FRESH FONDNESS FOR BRICKS: N.C. retail hotspots attract showrooms for trendy online sellers.

• Date: 01 March 2022
• Author: Gentry, Connie

There's a new breed of retail entrepreneurs termed digitally native operators who are prioritizing North Carolina in their expansion plans with brick-and-mortar stores. And Charlotte, Durham and Raleigh are on the short list of fast-growing cities where these ecommerce retailers are opening their shops.

A recent example is Parachute, a Culver City, Calif.-based home-products brand that opened a site in Charlotte's fast-developing South End neighborhood in February.

Parachute and other online retailers are adding stores because many consumers want to check out the products in person before heading to the internet. It also helps them stand out from thousands of online sellers and expand into their most promising markets.

"We've found that many customers come to the stores to touch and feel the product before going home to purchase online," says Parachute CEO Ariel Kaye. The "conversion rate" is as much as 50% better in cities that have...