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My wife and I went there on opening day (9:20 that night to be exact). As soon as I parked my car and opened the door, some strange woman came up to my wife's door asking for change. The woman came out of nowhere and kinda scared us. We told her "no" in a nice way and she casually went to another vehicle (still asking for money). We later found out that this particular Wal-Mart will NOT be 24 hours. IMO, they should close when the sun goes down, not 12 midnight.
Other than the creepy woman in the parking lot, I thought that the store was rather nice (given the neighborhood). I usually don't care when a place like Wal-mart opens. However, it is interesting when one opens in "the hood". Still though, it will take MUCH more than Wal-Mart to turn that area around.
My wife and I went there on opening day (9:20 that night to be exact). As soon as I parked my car and opened the door, some strange woman came up to my wife's door asking for change. The woman came out of nowhere and kinda scared us. We told her "no" in a nice way and she casually went to another vehicle (still asking for money). We later found out that this particular Wal-Mart will NOT be 24 hours. IMO, they should close when the sun goes down, not 12 midnight.
Other than the creepy woman in the parking lot, I thought that the store was rather nice (given the neighborhood). I usually don't care when a place like Wal-mart opens. However, it is interesting when one opens in "the hood". Still though, it will take MUCH more than Wal-Mart to turn that area around.
That isn't the bright and shiny best part of Charlotte, but it's definitely not the hood. How did you come to that conclusion? I've got a couple friends that live back in that area, and I do not deal with hood rats.
That isn't the bright and shiny best part of Charlotte, but it's definitely not the hood. How did you come to that conclusion? I've got a couple friends that live back in that area, and I do not deal with hood rats.
The homes behind Wal-Mart are not bad at all. However, the business strip along Independence (or shall I say, what used to be a business strip) is now a hangout for pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers, and "creepy women" looking for a handout at the new Wal-Mart. Quite a few of those hotels near Bojangles coliseum were shut down due to the "neighborhood issues" that they attracted. IHOP closed their location in that area; so did the bowling alley. Before the freeway project, that area was "the place to be". Today, it's the hood IMO.
I can still remember going out that way when I was younger. There was a KFC on the corner of Independence and The Plaza (an intersection that no longer exists). My school (a catholic school) was located on the corner of Shenandoah and The Plaza. After school, I would walk down to Kim School of Tae Kwon Do (which is still there on Independence). There were TONS of businesses and activity along Independence back then.
Today though, it is an empty shell of its former self; not a place that a kid would be safe walking to his martial arts practices. I cry everytime I go out that way and see what the freeway project has done to my old school's neighborhood.
Maybe this Wal-Mart will bring it back? I have my doubts; time will tell.
My wife and I went there on opening day (9:20 that night to be exact). As soon as I parked my car and opened the door, some strange woman came up to my wife's door asking for change. The woman came out of nowhere and kinda scared us. We told her "no" in a nice way and she casually went to another vehicle (still asking for money). We later found out that this particular Wal-Mart will NOT be 24 hours. IMO, they should close when the sun goes down, not 12 midnight.
Other than the creepy woman in the parking lot, I thought that the store was rather nice (given the neighborhood). I usually don't care when a place like Wal-mart opens. However, it is interesting when one opens in "the hood". Still though, it will take MUCH more than Wal-Mart to turn that area around.
That wal-mart is not in "the hood". If it is in "the hood" why are you shoping there? Did you leave your "non-hood" neighborhood to check out a wal-mart?
That wal-mart is not in "the hood". I would be curious what part of town you live in. Also, if it is in "the hood" why are you shoping there? Did you leave your "non-hood" neighborhood to check out a wal-mart?
I went there because I wanted to be a part of that area's rebirth. The best way to do that is to spend money there. The closest Wal-Mart to my house is the one near I-485 and South Tryon. I've been shopping there since my return to Charlotte back in late 2007. Never (and I mean NEVER) has anyone asked me for money in that Wal-mart's parking lot. Day 1 at the "eastside" Wal-Mart and there "she" was; stumbling/mumbling/high as a kite and desperate for pocket change. The poor girl looked like death walking (and smelled like it too).
Other than our "parking lot greeter", we (my wife and I) had a pleasant experience and we will be shopping there again. The staff was friendly, the store was clean, and the turn around to US-74 west was fairly simple.
Anyways, this new Wal-Mart could be a sign of better times for that particular stretch of the eastside. I'd love to see more businesses and higher-end apartments (condos or townhomes) in that corridor.
I also went to school at OLA in the 80's when the KFC, ACE speed shop,etc. were all there. That era has been long gone. Funny, that is a desirable area today compared to back then.
The empty shopping center certainly looks like hell, but that doesn't mean the area is a hood. The city of Charlotte killed that mall with the transitional setback,not the people living around there. Sorry you met a person begging for change, but it happens everywhere.
I also went to school at OLA in the 80's when the KFC, ACE speed shop,etc. were all there. That era has been long gone. Funny, that is a desirable area today compared to back then.
Neighborhood wise yes; business wise NO!!! Even OLA has moved out to Shamrock Drive. Kim School is struggling with keeping members (IMO, they might need to relocate too). It just seems as though the business side of that area is dying out.
The bottom line is that this Wal-Mart is seen as the possible saviour of this corridor (if it wasn't going downhill fast, it would not need a "saviour"). Calling it "the hood" may have been harsh, but understand that I was talking about Independence Blvd's business front (as well as the hotel area near the coliseum; people actually live in some of those hotels because they're cheap).
I personally love the area. I'm just not happy with what I see today along it's business front. What the Wal-mart on Wilkinson Blvd has done is EXACTLY what I would like to see (on a larger scale) at the eastside location. I think we both can agree on that. Look at them both and compare....
I absolutely hope that a wilkinson blvd scenario happens for that strip in Independence. With the setback now removed, upgrades,rebuilding,development,etc can now take place.
Neighborhood wise yes; business wise NO!!! Even OLA has moved out to Shamrock Drive. Kim School is struggling with keeping members (IMO, they might need to relocate too). It just seems as though the business side of that area is dying out.
The bottom line is that this Wal-Mart is seen as the possible saviour of this corridor (if it wasn't going downhill fast, it would not need a "saviour"). Calling it "the hood" may have been harsh, but understand that I was talking about Independence Blvd's business front (as well as the hotel area near the coliseum; people actually live in some of those hotels because they're cheap).
I personally love the area. I'm just not happy with what I see today along it's business front. What the Wal-mart on Wilkinson Blvd has done is EXACTLY what I would like to see (on a larger scale) at the eastside location. I think we both can agree on that. Look at them both and compare....
Is it significant that the Wilkinson Blvd map comes up looking towards a building "For lease"? So much for rebuilding that area.
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