Event venue honoring Charlotte’s Black history and creativity shutters

CHARLOTTE — Under one roof, through heritage, community, and harmony, is the intersection of Charlotte’s legacy of Black history and creativity.

Bluz told Channel 9 he spent many moments on the Society at 229 stage sharing his artistry as a poet.

“While it was an event space, it was more of like a second home, a second creative home, just a place to just come in and feel free to get funky,” he said.

He sat down with Channel 9′s Almiya White to reflect on those memories before the doors closed for one last time.

“It’s an honor to really say that I’ve stood here where great, great Black minds decided that this is where a part of Charlotte’s Black future should be,” he said.

Owners Kevin and Monique Douglas opened the studio space four and a half years ago. The goal was to preserve and educate people on Charlotte’s once thriving Black community, the Brooklyn neighborhood. It was wiped out in the 1960s by urban renewal.

“The privilege that we have to be here and to represent this history became something deeper for us,” Monique Douglas said.

They curated a space for artists to perform free of charge, hosting jazz concerts, art exhibitions, and cultural events.

“It was our gift to the community,” she said. “We were noticing that venues and photography studios and music studios were closing left, right, and center.”

But it’s now a tough decision Monique Douglas is making herself.

“It’s because we need to focus on health and well-being,” she said. “We cannot continue to do for our community if we’re not caring for ourselves.”

Sixty-seven thousand people have walked through the doors of Society at 229. It’s a number that’s contributed to Charlotte’s tourism industry.

“I don’t think that would have happened if Society at 299 wasn’t here,” said Chacara Harvin with the Charlotte Regional Visitor’s Authority.

“No wonder why we have so much joy, right? Just to know that we’ve been able to have that kind of impact,” Monique Douglas said.

Society at 299 will host a grand finale celebration on Saturday at 8 p.m.

(WATCH BELOW: Vertical construction of Brooklyn Village won’t start until June 2026)

Vertical construction of Brooklyn Village won’t start until June 2026

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