The roster of small businesses that will take up residence in the new live-work units at Camp North End is nearly complete. 

CT Anderson, founder and creative director of local nonprofit Springclean, will move her operation there in the coming months, according to a press release. That organization, founded in 2019, is dedicated to reducing textile waste in landfills, fostering sustainable employment opportunities, and educating communities about the benefits of a circular economy. Its work encompasses what Springclean's website calls the "five R's": ​ Resale, Rental Repair, Renew, Recycle.

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I got back super-super-late from the Ford Performance event last night, driving back from Charlotte at 2 am because in many fundamental and important ways, I’m a dummy. But while I was there I saw a fantastic off-road vehicle I wasn’t previously familiar with, and it had pretty much nothing to do with Ford Performance, though I suppose there are some historical Ford tie-ins. The vehicle was encased in glass, like it lived in a colossal terrarium, and it’s big strange face drew my attention like it hooked it on a winch. Let’s talk about this thing. 

This thing, is technically known as the M561, but is better known as the Gama Goat. The name comes from the man who designed the powered, articulated joint this machine uses, Roger Gamaunt, and the “goat” part is because this thing climbs over terrain like a, you know, goat. The reason there was one preserved under glass at the facility Ford was holding their big event was because that facility was once known as Camp North End, and it started life as a Ford factory, where it was used to build Models T and A (get your mind out of the gutter) up until the 1930s.

Then it was used for Army warehouses, then in the 1950s Douglas Aircraft used some of those warehouses to build Hercules and Ajax guided missiles, and then in 1969 Consolidated Diesel Corp. (CONDEC) built a factory there to build these Gama Goats for the war in Vietnam. So that’s why one is preserved there, among all the restaurants and event spaces and clubs or whatever – they used to build them right there.

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Cork & Cap will bring hand-selected beers and wines to Camp North End.

Co-owners Brian Kelly and Adam Lingle plan to open that location at 4 p.m. on Jan. 30. It will be part of the development’s Keswick District at 1701 N. Graham St.

Atco Properties & Management and partner Shorenstein Properties are behind that piece of the 76-acre development. To date, over 500,000 square feet has been redeveloped at the site — home to 1.3 million square feet of former Army and Ford industrial buildings.

Cork & Cap will launch with 1,200 square feet, and plans for expansion. It has subleased 2,600 square feet total from former tenant Cloud Genera. Kelly founded that technology company, which moved its offices to Camp North End in 2020. He sold it last summer.

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Of course, it wouldn’t be on brand if Camp North End’s first multifamily development hadn’t considered a way to support Charlotte’s small businesses owners — both at home and at work. We have a new retail drop at the North Charlotte neighborhood: Five creators will open storefronts out of live-work units at Camp North End’s new multifamily development, Kinship West.

These ground-floor spaces are great news for those who dream of a short work commute or, as a consumer: A walkable neighborhood with everything you need — now including a manicure, a hat, a haircut, clothes or even a new tattoo.

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