I found Cafe Elie after buying a Living Social deal for a wine and painting class. I came with a…read moregroup of friends and we each brought our own wine and came ready for laughs and a unique and memorable experience. It was! Elie (pronounced Eel-ee) is the owner and is originally from France. He has been painting and showcasing his art since he was a teen. He now spends his days enjoying the arts (mostly painting) and sharing his talents with others. His shop is in an unassuming strip mall (on Main Street in Cornelius, near Davidson, just past Habitat for Humanity and just before Carolina Cones and the YMCA). He provides all kinds of classes, painting, drawing, sketching, etc. He provides private lessons, as well as group lessons, and my favorite (I'm not an artist!), the Sip and Paint classes. He occasionally offers Living Social or occasional deals, but if you call ahead and have a group coming, he might give you a good deal (hint). On Thursdays and Fridays at 7pm he hosts these BYOB (or BYO-wine) events. He provides the easels, paints, brushes, decent sized canvases, and everything else you could need. Plus I believe he sells/serves coffee and espresso. The class lasts 2-3 hours. On his website, you can see which paintings he'll teach you to paint. They look intimidating but he makes it look easy and you always leave with a great piece of art made by you!! On Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm, he hosts 2-hour BYOB classes, they're shorter and less expensive, but smaller canvases. I'd recommend the ones on Thursdays and Fridays. He also has a brand new high tech giclee printer. For those that don't know, this is basically a printer that can print anything on canvas and in a quality that most would genuinely think is an original painting. He can even do this with photographs in excellent quality on canvas... And at a great price. He sometimes seems to go fairly quickly to keep pace, but he walks around and helps when it's needed. If you need more time or help, just ask. I went back tonight with my husband and it was like our own private class, with wine and plenty of laughs and smiles. I'm planning on going back with a group of friends from my neighborhood. Trust me when I say we have no artistic abilities and can get a little silly at times, but we had a blast and were all pretty impressed with our final product. I highly recommend it!!!

Beginners and advanced students as well as returning artists can take class with Elie. Oil or…read moreacrylic painting as well as drawing classes are offered. I've been taking his classes for 6 years and continue to improve. The new location in Cornelius is just right!

My business partners and I had the pleasure of meeting Charlotte at Advent Coworking while we were…read moreon a quest for a new meeting space. Charlotte walked us through the entire facility and covered everything with a fine tooth comb! Where she left off Kevin took over! My partner loves this spot and it's more convenient for him so he signed up for a $149 membership on the spot! Advent just expanded two weeks ago and added a brand new multi level extension!? Advent is by far one of the nicer Coworking spots that we've visited on line and in person. They put a l

Cool little spot I never knew anything about off central avenue. I'm currently taking bartending…read moreclasses here for a business I am about to start up and open. This place is very secured and huge. If you're looking for a building to host parties classes and or events I would definitely recommend Advent Coworking.

Artsy. Industrial. Impactful. Hip…read more Visited LaCa for a walk through prior to hosting a corporate event in the space. I was impressed with the amount of space the facility has. It's a great location for social gatherings, events, weddings and more. The rooms aren't over decorated so it would be easy to make the space your own. Additionally the staff was friendly and helpful. The current art installment will be up until May we were told. It's definitely worth a stroll through to check out these transient installations. I'm looking forward to having the event here and seeing how well the space functions with 100+ guests. I saw there was a trendy new coffee shop being completed next door. That's something the West Blvd area needs!

Awesome little art gallery specializing in Latin American art. They are affiliated with the McColl…read morecenter. The exhibits change every few months, we saw Carlos Estevez. The small rooms give you a chance to examine artists' work at a very close distance. I enjoy the fact Charlotte is finding diverse voices in the arts and showcasing them in grand fashion. There was no fee for our school tour. The location 1429 Bryant St. is right by uptown and seemed like they had street parking. (I visited with my school's art students so we rode the school bus:).

