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by Bridget Callahan photo by Megan Deitz
The Cargo District gains momentum and brings female entrepreneurs along the way
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successful business is rarely a thing that comes out of nowhere. More often, it’s the result of years spent collecting skills and experiences, combined with the ability to sense a moment of opportunity. For ELIZABETH CARDAMONE, the beginning of the COVID lockdown was one such moment. Last year, finding herself in lockdown with her thenfiancée Christian and both of them working from home, she says it felt like the right time to jump into Christian’s burgeoning property management business. The now-married couple owns Aloha Wilmington Real Estate, and Elizabeth Cardamone’s found herself at the heart of the up-and-coming Cargo District close to downtown Wilmington. “It’s definitely been interesting,” she says. “Taking on something so new during the pandemic just forced us to both think outside the box and operate totally out of our comfort zones, which I think is something I needed. “I think The Cargo District is full of people like that, who had to think outside of the box, and I think COVID was just the push everyone needed. We all have these ideas of maybe one day I’ll do this or maybe I one day I’ll own something of my own. That’s definitely the case for a lot of people in the District.”
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Elizabeth Cardamone is a Wilmington native who has spent a lifetime getting to know this city, from her early days as a bartender at Elijah’s to wedding coordinator to her last position at local nonprofit WARM, Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry. Now as a partner with her husband, she finds herself managing almost 75,000 square feet of retail and office space in The Cargo District, an opportunity to put all those hard-earned organizational and networking skills to use. Developed by L.S. Smith Inc., The Cargo District rose in the past couple of years, growing around an initial cluster of unique apartments at 1602 Queen Street built from shipping containers. It now expands over several blocks and includes stores, professional offices, eateries, a coffee shop, a distillery, and more. “I love the concept of the shipping containers for something new and different,” Elizabeth Cardamone says. “I’m a big fan of minimalism, and I think downtown that’s what we need – affordable rental spaces. It’s one of the reasons we have these young, firsttime entrepreneurs coming to our area because it’s not these sprawling office spaces or a giant strip mall.” Just as the neighborhood isn’t standard, the Cardamones have a unique approach as well.
WOMEN-OWNED OR CO-OWNED BUSINESSES IN THE CARGO DISTRICT THE PLANT OUTPOST Sarah Mertz HALF UNITED Carmin Black AUGGIE & ZO Zoe Jurusik MISSIO HAIR Lorin Van Zandt HAIR BY VANESSA Vanessa Grant Teasley PETALS TO THE PEOPLE Erin Ellsworth ROSE + HONEY STUDIO Kat Christian OUTPOST COFFEE CO. Kourtnie Souders NOURISH NOSH Kendra Burgon TAY LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENT Lynne D’Eramo WHOLE WATER SOLUTIONS Nory Simoneaux SALT + CHARM Abbye McGee LETTERS FROM AFAR Shawnee Mills SOUTH CASTLES Caroline Castles END OF DAYS DISTILLERY Beth Faulkner ALOHA WILMINGTON REAL ESTATE Elizabeth Cardamone TRANSCEND BOOKKEEPING & FINANCE Jenna May SHERRY BLACK DESIGNS Sherry Black MEREWIF (coming soon) Savannah Watson JEAN PALMER HOME (coming soon) Rebecca Milligan MARCH 2021
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