Sonja Nichols Celebrates Southern Lion Grand Opening
Entrepreneur fills vendor market with merchants, with plans to expand
The local business community was abuzz as serial entrepreneur Sonja Nichols celebrated the grand opening of Southern Lion, a sprawling vendor marketplace in the space of the former Sears in Pineville’s Carolina Place Mall.
Southern Lion, a portmanteau of “Southern Christmas Show” and “Blacklion,” aims to fill the void left by the much-loved marketplace, Blacklion, which closed its doors in 2023. With plans to house more than 150 local vendors across an 82,500-square-foot space, Southern Lion represents a new chapter for the region’s proud and enterprising market culture.
Nichols, whose portfolio includes a security business, a staunch political campaign, and various community roles, is a prominent member of the area’s business community. With her latest venture, she offers a new home to the displaced Blacklion vendors and invites new local artists and sellers to inhabit the bustling marketplace.
Southern Lion: A One-Stop Shop and a Community Adventure
The Southern Lion is more than a retail store, as Nichols enthusiastically articulated in her grand opening speech. “This is a shopaholic’s happy space because all they have to do is just walk around… they can browse stuff from all over the world in a single location,” she described.
Going beyond selling furniture and art, Nichols emphasized the marketplace’s commitment to fostering a vibrant community experience with features likes The Lion’s Den. Recognizing that not all visitors will be interested in shopping, Nichols has created a ‘man cave’ equipped with luxury loungers and multiple large-screen TVs for those who just want to relax.
For shoppers who fancy a nibble, the Southern Lion has thought of that, too, offering a variety of food items via vending machines stocked by well-loved Charlotte-based caterers Something Classic. “We’re trying to be all things to all people,” Nichols explained.
Faith Over Fear: The Inspiration behind Southern Lion
Building Southern Lion hasn’t been a walk in the park. Nichols faced rejection from four banks before finally securing the necessary funding for her business. The challenges didn’t stop there, as the decades-old Sears building was plagued by infrastructural problems and had been sitting vacant since 2018.
“But God,” Nichols said without hesitation. “Only God could have gotten me through this.”
Nichols’ unwavering faith and determination have made her an entrepreneur to watch for in the community. Amid fears over her massive undertaking, she acknowledged that her belief in the project and her family’s support have rendered her unstoppable.
The Legacy Continues
Southern Lion is a continuation of a legacy. The Emory family, founders of the now-closed Blacklion market, have a stall at the newly opened marketplace, creating a symbolic bridge from the old to the new.
Nichols, who plans to expand Southern Lion to include an antiques shop on the upper floor and potentially other locations, asserts, “We’re going to see what God does, but this will not be the only Southern Lion.”
As Sonja Nichols’ Southern Lion roars into life, it doesn’t only represent a new venue for bringing together local merchants, but also a testament to the triumph of faith, tenacity, and community support amidst adversity.
