Business Owners and Political Groups Push For HB2 Repeal

CHARLOTTE, NC – Business owners gathered across from the Spectrum Center Sunday to demand a House Bill Two repeal on the day Charlotte was supposed to host the NBA All-Star Game.

“Those numbers over there add up quick. Real quick,” says Noah Barrow.

Barrow says Mellow Mushroom in Uptown Charlotte is just one of hundreds of businesses losing out this weekend.

Barrow is managing partner for Capital Food Group, which owns six Mellow Mushrooms in North Carolina.

“We’ve got these arenas. We’ve got these places. We set up these sporting venues so that we can hold things like this. And now we don’t get them,” Barrow says.

Business owner Mark Bryant says lawmakers need to move quickly.

The NCAA is currently reviewing bids for cities wanting to host championship events over the next six years.

“We need to hold our state legislators, you know, responsible for what’s going on here. This is an atrocity,” Bryant says.

Meanwhile Barrow says he’s already seeing losses.

Because Charlotte lost the ACC Championship Game last year, he says business was down 25 percent year-to-year during that week.

He says that doesn’t just impact him, but those who work for him too.

“All of my members on my staff get affected by that. Server sales go down, you know things they were hoping to be able to make as far as monetary during that week all drops off. And it’s a big disappointment. And to me, I’d say it’s disheartening,” Barrow says.