Charlotte Celebrates Southern Lion Grand Opening
Sonja Nichols, a noted entrepreneur and community leader in Charlotte, North Carolina, recently commemorated the grand opening of a unique marketplace, the Southern Lion. Replacing the long-standing and beloved Blacklion, the Southern Lion provides a home to a plethora of local vendors and artists, stocking furniture, art, and much more.
The Journey to Southern Lion
Nichols has described herself as a ‘serial entrepreneur’, known previously for her security business staffed by military veterans, running for state senate, and her extensive community and philanthropic involvement. Despite her success and her passion for these projects, Nichols felt the call to branch out into a more financially rewarding endeavor.
“I’ve done a lot of community work, philanthropic work, but I just decided, I’m ready to do something that I would make money doing it versus me always raising money,” she revealed. Nichols knew she wanted to navigate a different path and own a business, describing herself as an entrepreneur at heart.
When Blacklion, a staple in the south Charlotte community for nearly three decades, closed its doors in 2023, Nichols felt compelled to fill the void left behind. “God put it in my spirit one day for me to go and find out if the Blacklion was for sale,” she said.
The Rise of Southern Lion
Soon after, Southern Lion was born and has since transformed into a permanent vendor market, hosting over 150 vendors within an 82,500-square-foot space. Nichols describes it as a ‘shopaholic’s happy space,’ with merchants continuously rotating their merchandise, ensuring a fresh experience at every visit.
Despite the challenging journey to secure a loan and the task of refurbishing an old vacant Sears building, Nichols pressed on, determined to make her vision of Southern Lion a reality. “God told me to do this, and so I’m going to do it,” she stated emphatically.
Driven by faith and deeply inspired by the need to provide a home to local vendors, Nichols successfully launched the Southern Lion marketplace, earning commendations from the Charlotte community for its wide variety of products and unique shopper-friendly environment. The venue even includes a serene “man cave”, dubbed The Lion’s Den, with plush BarcaLoungers and big-screen TVs for those who want a break from shopping.
Looking Ahead
But Nichols isn’t just resting on her laurels. Ambitious and passionate as ever, she is already discussing expansion plans. She is eyeing up opening an antiques shop on the upper floor of her two-story venue, hinting at a possible name, Metro Lion, and promises that Southern Lion is just the beginning. “We’re going to see what God does, but this will not be the only Southern Lion,” Nichols stated defiantly.
Celebrating the grand opening of Southern Lion, Nichols mentioned that she aspires to make Bob Emory, the previous owner of Blacklion, proud. Emory is one of the 150+ merchants who now have a stall at Southern Lion, continuing to be a part of the legacy that Nichols is building upon.
Concluding Thoughts
Unwavering, driven by faith, and cemented by determination, Sonja Nichols has charted her own path, blazed a trail where many feared to tread, and in doing so, she has ushered in a new era for local vendors with Southern Lion, a hub for local talent and a paradise for shopaholics. A testament to her vision and gumption, Southern Lion is more than a marketplace: it’s a continuing legacy that Nichols aims to build upon for the foreseeable future.
