"In the last year, not five cars would be in that parking lot," Davidson Mayor Rusty Knox told the Davidsonian in late August. "Now you go by at lunchtime, and there's not a parking space."
The parking lot only tells you the center is busy again. The tenant list says more. The center sits at the entrance to Davidson on Griffith Street, and it is filling up with businesses you stop at on an ordinary weekday: a burger counter, a Greek counter, an ice cream shop, a dentist, a wellness studio, two clothing stores. Next come a bakery, a wood-fired kitchen, and a primary care clinic. Taken together, the new Sadler Square is set up for the trips you make several times a week. Sit-down dinner with a reservation is still a Main Street thing, and the most anticipated Main Street dinner returns on October 20.
Why the Old Sadler Square Had to Change
The previous lineup included OurTown cinema, which plenty of longtime residents remember fondly. Knox said plainly that it could not cover its costs. "The theatre was not profitable," he told the Davidsonian, adding that the owners "had already been given a pretty substantial discount on their monthly lease."
Charlotte-based Piedmont Capital bought the property in February 2024. Knox put the purchase price at around $6.1 million and estimated another $4 million to $5 million went into the rehab. The square then sat largely empty for about two years while the work was done and the old tenants moved out gradually. That puts the rehab at well over half the purchase price, by the mayor's estimate. The work went far beyond a facelift.
Axios Charlotte reported in January that the nearly 40,000-square-foot building got new facades, a new roof, new plumbing and sewer lines, and updated landscaping. The Davidsonian also listed a new sprinkler system, new storefronts, a repaved parking lot, and a pylon sign. The most visible change is the color: the red brick and green roof are gone, replaced by white paint and black roofing.
What's Open on Griffith Street Now
Retail opened first, in fall 2025. Food followed over about two and a half weeks this July.
| Business | What it is | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| Catawba River Outfitters | Clothing | Oct. 6, 2025 |
| Ella Blu Boutique | Clothing | Oct. 10, 2025 |
| Rise Modern Dentistry | Dental office | Open by May 2026 |
| Renoja Wellness | Wellness studio | Open by May 2026 |
| Seemingly Overzealous | Ice cream, 207 Griffith St. | July 1, 2026 |
| Harriet's Hamburgers | Smashed burgers, 201 Griffith St. | July 3, 2026 |
| Ilios Crafted Greek | Fast-casual Greek, 201 Griffith St. | Mid-July 2026 |
Reports differ on Ilios's first day. News of Davidson described a Thursday soft opening and a grand opening scheduled for Friday, July 17, at 11 a.m. A Cornelius Today item published July 20 said the restaurant would open that day. Either way, it has been serving since the second half of July.
The three food tenants, in detail
Seemingly Overzealous was founded by Charlotte residents Jessica Berresse and Garrett Tichy. Everything it makes is free of dairy, egg, and gluten. The Davidson shop is about 1,000 square feet, seats 25, and has a mural by Esther Moorehead and glitter floors. There are 12 to 16 rotating flavors, including CAN'T ALL BE COOKiE, a cookies-and-cream, and PRiME PEEPiN, an ube cheesecake flavor. Milkshakes, tasting flights, and more baked goods are expected later this year.
Harriet's Hamburgers has 2,000 square feet, 38 seats, and a large outdoor patio. It cooks its Beef Butter Fries in beef tallow, and the menu runs from The OG Hamburger to the cheese-stuffed Jucy Lucy, plus Happiness Meals for kids. The restaurant is bringing its Random Acts of Happiness Tuesdays to Davidson: one guest each Tuesday gets their whole meal free. This is Harriet's fifth Charlotte-area location, after Optimist Park, Ballantyne, Plaza Midwood, and Concord. Knox told the Davidsonian the Davidson location has seen the largest customer volume in the company's history.
Ilios Crafted Greek seats about 50 inside and 24 on the patio. It offers dine-in, takeout, and catering, and it's open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The chain recently switched to olive oil in its recipes and fryers, and it now uses pita imported from Greece. Ilios is owned by Xenia Hospitality Group, and Davidson is its fifth location.
All three are counter-style places with patios, open through lunch and the early evening. The Davidsonian interviewed students who had tried all three over the summer. One of them, Sophia Schur, said the clientele "was mostly families."
Three Tenants Still to Open, and How the Dates Have Moved
The remaining three tenants make the center even more of an everyday stop. They are Copain Bakery & Provisions, Rooster's Wood-Fired Kitchen, and Novant Health Lakeside Primary Care. None had been confirmed open in local coverage as of Sept. 30. Here is how the projected dates have changed:
- January 30, 2026: Axios Charlotte's tenant schedule had Rooster's and Copain opening in June or July, and Novant in the third quarter.
- May 12, 2026: Piedmont Capital partner Jonathan Stewart told News of Davidson that Rooster's and Copain were under construction, that Novant would start construction shortly, and that "we expect these final three tenants to open Fall of 2026."
- June 25, 2026: CharlotteFive said Copain and Rooster's were slated to open "later this summer."
- August 26, 2026: The Davidsonian said Novant would arrive "soon."
Summer has passed, so the most recent named target is still Stewart's "Fall of 2026." Stewart also said that once a space is ready, the final opening date is up to each business as it finishes fitting out its space.
The clinic shows clearly where the center is headed. Knox was candid about it:
"It's kind of a bummer because I wanted more retail. But at the end of the day, Novant doesn't yet have a strong presence at Davidson and having another urgent care that close to the campus makes sense."
Once Novant opens, Sadler Square will have a dentist, a wellness studio, and a primary care clinic alongside its food tenants and two clothing stores. That is the mix of a center you might visit for a checkup, then lunch, then a pint of ice cream to take home. A Davidson College student, Brooke Wilensky, pointed to another group it serves: "It will be nice for students without cars to have more food options within walking distance."
Main Street Gets Its Dinner Reservation Back on October 20
While Sadler Square fills in the everyday options, Main Street is about to get back a restaurant people book ahead for. Joe and Katy Kindred emailed customers that Kindred, their restaurant on North Main Street, is taking reservations for dinner service starting October 20. It has been closed nearly five months since a small fire. That date is about three weeks away, and reservations are already open.
Downtown also has a full first weekend of October before then:
- First Friday, October 2: The Davidson Candle Company at 108 S. Main St. is taking part in downtown First Friday. In June, the shop's owner described inviting local makers to show their work on First Fridays in the common area behind Summit Coffee, between the playground and her shop.
- Saturday, October 3, 9 a.m. to noon: The Candle Company hosts Kangaroo Cozies at the same shop.
So this fall, Davidson's restaurants split into two areas. Griffith Street has three counter-service food options, with a bakery and a wood-fired kitchen still to come. Main Street has First Friday on October 2 and Kindred's dinners from October 20. For more on the downtown blocks, see our Davidson neighborhood guide. For another local business shaping the edge of town, read our piece on the farm going in on Shearer Road.
We follow Davidson's storefronts the same way we follow its home sales, and we'll update this when Copain, Rooster's, and the Novant clinic open their doors. If you'd like to talk about how the changes on Griffith Street fit your plans, The Alexander Realty Group would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.
