The EpiCentre Is Disappearing Before Our Eyes
When we first arrived in Charlotte in 2006, the EpiCentre was, to me, the symbol of Charlotte’s revitalized downtown scene. Located adjacent to a beautiful, new arena, the EpiCentre had…
When we first arrived in Charlotte in 2006, the EpiCentre was, to me, the symbol of Charlotte's revitalized downtown scene. Located adjacent to a beautiful, new arena, the EpiCentre had cool restaurants, shops, a new age bowling alley and movie theater, night clubs, and much more.
We even had a fully working radio studio next door to Blackfin Restaurant that we did our show from prior to concerts, and there were plans to have us broadcast from there full time during the summer months.
The EpiCentre is now on the verge of becoming a memory of what was and what could have been. Prior to the pandemic, there were instances of violence that had made people leery of being down there after a certain time of day. Now, with the economic strife inflicted by Covid-19 on restaurant and bar owners, there's fast becoming nowhere to be in the first place.
The aforementioned Blackfin, Moe's, Vida Cantina, Rooftop 210 (where we've hosted NUMEROUS concerts over the years), and Suite have all been served eviction notices by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office.
It's a sad, sad thing. Like I said, the EpiCentre was more than a "cool spot" to me. It was a symbol of 21st Century Charlotte. I'm not sure what it will become, I'm just not sure anything but memories can rise from the ashes.
