Black Business District In Little Rock Aims To Reclaim Former Glory

The Little Rock district uses shipping containers as it host its shops through Juneteenth.

A Black business district in Little Rock, Arkansas, has plans to re-establish an almost-forgotten legacy.

The district, located along West Ninth Street in the city, opened with over 20 Black-owned shops. However, the strip of vendors doesn’t reside in typical brick-and-mortar stores.

According to the Arkansas Times, these shops are positioned in transformed shipping containers. The reimagined district held a grand opening on April 8, with visitors passing by each unique storefront to patronize the new businesses.

City leaders, including Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr., gathered at the district to celebrate the launch. While a modern take on the traditional shopping plaza, the business district is a callback to a Black entrepreneurial haven once found in the area generations ago.

The project, titled “Beyond the Divide: Reconnecting W. Ninth Street to the Hearts of Little Rock,” wants to reclaim the area’s storied history. Like many historic Black hubs, the initial district fell victim to urban renewal policies that destroyed it in the early 1960s. Now, Little Rock officials hope to revive the corridor’s origins, remarking on the historic pride of the area.

“Under the guise of urban renewal, this area was redlined,” explained Scott at the launch event. “And then the federal government cemented those red lines through I-630, and it cut off economic activity that was created by the Black residents of this great city. And so that’s the reason why you see that not so much has happened. We are very grateful that in that time we’ve been able to bring some things back.”

Today, guests can able to sift through handmade goods, sample foods, and connect with the district’s diverse merchants. Patrons will be able to enjoy the grounds through Juneteenth, allowing more to enjoy this unique piece of revived history.

As for its unorthodox grounds, the district received national support for the venture. Hugg & Hall Mobile Storage provided the shipping containers themselves, allowing vendors to bypass lengthy and costly store constructions. Alongside a $45,000 grant by Smart Growth America, which helps rebuild areas through community-focused design, the area was brought back to life.

“We hope that this project will help people to pause, to take a look at the space differently and to understand that West Ninth Street is more than what is visible today,” explained Key Fletcher, director of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, a group co-hosting a local “Juneteenth in da Rock” celebration with Beyond The Divide. “We hope that what is happening today can be carried forward to future generations, because this community has never disappeared. It has endured. It has adapted, and it has held on to its identity, even with so much around it changing.”

Community members have embraced the project, expressing their own excitement to join this legacy development. While currently a short-term venture, Beyond The Divide’s mission to sustain Little Rock’s Black entrepreneurial sector will continue.

“I hope, and I feel like we’re doing our homage to the Black entrepreneurs who were here before us,” shared one vendor, Krystal Cornelius. “You can’t stop Black people, you can’t stop us. So here we are back, and I’m hoping that we’re doing it proud.”