CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The wait is over! Soul Gastrolounge announced Monday that it has finally found a new spot to call home after nine months of searching.
It is set to open at "The Pass", a mixed-use development in NoDa. Soul Gastrolounge is the first tenant to sign onto the project.
“Everyone in Charlotte has wanted to see Soul come back” Hank Farmer, managing partner at Third & Urban, said.
According to a news release, the space will be 6,400 square feet, more than three times the size of the original. It will also feature a large outdoor patio and a reimagined Tattoo Liquor Lounge.
“We continue to be so grateful for and touched by how much this community has loved us through this,” says Soul managing partner Andy Kastanas. “The outpouring has sustained us and fueled our resolve to return. We are excited to be on the ground floor of this developing new area of town in North NoDa.”
Soul announced it was closing back in August 2022 from its second-story spot in Plaza Midwood.
The owners say high rent was a factor in the decision, a trend that has pushed out several small businesses across Charlotte.
But developers of "The Pass" say their goal is to embrace local.
“I think what makes the place were trying to create, is the type of tenants were trying to attract, that’s not national brands," Farmer said.
Right now, NoDa is gaining momentum with the area starting to see mixed development.
Farmer attributes the light rail as a factor.
“If you kind of just look at how development has happened around the light rail in Charlotte, it's such an economic generator," Farmer said.
“I love this community it is so vibrant," Jamie Brown, owner of Italian restaurant, Ever Andalo and other food concepts in NoDa said.
Brown says NoDa has been small business friendly.
“We really started out here because we really didn’t have the money to go anywhere else so this was a great place to start," Brown said.
According to Brown, they own their space and have been fortunate to not deal with rising rents. She's hopeful NoDa continues to stay special but also grow.
“NoDa is just a really appealing place," Brown said. "I think it’s fascinating to watch.”
As for Soul Gastrolounge, they're expected to open this Fall.
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