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By India Miles, Black Petersburg
Italia Talley, a multi-hyphenated Black Petersburg success story was asked to leave Southpark Mall on December 26, 2022, by mall management after they deemed a social media post inappropriate.
Italia is more than the owner of It's From Italia, she is also an educator at Petersburg High School and a mentor to other aspiring entrepreneurs.
According to Italia, she was approached by mall management on December 26, 2022, who issued her a written notice of termination of her lease effective immediately. The termination was due to a post on her instagram pages that promoted her Naughty or Nice 2022 Holiday Collection with an image of Santa tied up playfully with Christmas decorations.
( site source @itsfromitalia, Instagram | Posted December 23, 2022; to view post Click Here )
Italia and her employees were given five days from the notice of termination to vacate the mall. This is the second black-owned business to have their lease abruptly terminated within the past three months at Southpark Mall.
For more, please watch the full 30-minute Black Petersburg exclusive interview with Italia to hear her message to her supporters.
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Italia is one of the smartest young women I know. I have watched her grow from a teen, and she has a drive that most of us old heads wish we could emulate. She is bold and innovative with strong work ethics and drive. I am so excited for her because I know for a fact that this is not a setback, this is a setup for her come back! Trust and believe, when she catches her breath she is going to come back with a vengeance. I know it is painful right now, most sucker punches are, but SouthPark, like the old folks say "Y'all done messed up!"
You will not destroy her, she worked hard for her brand!…