June 30. If you were planning a wedding or special event at The Pearl, you better look for another venue. The Pearl has closed after almost four years in the colorful Lakeshore Marketplace mixed-use project on West Catawba. The web site has been taken down, the furnishings removed and the front door displays a ”No Trespassing” sign. Owner Armin Desch did not return calls for comment.
His successful caterning business, Armin’s Catering of Huntersville, is apparently not affected; likewise Armin’s continues to operate the historic Beaver Dam house special event venue for the Town of Davidson. The Pearl opened to the general public briefly for lunch last year.
The owner of Lakeshore Marketplace, Gordon Allebach, says the move took him by surprise. The multi-color retail project had been renovated and is on the market at $4.25 million.
When they opened, Pearl billed itself as “a hidden gem, the perfect venue just 15 miles from downtown Charlotte for a wedding ceremony and reception, birthdays, engagement parties, bridal lunches and showers.” Mecklenburg County Records show that the venue currently owes a total of $1,687.28 in tax payments.
