Wings, mattresses or something else: What should go in Soul Gastrolounge’s old building?
The former Soul Gastrolounge space has been vacant for nearly four years, and while rumors have recently circulated online about possible new tenants, including mentions of a fast-casual chain or even a mattress store, there’s no confirmation that any of them are legitimate.
This week, rumors circulated online that Wild Wing Cafe could be headed to the corner of Central Avenue and Pecan Avenue. The company did not respond to CharlotteFive’s request for comment.
Around the same time, signs advertising a “Mattress Center” appeared in the windows of the building, but the store has no online footprint and sounds eerily similar to “Mattress Firm,” Axios Charlotte reported.
The building’s future is also a mystery to the city. Looking at city records, the last permit filed for the several addresses associated with the building is a pre-submittal meeting for Twenty Two, the old art gallery and wine shop, from June 2010. Pre-submittal meetings are optional and go over conceptual or preliminary designs for commercial projects. The site was purchased by Woodhaven Development Group for $3 million in February 2023, the last filing found for the site in Mecklenburg County property records.
Soul Gastrolounge closed its Midwood location in 2022 after its owners said a dramatic rent increase made staying in the building impossible, CharlotteFive reported at the time. It reopened in NoDa in 2025.
Since Soul left Midwood, the prominent corner has become a symbol of a broader conversation about development, rising rents and the future of Plaza Midwood’s independent-business identity.
Now we want to hear from you.
We’ve put together a poll with some possible ideas for the space, but feel free to think outside the box. Should it become another locally owned restaurant? A bar? A music venue? A retail concept? Something completely unexpected?
Cast your vote in the poll below and tell us what you’d like to see.
Soul Gastrolounge
Location: 4110 Raleigh St #120, Charlotte, NC 28213
Cuisine: Tapas, sushi
Instagram: @soulgastro
Desiree Mathurin contributed reporting.
