CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Yet another popular spot in the Charlotte area is closing its doors.
On Thursday, Blue Olive Lounge Ballantyne announced it would be "closed permanently effective immediately" on its social media platforms.
Many of the bar and lounge's followers lamented the closing, saying things like "Oh no!!! My spot," and "I’m devastated I went there all the time," and "I was just there a few weeks ago! Was packed. Didn’t seem like business was [a] problem," and "I’m so sad!!!"
All the comments seemed to imply the sudden closing came as a surprise to its dedicated patrons.
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The lounge made headlines in 2018 when a homicide victim was found in the parking lot. A more recent CMPD police report on May 6 mentions a person being shot multiple times at the location. A person who agreed to speak to WCNC Charlotte anonymously said they weren't surprised after learning about the latest incident from a friend, whose daughter reportedly went to the hospital that weekend with injuries related to the alleged shooting incident.
Then, on May 8, a separate police report was filed pointing to an incident on May 7. The narrative said the suspect was violating rules and regulations of the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The ABC is aware of the citation, but has yet to take any action against Blue Olive. As of this writing, Blue Olive has a permit to operate. WCNC Charlotte's Jane Monreal briefly spoke to the owner of Blue Olive, who said he was not ready to speak.
Blue Olive Lounge's closing follows a string of trendy restaurants and bars that are shuttering, most recently including The Stanley in Elizabeth.
It is unclear at this time why Blue Olive's Ballantyne location closed while its other location in Fort Mill appears to remain open, but WCNC Charlotte's Jane Monreal is investigating to figure that out.
Contact Jane Monreal at jmonreal@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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