back in the day, d.c. was like detroit, los angeles, major cities with large populations of black folks where segregation led to enterpriseship. since black people couldn t go downtown to shop and see shows, they had their own. there were tentists and doctors and jewelry stores and all kinds of black businesses here: this was the main drag. here i am. look at you! how does a business stay open for more than 70 years? my grandparents decorated the white house. there were not a lot of black people in the picture this could be a current white house photo. number two, you change with the times. i never have seen a florist shop with so many computers. they were working the phones and it s like a telethon. this is our patriarch.
shop seems like a flower shop. but it has the laughter and conversation of a barbershop and a first job for many team in turned into a career and a successful family business that has been a successful family business for more than 70 years. 1945. you weren t here in 1945. no, but may grandparents were. this is my sister. it s one of d.c. s oldest black-owned business. in a place known as chocolate city, that s saying something. there were challenges with opening a floral shop in 1945. not a lot of people would think there were a lot of black businesses on u street. back in the day, d.c. was like detroit, los angeles, major cities with large populations of black folks where segregation led to enterpriseship. since black people couldn t go downtown to shop and see shows,
people working together. you have a dream, you can look forward to something. east stuart is an area born out of segregation. segregation led to this being a closed population with its own businesses, its own entertainment, its own schools, its own residences. it was completely self sustaining. once it ended many residents started shopping elsewhere or just moved away entirely. that led to a steady decline in business. today we ve gone from over 70 stores at its heyday to about a dozen. one of the biggest challenges today is that the community has an image problem. i think it s a perception issue. i think the perception is you know, east stuart is not safe, east stuart may not be clean, don t invest there. sondra says those impressions couldn t be further from the truth. it s very clean, very safe and i think as you see here today welcoming. the city s done a lot of work through the community redevelopment agency to put in
teaching our young people this is how community works. people working to the. you have a dream. you can look forward to something. east stuart is an area born out of segregation. segregation led to this being a closed population with its own businesses, its own entertainment, its own schools, its own residences. and it was completely self-sustaining. once it ended, many residents started shopping elsewhere. or just moved away entirely. that led to a steady decline in business. today, we ve gone from over 70 stores at its heyday to about a dozen. one of the biggest challenges today is that the community has an image problem. i think it s a perception issue. i think the perception is, you know, east stuart is not safe. east stuart may not be clean. don t invest your dollars there. thondra says those impressions couldn t be even further from the truth. it s actually very clean, very safe, and i think you ve seen here today very welcoming.