Business is slowly picking up again at North Tryon Laundromat in Charlotte’s Hidden Valley neighborhood. Customers come in carrying bags of dirty clothes and fill the washers one by one.
But it's still slow. Just weeks ago, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents arrested people in the laundromat’s parking lot — an incident that owner David Rebolloso says changed everything.
Rebolloso recorded video outside his business during the arrests. Since then, he says, customers have largely stayed away.
“It’s practically empty,” Rebolloso said. “More than half of the cars that used to park there are gone. That was how we measured activity, and it’s dropped significantly.”
As other nearby businesses closed temporarily, Rebolloso decided to keep his doors open. He said the laundromat can be a place where customers spend an hour or two, and he wanted to offer some sense of normalcy.
Even so, Rebolloso estimates he has lost more than 50% of his profits since the operation.
Other immigrant-owned businesses across Charlotte say they are seeing similar losses.
At a Colombian restaurant on South Boulevard — which asked WFAE not to be identified by name due to concerns about government action — business dropped sharply after CBP began its operation. The restaurant opened in early November and had been thriving.
“From Thursday to Sunday, we had no availability — there was a one-hour wait to get into the place,” said manager Andrea.
That changed almost immediately.
“There were no profits during that week when CBP was on South Boulevard,” Andrea said. “The loss was evident in every respect.”
As a new business, Andrea said the restaurant is now struggling to pay loans and bills, as customers continue to stay away.
“People are still afraid,” she said. “Even if they have enough money to go out to eat, they decide not to because they don’t want to expose themselves.”
In east Charlotte, La Morenita Bakery closed for an entire week.
“We were forced to shut down,” said owner Ray Hernandez. “That Saturday alone, I lost about $3,000 in sales. All in all, at least $10,000.”
When WFAE spoke with Hernandez at 2 p.m. one afternoon, he had just made his first sale for that day, $7.
“I feel bad because 95% of our clientele is Latino,” Hernandez said. “People are afraid to go out. There are people who aren’t working.”
Hernandez’s husband, Fray Lara, owns Lara’s Beauty Salon on Central Avenue. When WFAE arrived, the front door was still locked as a precaution.
“It’s been four weeks now that we’ve been affected,” Lara said. “There’s practically no work. People are afraid to come.”
The slowdown is especially painful during the holiday season, which is typically busy for salons. Stylist Juan said business has dropped by more than half.
“We’re working at less than 50% of what we normally produce during this time,” he said. “It’s a loss for everyone.”
Greg Asciutto, executive director of CharlotteEAST, said the economic impact feels similar to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic — a comparison echoed by several business owners.
“There was fear and uncertainty,” Asciutto said. “Business owners didn’t know how to keep themselves safe, their customers safe, their employees safe.”
CharlotteEAST surveyed 90 businesses during the first week of the CBP operation. Nearly half said they closed for at least three days, reporting average daily losses of about $2,500.
“With a month of disruption at this level going into the holiday season,” Asciutto said, “it’s not clear what recovery looks like. It could take six months. It could take a year.”
Some business owners are now trying to find ways to bring customers back.
At North Tryon Laundromat, Rebolloso and his team have hosted salsa dance lessons and holiday gatherings since the operation.
“The goal is to create a safe place,” Rebolloso said, “where people feel comfortable, feel protected, and know we’re looking out for them.”
For now, those efforts are helping bring small moments of joy back to immigrant-heavy corridors that have largely gone quiet.
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