In a world where developers typically chase big-name national chains for guaranteed returns, Camp North End has chosen a different path—one that puts local businesses first. This innovative approach isn’t just changing the game for small business owners; it’s creating a thriving community destination that benefits everyone involved.
The Challenge Facing Small Businesses Today
Small businesses across the country are fighting an uphill battle. Rising operational costs, shrinking consumer spending, and increasingly expensive commercial rents have made it harder than ever for local entrepreneurs to survive, let alone thrive. Traditional commercial real estate models often favor established national brands that can afford hefty fixed rents, leaving innovative local ventures struggling to find affordable space.
Camp North End’s Game-Changing Solution
Enter Camp North End’s revolutionary approach: percentage rent. While this model isn’t entirely new—it’s commonly used in shopping centers—Camp North End has brought this tenant-friendly structure to an urban mixed-use development, where it’s rarely seen.
How Percentage Rent Works
Instead of burdening retail tenants with high fixed monthly rents that remain the same regardless of performance, Camp North End offers:
This structure creates a win-win scenario. When tenants succeed, the property benefits. When businesses face challenges, they’re not crushed under unaffordable rent payments that could force them to close their doors.
Building Success Through Partnership
The percentage rent model does more than just make space affordable—it transforms the landlord-tenant relationship into a true partnership. Camp North End’s development team becomes invested in each tenant’s success, actively working to:
From Industrial Past to Creative Future
The transformation of Camp North End tells a compelling story of adaptive reuse and community building. This 76-acre site, once home to wartime warehouses and later a car factory, sat in Charlotte’s North End—an area that saw limited commercial development until recent years.
“We had to create a reason for people to come to us instead of going somewhere else,” explains Damon Hemmerdinger, lead developer and co-president of ATCO Properties. The solution? Curating a collection of unique, locally-owned businesses—many of which emerged from pandemic-era side hustles—that give visitors compelling reasons to explore Camp North End.
The Reality of Retail: Challenges and Adaptations
Like any commercial development, Camp North End has experienced its share of changes. Some notable businesses, including Leah & Louise, Wentworth & Fenn, and Popbar, have closed their doors in recent years. However, this reality reflects the broader challenges facing the retail industry rather than a failure of the percentage rent model.
The development’s strength lies in its adaptability. Most retail spaces at Camp North End are designed to be flexible and accommodate different types of businesses. This approach allows for easier transitions when changes occur and helps maintain the vibrancy of the overall destination.
Balancing Local and Established Tenants
While Camp North End prioritizes local businesses, the development maintains a strategic mix of tenants. Smaller local retail spots form the heart of the community, while larger tenants—including office spaces and established retail brands like Tipsy Pickle and The Revelry—help support the project’s financial foundation. This balanced approach allows Camp North End to take calculated risks on emerging local businesses while maintaining overall stability.
Looking Toward the Future
With only 29% of the development complete, Camp North End’s story is still being written. The property has welcomed approximately half a dozen new tenants in recent months, with several more expected to open before year’s end. Each new addition contributes to the growing ecosystem of local businesses that makes Camp North End a destination worth visiting.
Important Steps to Rent Your Home Out from A to Z
Step by step checklist for getting a home rented, and link to the full property management guide
1 Consider strengths and weaknesses for your home and location and consider special strategies to utilize them. Is it a college area? If so, you’ll likely handle a lot differently from low income, or a suburb.
2 Get the property in show-ready condition by handling repairs, but also low-cost aesthetic fixes like spray painting rusted AC grates, and other things that really stand out. A sure way to attract sub-par tenants and repel the rest is to show a home with unrepaired issues.
3 Decide whether you’re going to allow pets or not. Before you decide, know that for most landlords it’s the single best thing you can do to increase your “bottom line” profit over the long term. More on this subject here
4 Set a rental rate that will balance a minor amount of time on market hassle, with monthly rate. Whether in the form of owner-occupied showings, stress, or vacancy. Most owners fail to properly account for these subtle but real costs, especially vacancy. Vacant homes are much more costly than most account for. We can provide a free rental rate estimate compiled by people, not an algorithm, here
A Model Worth Watching
Camp North End’s commitment to local businesses through innovative leasing structures offers hope for communities nationwide. By proving that supporting local entrepreneurs can be both socially beneficial and financially viable, this development provides a blueprint that other property developers might follow.
For local business owners struggling to find affordable retail space, and for communities seeking to maintain their unique character in an increasingly homogenized retail landscape, Camp North End demonstrates that there is indeed a better way forward—one that puts people and community before pure profit.
As Hemmerdinger puts it: “We built a business plan that allowed us to target local tenants, and then we structured our deals with these tenants in such a way to maximize their chance of being successful.” In today’s challenging business environment, that kind of partnership approach might just be the key to creating thriving local economies.
To read more visit, How Camp North End bets on local businesses – Axios Charlotte.
