Charlotte Community Talk: Jeff Gaeckle



This time of the year is when our neighborhood pools open and the kids can’t wait to get there. This year, however, is a little different. Pools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and only opened under Phase 2 of the reopening process — with new restrictions.

Luckily for us, we have one of the foremost experts on pools the Charlotte area here with us on the Charlotte Community Talk Podcast today. Welcome to Jeff Gaeckle, a well-known name in swimming circles — from SwimMAC to the UltraSwim Swim Meet to Carolina Pool Management, he’s got 40 years of pool experience to answer our questions.


Charlotte Community Talk: Ben Cooley



The economy is stretched right now with so many businesses that were forced to close down during stay at home restrictions, but one essential business that picked up pace is bike shops. Since outdoor exercise has been allowed and even encouraged, a lot of folks either dusted off old bikes, or bought new ones to take advantage of outdoor opportunities. Ben Cooley is the owner of Bicycle Sport on Selwyn Avenue in Myers Park and is here to fill us in on this new in-demand activity.


Charlotte Community Talk: Jordan Dollard



As we debate the future of brick-and-mortar retail, pop-up markets have attracted shoppers in greater numbers than ever. We have quite a few of them here in Charlotte, and a lot of you have probably visited one to do some holiday shopping during December. Someone who has really grabbed ahold of the idea of organizing pop-ups ins Jordan Dollard, of Esther and Elsa. Once a retail store owner herself, Jordan changed gears to organizing markets for a number of popular venues — and business has taken off.


Charlotte Community Talk: Andrew Wilen



If you’ve turned on your TV on a Saturday morning.. or caught a news show with a cooking segment.. chances are, you’ve seen Chef Alyssa doing her favorite thing for the cameras. In just 7 years, Alyssa Wilen and her husband, Andrew, have gone from hosting her first cooking class… to a new kitchen, catered lunches, take-home meals, and now, home delivery and online classes to still reach out to the community that can’t get enough of her. The online classes are just one way Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen has learned to grow and be flexible, in trying times that cut 95% of the beloved brand’s revenue in a very short time. Andrew Wilen joins to tell us about their growth, and more recently, their pivot.


Charlotte Community Talk: Kristin Beck



There are plenty of social challenges in Charlotte, and gratefully, also a great number of non-profit organizations tackling those challenges, too. The annual SEED20 program is just one effort from Social Venture Partners that identifies and connects the community to some of the most innovative ideas for solving social problems. Social Venture Partners has invested more than $1.5 million dollars in 21 organizations since 2005, in addition to $350-thousand dollars just for SEED20 since 2012. That is a lot of good for our community! And SVP has just named a new SEED20 class in its first-ever online celebration and vote. Kristin Beck is joining us on Charlotte Real Estate Talk to tell us how this all works.


Charlotte Real Estate Talk: Varian Shrum



If you’ve lived in Charlotte a long time, you know there are great areas, and areas you just drive through to get to other great areas. One of those was — and we emphasize WAS — a huge swath of land north of uptown, between Statesville Avenue and North Graham Street. The area was a grey, industrial collection of old brick factories just a little too close to the railroad tracks. Well guess what… just like South End has transformed from industrial to lively, now North End has too. We are specifically talking about Camp North End, which over the last 100 years has been a Ford factory, a bomb factory, and a warehouse for prescription drugs. And there’s nothing we like talking about on Charlotte Real Estate Talk more than transformation. Varian Shrum .. the Community Manager.. is here to give us all the details on this hip new place north of uptown Charlotte.