Hidden gem in Charlotte’s Oakhurst neighborhood where the menu is as creative as the food
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May 1, 2026
How The Market at 7th Street became a crucial first step for small businesses
The Uptown food hall and nonprofit offers a soft launch into hospitality
by Michelle Boudin
James Yoder was close to quitting the coffee business when a chance encounter instead led him to open up a Not Just Coffee outpost in the Market at 7th Street. That was fifteen years and five locations ago for the coffee shop.
“Being at the market changed our path,” Yoder says. “When I talk about entrepreneurship or opening a business, there are so many factors that go into being successful, but also something that is so pivotal are the chance encounters and finding an opportunity and taking advantage of them.”
Yoder was one of the original businesses to open up at The Market at 7th Street, Charlotte’s first food hall, which opened in 2011 as 7th Street Public Market with restaurant tenants and a farm stand. The nonprofit serves an incubator for new concepts or first-time business owners.
“The original concept was that it was designed to be a small business incubator but also at the time a goal was to be a market for fresh produce as well,” says Salem Suber, the executive director at the market. “Ultimately the needs of Uptown area residents and business associates showed that the demand was for restaurants.”
Yoder says the concept worked for him and quite a few others. “One of the things that made the market so unique when it first opened was that it was one of the few public spaces in the city where anyone can come in,” he says. “It was groundbreaking at the time, especially because it gave small businesses a chance to come in with a shorter, more affordable lease and because of that I’ve seen a lot of businesses cut their teeth there.”
That includes Assorted Table Wine & Shop, a wine shop born at the market 13 years ago that now has a huge following.
“It was a great opportunity to start my own business and it’s been a bit of a roller coaster over the years,” says Assorted Table owner Josh Villapando. “We’re just now getting over the pandemic and of course the arena closed for renovations and that destroyed us, but before all of that we were on a great trajectory and it’s coming back around. Right now, it’s the best lineup of small businesses in here that I’ve seen over the last 13 years. Every single business and owner here right now is rock solid. I think things are coming back around.”
Suber says that’s in part due to the recent collaboration with the Charlotte Center City Partners’ Hub for Inclusivity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (HIIVE) program. HIIVE offers resources for beginning small business owners, including a chance to lease space at the market for a low rent. This is the third year of the small business development program and many of the alumni now regularly participate in pop-ups and special events at the market.
“The biggest thing that’s changed is people’s awareness of the market and our mission as a nonprofit,” Suber says. “We’ve encouraged economic mobility through entrepreneurism by incubating them in an inclusive space and the new business program put us in a situation where we didn’t want to limit ourselves to only the ones in the market but to broaden the scope.”
This spring and summer, the market will host pop-ups on the patio, as well as host two HIIVE scholar residencies at the market for the year, helping small businesses grow an audience as well as take the first steps toward brick-and-mortar spaces.
“The big idea with the residencies is that it’s a place to showcase these businesses, and to give them an opportunity to learn about the uptown small business ecosystem,” Suber says.
Two longtime and popular market staples are moving on, something Suber says proves the model is working. Mad Dash was at the market for three years but recently made the decision to move to a brick-and-mortar location in Uptown. Orman’s Cheese Shop was an anchor store for 13 years before deciding to open a standalone storefront in Myers Park.
“We’d love for them to be here forever,” Suber says. “Ultimately, we are in alignment. We want to be a part of their next steps — whether it’s here or elsewhere. Orman’s Cheese is one of those businesses that built a strong customer base and is now ready to take business to the next level.”
