Exclusive: New retailer emerges to take Blacklion's place
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With home décor giant Blacklion closing, most vendors will regroup at new ‘Southern Lion’ in the former Sears at Carolina Place Mall
by Cristina Bolling
The sun may be setting on the Blacklion, but it’s rising on the Southern Lion.
Local home décor stall retailer Blacklion announced this week that it’s closing its longtime Pineville location on Jan. 31, and now, a new business is planning to open in the Carolina Place Mall that will provide Blacklion’s vendors a place to go.
The Southern Lion is expected to open in March on the ground floor of the former Sears space in the Carolina Place Mall, said owner Sonja Nichols, a longtime Charlotte leader whose business and philanthropy experience include serving as president of civic groups the Women’s Impact Fund and Good Friends Charlotte and sitting on the current UNC system Board of Governors.
Furniture, art, ‘man cave’: Nichols said “the majority” of the Blacklion’s current vendors have agreed to rent stalls in the Southern Lion. The Southern Lion space will be 80,000 s.f., and in addition to vendor stalls offering furniture, home décor, accessories, art and clothing, the retailer will feature a café, meeting spaces and a “man cave” with TVs and lounge chairs. The space will be bigger than the current Blacklion location, which is 68,000 s.f.
The Blacklion shocked shoppers with the announcement of its closing when it posted the news on Facebook. The store opened 26 years ago on Park Road, and the company, owned by Charlotteans Bob and Nita Emory, expanded over the years to several locations both in Charlotte and in cities including Boston, Atlanta and Nashville.
The Pineville location is the only one currently in operation, but Elisabeth Emory, daughter of Bob and Nita Emory, plans to open a new Blacklion in Chicago.
Today, Tryon Medical Partners announced that it will be leasing the Blacklion property and plans to relocate its Pineville internal medicine practice there. County records show that it sold in May for $7.9M. [Article edited to reflect that Tryon Medical Partners will be leasing the building, Sept. 7, 2022]
Nichols said that on a lark this spring she inquired about buying the Blacklion, and when she learned it had just sold, she decided she had to do something.
“I thought, ‘This is a jewel in Charlotte, and we can’t let it go away,’” Nichols said.
Nichols said she met with Bob Emory, who she says has been supportive of her idea, as well as business masterminds like former Bank of America Chairman Hugh McColl, whom she invited to Carolina Place Mall to see the space before making her decision. (She said she made sure McColl checked out the Blacklion, too.) She said “millions” of dollars are being invested in the building to ready it for vendors.
“I want people to feel a level of hospitality when they walk in. Come in and shop and enjoy an atmosphere that all of these fabulous vendors have created,” Nichols said. “They have brought products from all over the world, and all you have to do is come here. … I’m making it a beautiful, warm environment, but the vendors bring the magic.”
Nichols said she hopes the arrival of the Southern Lion brings an uplift to Carolina Place Mall, which like many malls around the region has seen a downturn in business and an exodus of some of its higher profile tenants.
“We’re going to bring a level of fabulousness that I think the Carolina Place Mall deserves,” Nichols said. “This is a good way to expose people to, ‘wow.’ … People have a chance to dream. ‘I’m going to walk into Southern Lion and I can dream that my home can be this beautiful, this elegant, this fabulous.’ And then, if you see something you like, you can take it home today.”
Nichols said she came up with the name the Southern Lion by marrying the names of two of her favorite Charlotte shopping destinations: the Blacklion and the seasonal Southern Christmas Show, founded by her “second mother,” Joan Zimmerman.
She said she’s come up with two taglines for the business: “The Carolinas’ most fascinating shopping experience,” and her personal favorite — “Come to my home to shop for your home.”
Cristina Bolling is managing editor of The Ledger: cristina@cltledger.com
Related: “Blacklion to close final store in Pineville” (Aug. 3)
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project