💰 Bank branch invasion

🍂 Happy Sunday and first day of fall, Charlotte! It's Katie.

• Weather: 88 and mostly sunny. Not quite autumnal.

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Today's newsletter is 649 words, a 2.5-minute read.

Celebrate the grand opening of The Bowl at Ballantyne on Oct. 5. The day-long Bowl Bash features a lineup of fun activities, delicious food, live music, a block party and more. See what's happening.

You could practically hear Charlotte's collective groan when news broke this summer that one of its oldest restaurants, Harper's, would close and that a bank would take its place.

Why it matters: Charlotte is a bank town with a reputation for letting businesses go to make way for new development.

Flashback: Four years ago, I wrote about how banks are gobbling up some of Charlotte's hottest real estate even though fewer people are visiting bank branches, and even though banks have been trimming their branches since the recession.

• Babalu, the taco restaurant that opened in 2016 and closed two years later on East Boulevard in Dilworth, was renovated and turned into a Fifth Third Bank, for instance.
• Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank opened its first Charlotte branch Uptown where Dean & DeLuca used to be.

Between the lines: Banks — newcomers as well as established ones like Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Truist — see Charlotte as a good place to do business and serve the needs of a growing population.

Driving the news: The trend is still alive and well. U.S. Bank signed a lease for the prominent spot on South Boulevard previously home to Fuel Pizza, which operated there for two decades.

• Fifth Third recently disclosed plans to open in a shuttered TGI Fridays in Steele Creek, one of Charlotte's fastest-growing neighborhoods.
• Chase Bank, the country's largest bank by assets that debuted in Charlotte in 2020, will open in the old Harper's spot in Sharon Corners in SouthPark.

The bottom line: There's still a desire for a physical bank branch in a digital world. You can deposit checks using your bank's mobile app, but you can't have a nuanced conversation with a bot about your student loans or applying for a mortgage.

• "We know our customers value the personal connection they have with our branch bankers," Wells Fargo spokesman Josh Dunn told me a few years ago.

Alpitronic Americas, an Italian electric vehicle charging company, opened its U.S. headquarters last week in southeast Charlotte. It's a 68,000-square-foot facility with a diagnostics lab and repair center, warehouse, training center and room for up to 300 employees, the company said in a statement.

• "While adoption is increasing, one of the main reasons some Americans hesitate to purchase an EV is the lack of a reliable network of chargers across the country," said Mike Doucleff, Alpitronic Americas CEO.

Atrium Health is wiping out all existing judgments and liens against patients over unpaid medical bills, the hospital announced Thursday, a relief to hundreds of North Carolinians who have been sued by the health system. (Charlotte Ledger)

Belk's outlet store on the second level of Northlake Mall is now open. It's the first outlet of its kind for Belk in Charlotte. The department store continues to operate its traditional store on the first level. (CBJ)

If you're on the hunt for a new job, here are 5 to get you started.

1. Service Desk Technician at Charlotte Latin School.
2. Administrator at Fisher, P.A.
3. Store Manager at Bedside Manor.
4. Retail Sales Associate at Paper Twist.
5. Stationery Designer at Paper Twist.

Want more opportunities? Check out all openings on our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job.

There's still time to win tickets to "Space Explorers: The Infinite," a NASA-inspired virtual reality experience that just landed in Uptown.

• During an hour-long adventure, participants experience vivid views of space and life on the International Space Station.

Enter to win on Instagram.

The semi-annual EDIT sale is back this week, filling a warehouse in west Charlotte with 7,000+ items from designers like Valentino, Chanel and other big brands like Dries Van Noten, Zimmerman and Ganni.

Flashback: Back in 2016, friends Stephanie Bissell, Shelly Landau, and Jennifer Shelton, fondly known as the "Edit Girls," held the sale in Jennifer's garage.

• Back then, it was more of a clothing swap between close friends. Now, hundreds of women line up to shop this bi-annual sale.

Pro tip: The dressing room is shared so wear undergarments you're comfortable in.

• These racks are packed, so you'll have a more relaxed experience if you shop on the last day.
• Several small, local businesses will be popping up on Saturday, including Axios' Bri Crane, who will be promoting her new book "100 Things to Do in Charlotte Before You Die."

Stop by: The location is 800 Gesko St., Suite 500.

• Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 10am-8pm.
• Thursday, Sept. 26 from 10am-8pm.
• Friday, Sept. 27 from 10am-6pm.
• Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10am-6pm.
• Sunday, Sept. 29 from Noon to 4pm.

🏈 Fun fact: The Panthers-Raiders game today marks the first time two female team presidents will go head-to-head in professional football, per CNBC. The game kicks off in Vegas at 4:05pm.