CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A popular restaurant in Charlotte's NoDa neighborhood said it was vandalized the night before hosting a charity drag brunch aimed at supporting a breast cancer nonprofit.
The Artisan's Palate shared photos on Instagram and Facebook showing a partially-shattered front door and shattered glass windows. The restaurant's caption indicated a man used a mallet to break the glass. Christa Csoka, the owner of The Artisan's Palate, told WCNC Charlotte the man also stole some liquor while breaking other bottles on the floor.
“This is a single woman-owned business and we are very small. Any little bit totally cuts into everything,” said Csoka.
She believes someone tried to break in through the front door. She had replaced it with a thicker glass after a previous break-in months ago. She said once the perpetrator couldn’t get through that door they eventually smashed their way through the sliding patio door.
“The bar was messed up and inside there was glass everywhere,” she said.
Despite the damage, Csoka said the show had to go on and her staff went into straight clean-up mode ahead of the monthly charity drag brunch show.
“It was for Carolina Breast Friends, hence the pink wig, and so it is near and dear to my heart because my mother had breast cancer,” she said.
Carolina Breast Friends issued a statement following the incident, saying:
"Carolina Breast Friends was saddened to learn of the overnight vandalism at the Artisan’s Palate today. Christa who is currently fundraising and bringing awareness to our organization for the month of May through our Wiggin Out for Carolina Breast Friend‘s campaign, has an incredibly generous heart. We hate to see something so disrespectful happen to a local business who prides itself on giving back to our community."
It’s a brunch Debora Johnson said has put a smile on her face during a challenging time in her life.
“This is the most fun we have had in a long time,” said Johnson. “I’m just venturing out again after all of my treatments and this was just a great way to do it.”
Csoka hired someone to quickly get the window fixed, is working on getting camera footage from nearby businesses, and hopes to catch the person who did this.
“It hurts as a small business to be hit, after being hit, and hit, and hit, after COVID,” she said. “But we did our drag brunch today because we are not going to let whomever it was bring us down.”
The restaurant said this wasn't the first time it had been vandalized and asked for support from the community. The Artisan's Palate shared a GoFundMe fundraiser started by a longtime supporter for anyone to donate to, and the window was quickly fixed.
A police report has been filed.
Csoka said she has raised more than $64,000 dollars through her drag brunches for local charities and she has no plans to stop now. Previous brunches have raised funds Time Out Youth and the Charlotte Gaymers Network as examples.
Replies in the comment sections on Instagram and Facebook were largely supportive, with people promising to help.
While the Csoka didn't outright say the vandalism was directly triggered by the brunch, she did note it happened the night before the brunch. Drag performances have become a hot-button political issue across the country, with some voices on the political right labeling such performances as attempts at sexually grooming minors or as inherently explicit.
North Carolina Republicans recently proposed a state bill to ban public drag performances and impose felony charges. In neighboring Tennessee, an anti-drag bill has faced public outcry and even a temporary restraining order. Back in Charlotte, local drag artists have been keeping safety top of mind amidst the political showdown.
The focus on drag shows is part of a larger movement focused on LGBTQ rights and inclusion, especially in discussions on transgender individuals. The North Carolina GOP recently advanced a state House bill that would bar gender-affirming surgeries for people under the age of 18. Both chambers of the General Assembly passed differing bills preventing transgender women from participating in girls' sports.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.