CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In recent months, business owners in Charlotte's Camp North End have expressed concern over the lack of foot traffic. Fewer customers visiting the area have business owners asking where's the money.
The chime at the door at Wentworth & Fenn is a small reminder they're open for business, and a big opportunity for the owner, Samantha Ward, to make someone else’s life sweeter.
Ward said they make everything from scratch and buy quality ingredients that come to life inside the oven. The problem is recently a lot of the pastries never make it from behind this glass.
"There is just no one coming out," Ward said."We are getting days where we will barely hit $200, and it's like oh my gosh what is going on out there."
It's a challenge she said leaves her and some other businesses here in Camp North End slowly dying.
"When we don’t make what we need to, it does force me to sit here and think about the future," Ward said.
Over at That’s Novel Books the owner, Alyssa Pressler, said summers are often slower and that's why she preps ahead.
"It gets pretty hot out [and] people want to stay home in their air conditioner," Pressler said. "We kind of save during the busy months for the slower months because every business will have a seasonal block you just have to prepare for it."
As businesses in Camp North End continue to push through this summer, they’re hoping things will turn around for the better.
"We just want people to come out and support," Ward said.
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