December 7, 2018

Morning Minute: Friday, December 7, 2018

December 7, 2018

News About and Around Town: There is a Board of Commissioners meeting this Monday, and it’s overflowing with agenda items. At 5:30, before the actual meeting, Commissioners will meet to discuss zoning for the warehouse property on East John St.

Following the discussion, at 6 PM, is a reception honoring Planning Director Kathi Ingrish, who is retiring this year.

During the regular Council meeting, the floor will be open for public comment on several rezoning applications. Application 2018-691 is for a mixed-use development which will include 121 townhomes on three acres at Idlewild and I-485. One property on West John is an application to rezone a residential lot, R-20, to office, O(CD). A third rezoning item, 2018-693, is simply to update the land use code for several properties in Crestdale to match the current Unified Develpment Ordinance.

The Board may vote on several items on Monday, including rezoning property on the Novant Hospital Campus to allow for office building construction. The Small Area Plan Overlays are back, the Board will once again have the opportunity to approve or deny the plans.

Beyond planning, the agenda contains fairly typical meeting items but there are a few worth noting. When NCDOT begins Independence Blvd improvements it will be up to the town to choose and fund pedestrian/bicycling improvements through the corridor. The Board will discuss this Monday night. They will consider the John Street Working Group's design and decide for or against adoption. Another item up for consideration is the 2019 Legislative Agenda, which lays out the expectations of the Town’s role in governing in tandem with the NC General Assembly.

One Fun Thing: If it’s not snowin’-up-a-storm this Saturday, we’ll be out at The Loyalist (435 North Trade St.) with Good Cup Coffee for our second Hyperlocal Holiday Pop Up of the season! Warm up with a bowl of The Loyalist’s legend(wait for it)ary soup, then stroll the pocket park in the side yard and shop handmade-wares while sipping on the tummy warming goodness of Good Cup cocoa.

Renee Garner

September 21, 2018

Morning Minute, In the Community

Matthews Morning Minute: September 21, 2018

Renee Garner

September 21, 2018

Morning Minute, In the Community

News About Town: Responding to a request from N.C. State Emergency Management, Matthews Police Department sent four officers to assist Fair Bluff, NC with recovery efforts from Hurricane Florence.

Eventually a total of 18 of Matthews’ Finest will travel to Fair Bluff, a small town still reeling from Hurricane Matthew.

News Above Town: Don’t get too excited, but temps will reach a mild 86 degrees today. Is that fall calling from the distance?

News Around Town: Chris Sottile, the man about town whose personality is as robust as the cheese he mongers, will be doing the final chef demo of the season at the Farmer’s Market this Saturday, September 22. Be there by 8:50 to get a good seat, the demo starts at 9. A trio from WDAV's Classical Harvest Concert Series will serenade the main market while you peruse peppers, while Nick Tutwiler, a fourteen-year-old fiddler, will entertain the tailgate section.

One Good Thing: If you’re looking for a way to help, local fire departments are collecting food, bottled water, hygiene products, and cleaning supplies for areas hit hard by Hurricane Florence.

Loose items should be boxed and labeled for quick identification and processing. Deliver donations to the Matthews Fire Department, Idlewild VFD, or Mint Hill Fire & Rescue by September 30.

The Loyalist Market

Renee Garner

August 8, 2018

Small Business, Lifestyle

#PreserveMatthews supports the small businesses that make Matthews unique. I recently asked the owner of the newly opened The Loyalist Market a few questions. I hope you'll read and enjoy learning more about them. Of course, go visit and support them as well. #PreserveMatthewsLocalBizInterview

Hi, my name is Chris Sottile, and I am the owner of The Loyalist Market, recently opened in downtown Matthew's North End District.

I am not a Matthews resident, but I live only 5 minutes away, less than a mile into Charlotte. I brought my business to Matthews because I'm obsessed with the authenticity of Main Street USA. With Matthews being the only main street community within the I-485 loop (besides Charlotte), I knew that's where I wanted to be.

I looked at the obvious hot spots - NODA, Plaza Midwood, South End, and Uptown, but kept being drawn to Matthews. I like the small town feel and I love what Matthews has become over the 11 years I've lived, especially recently. I knew for sure I did not want to end up in a shopping center and I wanted to be a part of the community where people can start their night at The Loyalist and be able to walk down the street to end it at Seaboard, Jekyll & Hyde, or Stumptown Station.

“The amount of neighbors that have walked into our shop while we’ve been renovating to introduce themselves and tell us how excited they are has been really uplifting.”

I found that I kinda overwhelmed myself with our product lineup! It's one thing to write 2 checks to Sysco and US Foods and have everything you need, it's another to write 60 checks to all the small local independent food producers in and around our community that The Loyalist will be representing. The concept is a cut-to-order cheese and charcuterie shop offering local artisan groceries. But we'll also offer sandwiches and salads during the day and operate as a Cheese Bar at night with cheesemonger-driven meat and cheese boards with beer and wine. We teach several classes on cheese pairings each month and offer daily food and drink specials. If you want to bring a crowd, we host private classes for groups of 8+ and rent out our space for special events.

We've got about 40 different cheeses and 20 different cured meats so I usually have a new favorite everyday.

But on our cheese bar menu, we've got a snack called Devils on Horseback which are dates stuffed with Mexican chorizo and Manchego cheese, wrapped in bacon and served with real maple syrup. Each one is gone in a bite, but they're insanely addictive.

I still have to drive to get to the shop, but once in downtown, you can walk almost anywhere. Google Map us to the Matthews Station Street and we're only 900ft away. I think once we open, people are going to realize just how walkable Trade Street really is and how much there is to offer in downtown Matthews. And if you're within biking distance, we've got a bike rack out front to park your bike.

Two people that really helped me while I was getting this concept off the ground are Alexis Botero and Elena Mizrahi of Royal Cafe & Creperie at Matthews Station. First of all, they have an amazing story and they are just really good, down to earth people that love what they do and care about their employees and customers. And they've got the best crepes in the county so that doesn't hurt either!