by TM Petaccia

Justin Hazelton never intended his popup concept to last more than a year, but Lorem Ipsum garnered such notoriety, accolades, and popularity, the listening bar concept lasted over 32 months. Now after the extended stay inside The Refuge boutique hotel in Plaza Midwood, Hazelton quietly ended the bar’s residency, about a month earlier than originally planned.

Hazelton said the closure was accelerated by building-related HVAC issues that made continued operation especially difficult during Charlotte’s recent heat wave.

“We were going to shut it down before August,” Hazelton says. “But some HVAC issues hit at the same time as the heat wave. It forced us to stop business a little earlier than anticipated.”

The Refuge bar space has hosted a number of short-term incubator concepts before they transtioned to full-size permanent brick-and-mortar spaces, including Runaway Cove (The Royal Tot) and Humbug. The same evolution is planned for Lorem Ipsum.

“Lorem Ipsum is going to be a bigger and better space in a permanent location,” Hazelton says. “We learned and beta tested the concept in a major way. But now we can actually take that to where it’s supposed to fully go.”

While Hazelton is not yet revealing the location of the future venue, he said the new iteration of Lorem Ipsum is expected to open during the second quarter of 2027.

In the meantime, Hazelton is preparing to launch a new concept at Innovation Barn called And.Or.Café, with an anticipated opening in late August. The concept will feature coffee, cocktails, tea service and light bites while embracing the sustainability-focused mission of Innovation Barn.

“It’s going to be a waste-not bar,” he says. “We’re going to deal with a lot of circular economy, sustainability, eco-friendly ways of conducting business and making cocktails. We’re not wasting anything at all. We’re going to be doing an amazing coffee and tea program. We’re going to have an amazing cocktail program with some amazing light bites.”

Hazelton also plans to launch Lorem Ipsum Radio from the Innovation Barn campus, featuring DJ sets and live music performances streamed digitally, including YouTube. “We’re going to feature our favorite DJs,” he says.

The experience at The Refuge, Hazelton said, taught him lessons about costs, inventory management and customer expectations, while reinforcing the value of authenticity and hospitality.

“I’ve learned how supportive the community and culture in Charlotte from a culinary perspective, from an arts perspective, and a music perspective,” Hazelton says. “I learned when you build it, they will come. You just have to be authentic and focus on service and hospitality.”

Perhaps most importantly, he said, the experience confirmed that the vision behind Lorem Ipsum has a future in Charlotte.

“I learned that I can do it,” Hazelton said. “That this dream can come true. And the people will support it when you actually come from a real place of honesty.”

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