James Craig is the Co-Founder of Rebel Rebel, a Charlotte-based commercial real estate brokerage specializing in retail, restaurant, and mixed-use leasing across the Carolinas.

Over the past decade, James has helped shape many of Charlotte's most recognizable neighborhoods by connecting local entrepreneurs, regional concepts, and nationally recognized brands with the spaces that define the city's evolving commercial landscape. His work has played a key role in bringing new restaurants, retailers, and hospitality concepts to South End, Plaza Midwood, NoDa, Myers Park, and beyond.

James was the very first guest featured in [design shorts.], making this conversation a fitting opportunity to revisit the retail market a little over a year later. What began as a discussion around rising retail rents quickly evolved into a broader conversation about Charlotte's continued growth, why the city has become a priority market for restaurant and retail operators, and how changing investment patterns are reshaping neighborhoods across the region. We also explored what makes a successful retail district, why placemaking matters just as much as tenant mix, and where James believes Charlotte's next wave of opportunity is beginning to emerge...

Branden Piks:

"Listening to you talk, one thing that really stood out to me is that Charlotte almost feels like it's graduated beyond comparing itself to other Southeast cities.

A few years ago, the conversation always seemed to revolve around Atlanta, Nashville, Charleston, or Raleigh. Today, it sounds like you're having conversations with operators that are making expansion decisions on a much broader scale.

Has Charlotte reached the point where it's no longer just competing regionally?"

James Craig:

"I really think it has.

When restaurant groups are deciding where they want to expand, they're looking at population growth, labor, occupancy costs, demographics, household income, and long-term opportunity - not just geography.

Charlotte performs extremely well across a lot of those categories, which is why we're getting opportunities that maybe we wouldn't have seen five or ten years ago. The conversation has shifted from convincing people to take a chance on Charlotte to showing them why Charlotte stacks up against markets anywhere in the country.

That's a huge change, and I think it's one of the biggest reasons we're continuing to see stronger restaurant groups, retailers, and hospitality concepts choosing Charlotte as part of their growth strategy."

​Read the Full Conversation Here​

Anatomy of a conversion

"The office building at 200 N. College St. in uptown will, after all, be converted into 290 residential units, after the 455,000 sq. ft. building sold in the fall for a measly $3.5M...."

​Read Full Article​

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How does this impact our region?

Charlotte's development market feels like it's entering a different phase of maturity. For years, much of the city's growth was defined by how quickly it could build outward. Today, the conversation is shifting toward how existing buildings can be repositioned to meet changing market demands.

What stood out to me most was the broader shift in how developers are evaluating opportunity. Existing buildings offer established infrastructure, prime urban locations, shorter delivery timelines, and a level of authenticity that's increasingly difficult to recreate through new construction. Adaptive reuse is becoming less of a sustainability initiative and more of a strategic business decision.

We're already seeing this trend take shape throughout Charlotte. Camp North End and Optimist Hall have demonstrated the long-term value of preserving and reimagining historic structures, proving that some of the city's most successful destinations weren't built from the ground up—they were thoughtfully transformed. These projects continue to reinforce the market's appetite for experience-driven environments that blend retail, hospitality, office, and community into a cohesive place.

We're experiencing this firsthand with our latest project for HYLO Fitness, recently featured in the Charlotte Business Journal, where the former Catawba Brewing facility is being transformed into the brand's first Charlotte location. Rather than demolishing an existing asset, the project builds upon the character and infrastructure already in place while creating an entirely new experience for the neighborhood.

From an architecture and development perspective, this changes how we define growth. Charlotte's next chapter won't be measured solely by the number of new buildings added to the skyline, but also by how creatively we adapt the buildings already woven into the fabric of our city and infill the gaps.

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Key Takeaways for Charlotte's Built Environment...

• Adaptive reuse is becoming a strategic development tool. Existing buildings are increasingly competing with new construction as viable investment opportunities.
• Character has measurable value. Buildings with history, identity, and established urban context are becoming attractive assets for hospitality, retail, and mixed-use redevelopment.
• Speed to market matters. Reusing existing structures can reduce entitlement timelines, leverage existing infrastructure, and accelerate project delivery.
• Experience continues to drive demand. Boutique fitness, hospitality, food and beverage, and curated retail concepts are finding success within thoughtfully repurposed spaces.
• Architecture is shifting from creating new places to reimagining existing ones. As Charlotte matures, designers will play an increasingly important role in helping existing buildings evolve alongside the communities they serve.

PATTERNS | Victory Wellness Center | North Hollywood, CA

​A 60's bowstring truss warehouse converted to a medical facility.​

Construction continues to make steady progress on HYLO Fitness, the brand's first Charlotte location and one of the most exciting adaptive reuse projects we've worked on to date. The 7,400-square-foot space, formerly home to Catawba Brewing in Belmont, is being transformed into a boutique fitness destination that blends hospitality, wellness, and thoughtful design into a single member experience.

Originally built as part of the historic Kellogg industrial campus before its conversion into a brewery, the building offered everything we look for in an adaptive reuse project: exposed steel trusses, generous ceiling heights, abundant natural light, and an expansive outdoor patio. Rather than working around those existing characteristics, we've embraced them - allowing the building itself to shape the design while tailoring HYLO's franchise standards to create a location that feels distinctly Charlotte.

Construction is well underway with interior wall framing taking shape, underslab plumbing and electrical rough-ins progressing, and preparations beginning for new rooftop mechanical equipment. Walking the space today, you can already begin to understand how the program comes together—from the dedicated HY studio for high-intensity interval training to the immersive LO studio designed for yoga, Pilates, and barre-inspired classes. Future locker rooms, the reception area, and member lounge are all beginning to emerge from what, just months ago, was an empty brewery shell.

What has impressed me most throughout this project is HYLO's philosophy that the experience extends well beyond the workout itself. Their emphasis on hospitality and community aligns closely with our own belief that great design is about how a space makes people feel. Every decision, from circulation and lighting to acoustics and material selection, has been made to support that experience.

With construction targeting a late Q3 opening, it's incredibly rewarding to see this project transition from drawings to reality. Adaptive reuse projects like this remind us why we love working with existing buildings. They preserve the character of places people already know while giving them an entirely new purpose for the next generation of Charlotte.

"Celebration can rescue your day - even if it is someone else's victory.” - James Clear