Looks like success black business The owners are suddenly being pushed out of shopping malls across the country and they are looking for answers.
This is definitely the case for Italy Talley, who claimed that on Christmas Eve, the mall manager at Southpoint Mall, not far from Richmond, Virginia, sent her a notice to terminate her lease without warning.
She said the manager claimed her lease was terminated because of Santa’s banners on display in her store.
The same, similar, Mike PhelpsThe owner of Sir Castle Tees, a specialized sportswear and footwear store in Durham, North Carolina, said he’s been asked to leave his space, even though it’s one of the most popular. in the mall.
Several other businesses, including the popular sneaker store “Agenda” do Kendron Haggerty at the Galleria Mall in Houston, faced similar situations despite center management insisting this had nothing to do with discrimination.
Could these incidents be a series of coincidences? Or is there more to these unfortunate events?
The shade room investigates…
Talley had been at the location for eight months before her lease was abruptly terminated, and she was shocked by what the center manager said when she asked why.
“He said ‘you can’t tie up Santa! You can’t tie Santa Claus with a rope!’” Talley said the mall manager told her, alluding to a display in front of the store.
Talley went on to say that the mall manager made an exception for a display of Santa tied up by some models in a naughty pose and another in a pretty pose.
Black business owner kicked out of the mall, but no real reason was given
She screensaver, saying that “naughty or nice” type marketing is common during the holiday season.
And business was so good for Talley, she said that she was completely surprised when the mall manager handed her a large envelope with notice to end the lease on Christmas Eve. She said she confronted him about it, but he declined to say when asked.
The Shade Room received a copy of that termination notice, and nowhere did it state why she was evicted from the commercial property.
In the end, she was laid off for less than a week, despite never receiving any written warning or otherwise.
Talley said she had to throw away a lot of furniture because she didn’t have time to move all the goods. That’s when she called India Miles, a Black reporter in the area, who began investigating.
“This is the second (black-owned) business to be asked to leave the mall for such a reason,” Miles told TSR Investigates’ Justin Carter. “That’s why everyone in the community is so outraged.”
Community outrage began last year after black store owners went viral about similar lease terminations.
That community outrage began around last year, when Mike Phelps, owner of Sir Castle Tees – a specialty sportswear and clothing store in Durham, North Carolina – was also evicted from his store. yourself without prior notice.
In a video that is now going viral, Phelps says he made her $1 million in six short months.
“We had no problems, no problems, paid the rent on time. We’re one of the most popular stores in the mall,” says Phelps.
But despite his good standing, Phelps also received notice to terminate his lease, dubiously given to him shortly after the mall shooting on Black Friday 2021.
However, the shooting was not near his store and was 25 stores away. Despite that, his store closed at the mall just over a month later.
Black business owner’s store closed after Black Friday shooting completely unrelated
Phelps, who is black, said he was given some vague reason for having so many athletic shoe stores in the mall, but he was not listed as a sneaker store.
He added that the mall had promised to relocate to him after news of the termination of his lease, which never materialized. The Shade Room has contacted the mall in question, who said they will look into the situation.
The company issued a statement to Spectrum News, writing:
“All short-term licenses permit termination, and termination is not uncommon for these types of agreements… We are aware that there has been speculation about the reasons for termination, but unfortunately we are unable to. publicly discuss the reasons for the termination.”
Another famous sports shoe store owned by black businessman has closed under suspicious circumstances
The famous sneaker store “Agenda” run by Kendron Haggerty at the Galleria Mall in Houston also encountered a similar situation. case. Haggerty, also Black, made his store quickly a local celebrity attraction, but still received notice to terminate the lease.
Haggerty said he was also given a reason related to “selling shoes” as the reason behind the termination, which accounts for about 60 percent of his store’s business.
Malls often lease store space to small business owners, he added, only selling them to larger chains when the opportunity arises. Haggerty went on to say that the mall offered him another spot, but that it was a “dead zone”.
He said he was forced to sign the new deal, while the mall adamantly denied the race had any part in the situation.
In Talley’s case, investigation into The Shade Room led to a response from CBL Properties, who owns the mall in question, stating that they have reached out to her and have “offered her a prize.” alternative.”
She said she’d been offered a return to Southpoint Mall, but wasn’t sure if she wanted to make that commitment again.
TSR Investigates explores cold cases and news stories of particular interest that are rarely presented in the mainstream media.
