Spotlight on Black Women Owned Businesses in CLT: 1501 South Mint

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A powerful black woman is taking Gotham by storm.  But in Charlotte, powerful black women have always been essential in shaping the city.  To celebrate the first black Batwoman played by Javicia Leslie Sundays on Charlotte’s CW, we are shining the bat-signal on businesses run by black women in Charlotte.

A fire pit glows, crackling outside a cozy dining igloo nestled on the corner of South Mint Street and West Summit Ave.  1501 South Mint, a neighborhood game-watching hangout and dog bar, offers craft cocktails, wine, beer, bites and hookah.  Since becoming the owner, Lezlie Briggs has seen regulars get engaged, have babies and has watched new puppies grow.  Briggs, who has worked in the restaurant industry since college, joined Clyde Thomas in 2019 as a partner of the former Max and Lola bar, working to rebrand and reinvent the popular South End spot.  For Briggs, working in the restaurant industry is all about community. “You can come to a restaurant by yourself and leave with tons of friends.”

In a male-dominated restaurant and hospitality industry, Briggs has paved her path to success through hard work and self conviction.  “I think it’s important for females to take control of their worth.  It’s not necessarily that I am a female of color but I think it’s just important for women in general that we take a stance and understand our worth.”  Her advice to budding Charlotte entrepreneurs, “Never give up.  There are tons of resources in this city and tons of support.”

And while she has great support, Briggs also wears many hats.  “Not just as an owner or a partner – I’m a server some days, I’m a bartender, I’m a host.  Oftentimes it amazes me how much I can get accomplished in 30 minutes.”  Doing whatever she can to get the job done, just like her superhero of choice, Supergirl.

On the heels of the historic inauguration of Kamala Harris as the first female Vice President of the United States, Briggs urges fellow Supergirl entrepreneurs to seize this moment to stand out.  “You never know until you do it.  Have your faith, be willing to take a chance.”