The lights were awesome but there's so many cost once you get out there. My granddaughter had a…read moregood time but just for her after we got the band to get in I still spent an extra $50 for the rides and bounce houses which weren't many. Staff was great and friendly, Santa was a little on the boring side but if there's a bigger family it's like going to a theme park on the prices.

This was a family experience gift and I felt that the overall cost was worth it. Parking took maybe…read more15 minutes wait as there was a line to enter the parking deck but it was spacious and very convenient, just a quick walk of maybe 2-3 minutes to the entrance. Entry was a breeze but there a no in/out privileges for same day tickets, which is disappointing, but I'm sure the intent is to ensure people purchase any food and drinks from vendors. It would be nice to receive a wrist band for the day to allow families to enjoy the ice skating and tubing experience earlier in the day, give kids a break, and return for lights. Be prepared for lines to go tubing and ice skating. Ice skating can also be a bit precarious as no one is regulating drunken or reckless skaters. The Christmas Village was more typical vendors and wasn't as magical as the old Christkindlmarket but the some of the same Christmas Vendors were there, including Village Bakery. They were extremely busy but quite efficient, though lacking Christmas cheer. Overall, considering we were able to enjoy a walkthrough light show and holiday display along with winter tubing and outdoor ice skating, I felt the cost was worth it and it was a great experience for our family.

What a cute boutique with lots of nooks and crannies full of one of a kind pieces by local artists…read moreand other home decor that you don't see in every T.J. Maxx or Homegoods store. Some of the items are pricey, but absolutely worth it. I can't wait to go back to this cool collection of homes turned into shops. So charming!!

I cannot say enough about this studio and the positive environment they create for girls to be…read moreconfident and have fun. My daughter has been here since she was two and is now 6 on the mini comp team and I love watching the support the teachers and the older girls have been taught to give them and each other and while this is a smaller "less fancy/intense" studio, they compete at the same events as larger studios, they perform / compete very well - and most importantly are happy, proud and committed to each other.

I DO NOT recommend this company or it's owner. I feel very taken advantage of. I canceled months in…read moreadvance for the recital as our daughter did no longer want to attend, but the owner will not reimburse us a dime. Her website is very hard to read and there is NOT a refund policy listed for recitals so she is keeping the entire amount for the recital even though we will not be attending, which includes the dress, tickets to the show etc.. After only a few e-mails asking for a full or part refund (or to work with us) for the class and or the recital, she accused us of harassing her. She said that the dress was started to be made so she could not cancel it however she WOULD NOT provide the cost of the dress or the cost of the tickets in an itemized receipt. As I was going to offer to pay for the dress and I was hoping she would reimburse me for the rest (tickets to the show etc..) since we are not attending however she would NOT provide the cost of the dress or the cost of the tickets in an itemized receipt. She would not give us a penny back. In my opinion, that means she is hiding the amounts she is charging for the recital. Very suspicious! On her website, she lists that she offers part reimbursement for class tuition however she CHOSE to give us credit for classes. Basically, in my opinion, she is teaching us a lesson for canceling and she knows we will never go back to her Dance company again, which means she can keep all the money. She also had the nerve to charge my card again for the next month's tuition AFTER we canceled the class, which she said would be reversed, however, this shows her bad business practices. We are very sad and absolutely astonished at this owner's lack of care for her customers and bad business practices. I have lost over $150 with this company, I have never seen such horrible customer service In my life.

I noticed this new place in Northlake Mall and had to take a look. The store has knick-knacks from…read moresmall items, wall hangings, mirrors, and clocks, for the home as well as fabrics. They offer interior design services and have fabric swatches to assist with your design efforts. Or, you can bring in photos, swatches, or any other items to assist with the design. The designer is available after 6 pm so it is best to call and schedue an appointment.

This the cutest little place to go too. Took my daughter there for a Mother/Daughter date while in…read moretown. I got a hand bracelet and she got a regular bracelet. Had my first matcha with my pic on it, took pictures at the selfie booth as well. Katherine was so sweet doing our jewelry. I would DEFINITELY be back when I come to town