around town

A rare Chinese Imperial vase from the collection of Sarah Belk Gambrell fetched a whopping $2.45 million at auction — a figure far higher than its pre-sale estimate of $100,000-$300,000. At just under 5 inches tall, the rare falangcai vase adorned with a garden scene featuring two women and a child is a product of the Qianlong

Emperor’s imperial workshop. Gambrell, the Belk department-store heiress and esteemed philanthropist who died last year at 102, was an avid collector of European and Asian porcelain. The auction was conducted by New York City-based Doyle.

The Ballantyne Hotel was named No. 2 Hotel in the South by Conde Nast Traveler’s 2021 Reader’s Choice awards. The 208-room hotel — the only Charlotte property on the list — earned high marks for its service, spa and dining options. “If you took a gentleman’s library and married it with a little Hollywood Regency glamour, you’d have the rooms and suites at The Ballantyne,” the report says. The Brown Hotel in Louisville, Ky., earned the top spot on the list of 25.

food + drink

Hi-Wire Brewing plans to open a brewery and taproom at 330 W. Tremont Ave. in South End in spring 2022, its ninth location. The space will include two separate bars and a beer garden, with seating for 300 people. Hi-Wire was founded in Asheville in 2013 — other taprooms are in Durham, Wilmington, Knoxville, Tenn., and Louisville, Ky. u The Batch House has reopened at 901 Berryhill Rd. in west Charlotte. The popular bakeshop was forced to close last year after its Wesley Heights location flooded. u The owners of Kindred in Davidson plan to open Milkbread, a counter-service cafe, at the former Dairy Queen spot in Plaza Midwood. Expect crispy chicken sandwiches, bowls and salads, and milkbread doughnuts, along with coffee, wine and beer.

retail

Betty by Moxie Mercantile, a children’s and women’s apparel store, opened last month at 1219 Thomas Ave. in Plaza Midwood. The store name is inspired by Betty Ziegler Mims, the former owner of Bride’s House of Originals, which was housed in Moxie’s Commonwealth Avenue location and closed in 2014 after 50 years. u Menswear brand Psycho Bunny and apparel retailer Scotch & Soda are opening soon at SouthPark Mall.

Moxie Mercantile owner Michelle Castelloe, left, and Betty Riegler Mims

USA Field Hockey chose the Queens University of Charlotte Sports Complex at Marion Diehl Park as the new temporary training facility for the U.S. women’s national team. The team is currently training for the 2022 Pan American Cup, which will take place in Santiago, Chile, Jan. 20-30.

A bigger, better Blackhawk by Michael J. Solender

Nearly two years in the making, Blackhawk Hardware’s store expansion and reimagination is formally complete. The transformation of the longtime Park Road Shopping Center stalwart increases in-store space by nearly a third, adding a 12,000-square-foot lower level to boost the total footprint to more than 42,000 square feet. The expansion also added a rear customer entrance by the garden center in the shopping center’s back lot.

“We cut a giant hole through the floor of an operational store in the middle of a pandemic,” says Blackhawk owner Andy Wilkerson, describing the expansion of the store that opened in 1977 and is part of the national ACE Hardware store network. Now, a wide stairway and glass elevator lead from the main floor to the lower level. New flooring; wide, well-marked aisles; and lower-profile shelving provide a light, open feel where customers can easily navigate the vast merchandise displays.

Almost every department grew — Wilkerson says the store now carries around 100,000 different items for sale — with outdoor grills and barbecue supplies leading the way. “Grilling is our top selling category,” says Wilkerson, who notes Blackhawk is one the largest dealers in the nation of both Big Green Egg and Weber grills.

A new toy department — think puzzles, blocks, wagons, Schleich figurines, and battery-free diversions that don’t blink, buzz or babble — will keep the kids engaged. There are also expanded pet offerings, including a self-serve dog wash. Wilkerson, whose pooches Nacho and Scout are often on hand to welcome customers, says the sudsy spa sees about 100 canine customers a week.

Wilkerson estimates the expansion, which began in fall 2019, cost nearly $2 million.

“We sell time,” Wilkerson says, noting Blackhawk’s culture of engaging customer service offers an advantage over big-box stores. “People know they’re going to get answers to their questions, have access to expertise and not spend precious time searching for what they need when they come in. We don’t waste people’s time.” SP