As holiday shopping season approaches, Northlake Mall bouncing back

CHARLOTTE — As Black Friday and Small Business Saturday approach, the Northlake mall is bouncing back. The occupancy is up compared to past holiday seasons and the mall has also attracted one of Charlotte’s top businesswomen to set up shop.

“Growing up, my mother and I would always go to our neighborhood nail salon, which ironically, was a Black and woman-owned business,” LaToya Evans said.

Now Evans owns a nail salon of her own. It’s called Charlotte’s Nails and is named after her late daughter Charlotte.

“I love to say that it’s the city that saved me. It’s the city that helped build me and I love Charlotte, which is coincidentally, of course, why I named my daughter after this amazing city,” Evans said. “To have this nail salon be named after her with the shared experience that I had with my mother of getting nails done and that hope for the future. I think that it definitely speaks to legacy. It speaks to hopes and dreams.”

Evans was in the process of locking up another location for this venture when Councilman James Mitchell suggested she check out Northlake instead. Once she saw the space, she knew it was a fit. As the holiday shopping period begins, Northlake is gaining momentum, particularly because of small businesses, such as Charlotte’s Nails.

“When you walk down the hall and you see the small businesses and the major retailers, it’s an awesome juxtaposition,” she said.

Business court filings show that Northlake is nearly filled. When accounting for temporary stores, Northlake’s occupancy is 85% as of Oct. 31. In December 2022, occupancy was 74%. In December 2021, occupancy was 72%.

The filing also states the mall’s new security measures are now up and running. They include large public-view monitors at all entrances, a second police tower, and license plate readers.

Evans hopes this is the start of a new chapter for Northlake and it will gain a reputation of being a place where businesses, including Charlotte’s Nails, can thrive.

“Any smart businessperson takes calculated risks and that’s what we’re doing here,” she said. “So far I’m very happy with the results.”

Earlier this year, the mall sued American Eagle claiming they broke the lease. AE sued back saying the mall was in poor condition. In business court filings, the company that runs Northlake said they are in discussions with AE about a resolution.

Charlotte’s Nails is located near Dillard’s and No Grease. Charlotte’s Nails had a soft opening last week. It’s currently operating from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours will be extended to regular mall operating hours during the holiday season while the salon gets up and running.

VIDEO: American Eagle calls Northlake Mall ‘reminiscent of warzone’ in counterclaim over lease

American Eagle calls Northlake Mall ‘reminiscent of warzone’ in counterclaim over lease

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