Heartbroken Hometown Hero Told to Leave Southpark

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.

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.

Full 30-minute interview