About us
Three experiences, one address
The Dargan Collection brings together three hospitality businesses under one roof at 135 N Dargan Street in downtown Florence. Downstairs, Major's Kitchen & Lounge serves Southern flavor: steaks, seafood and soul. Upstairs, The Urban Flats offers two luxury suites facing the street, and SOHO, our lounge with a retractable roof and wall, is getting ready to open next door.
Each one has its own personality. What ties them together is Southern hospitality and a simple promise: curating exceptional experiences, whether you're here for lunch, a celebration or a night's stay.
- DownstairsMajor's Kitchen & LoungeLunch & dinner
- Upstairs, street sideThe Urban FlatsLuxury lodging · Est. 2025
- UpstairsSOHOVibes, tables and taps · Opening soon
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Owner
Terrance Thomas
Terrance Thomas is the visionary behind Major's Kitchen & Lounge, SOHO and The Urban Flats. He looked at 135 N Dargan Street and saw what it could become: a full restaurant downstairs, luxury suites upstairs and a lounge built for open-air nights, all under one roof.
Before he was building businesses, Terrance served in the United States Marine Corps. The values of the Corps, like leadership, loyalty and seeing a mission through, still show in the way he works. Major's Kitchen & Lounge carries that history in its name, which honors the rank he earned as a Marine.
Today he's an entrepreneur with several businesses to his name, but 135 N Dargan is personal. He set out to create something downtown Florence didn't have yet: a single address where you can sit down to a Southern meal, raise a glass with friends and stay the night.
His goal is simple: build places Florence can be proud of, where locals come to celebrate and visitors get a true taste of Southern hospitality.
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General Manager
Ariana Tiedemann
Hospitality has been at the heart of Ariana's career for more than 14 years, but her foundation in service started earlier. After proudly serving in the United States Marine Corps, she moved into hospitality in 2012 and found that serving others looked different, but felt just as meaningful.
What began behind the bar grew into a passion for creating experiences that leave people feeling seen, welcomed and cared for, and later into a love for leadership, operations and building hospitality concepts from the ground up. To Ariana, hospitality goes beyond food and drinks. It's the energy you bring into a room and the moments guests remember long after they leave.
Today, as General Manager of The Dargan Collection, she leads with the principles that have guided her from the start: service, accountability, integrity and the belief that even the smallest interaction can make someone's day.
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Executive Chef
Shaneka “Chef Nek” George
Executive Chef Shaneka George, known to everyone as Chef Nek, brings an impressive résumé to Major's. Her career has included work at the White House and with the NBA, settings where the standard is excellence every single time. She brings that same standard to every plate that leaves our kitchen.
For Chef Nek, food is more than a job. It's her passion and the way she shows love. She cares about every detail of a dish: how it looks when it reaches the table, how it tastes from the first bite to the last and, most of all, how it makes people feel.
Every recipe on the Major's menu is her own. Each dish reflects her creativity, her love of Southern flavor and the experience she's built over her career. Dinner is cooked to order, so every plate is made fresh for you. When you order at Major's, you're tasting something Chef Nek created, and she takes that personally. She wants every plate to be one you'll come back for.
In the kitchen, Chef Nek is a true leader. She sets the tone for her team and holds every dish to her standard, and to all of us she's the heart of the restaurant.
She's also one of the most personable people you'll ever meet. Chef Nek always makes time to come out and talk with guests, because the people she's cooking for matter as much as the food. Her motto says it best: family, love, joy and dine.
