Created as a stepping stone for Black businesses to grow, progress, and prosper, the accelerator enterprise is located in a former vacant lot at 330 East 51 st Street and covers about one-third of a city block. Boxville is one of Chicago’s first shipping container restaurant and retail centers. Urban Juncture established Build Bronzeville, which consists of five initiatives designed to revitalize the once-prosperous community.įive years ago, the Boxville Marketplace became one of those initiatives. Bernard Lloyd, founder of Urban Juncture We are focused on creating local opportunity and that is where the injustice has been. Lloyd is the founder of Urban Juncture, a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing disinvested Black urban communities by rebuilding neighborhood commerce around culture and innovation. With a primarily Black demographic, the median household income in the area is $30,979, just half of Chicago’s median income of $61,811.īernard Lloyd is working to change that. Bronzeville is now home to just under 26,000 residents. Since 1970, the city’s population has decreased by 59%.
The city was once a center of robust economic, social and artistic advancement on Chicago’s south side. Bronzeville was once an epicenter for arts, culture and commerce, filled with a community of working middle-to-upper-class Black families. One such neighborhood is Bronzeville in Chicago. These days, it is not uncommon to see homes, schools, hospitals, and even swimming pools constructed from shipping containers.Īrmed with this knowledge, urban planners and community developers have joined the movement, using shipping containers to construct temporary and permanent shopping malls that empower Black and Brown entrepreneurs, help fledgling businesses, and revive downtown areas in disenfranchised neighborhoods. This is because the country imports more than it exports and shipping the containers back to Asia would be too expensive for most businesses.įortunately over the last 20 years, builders have been utilizing shipping containers as affordable, environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional constructions. In America especially, many containers sit idle. Of that figure only 6 million are actually in circulation. The mission of Buy Black Power is to unite black businesses, cultural workers, artists and community organizations as a means to break the cycle of economic dependency that is an essential component of colonialism.Currently there are over 17 million shipping containers across the globe being used to transport mass products from one country to the next. Rather than promoting “Buy Black”, Black Power Square will use the slogan “Buy Black Power” to develop and promote economic power in the hands of the African working class, benefiting the entire community. ANIBA will train members with the skills and knowledge needed to grow successful, self-reliant economic enterprises that bring real economic development to our African communities.
#Boxville shipping containers full#
Creation of this district empowers the black community to not only participate in economic life but have full and equal agency in developing our own economic vision.Īlong with Black Power Square, we will build the African National Independence Business Association (ANIBA), a membership organization that provides African people with a directory of African owned and controlled businesses to mutually support. This will be developed as a distinct business district - a destination spot that will support black businesses, self-reliance, and culture. Florissant from Adelaide Ave to Warne Ave. The retail complex will feature flexible, affordable lease agreements and move-in ready spaces.īlack Power Square will anchor a vibrant commercial core to bolster retail opportunities along W. Various size container storefronts will be leased to grocery and supplies stores, cafes or delis, cooperative artists studios, salons, clothing and consignment boutiques – whatever serves the needs of our community and builds economic empowerment. The retail complex will be built from shipping containers – similar to Chicago’s Boxville – a state of the art, innovative approach to building that lends a sleek and modern feel to the area. It will support black entrepreneurship, develop small businesses and community commerce, create jobs and return economic prosperity to North St. Florissant and demolished the condemned buildings to make way for retail opportunities where none currently exist.īlack Power Square will be a small business center and retail complex.
APEDF purchased two properties with the support of the community at 4007-4009 W.
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