Tons of Black businesses lined up along the Historic Wellston Loop in North St. Louis on Saturday for the annual Black Wall Street 314 Festival.
The area that spans along Martin Luther King Drive was once an active economic passageway between the '50s and '60s. It declined with the rise of urban regeneration and white flight in the '70s.
Farrakhan Shegog, a prominent community leader and the president of Young Voices with Action hosting the event, was overjoyed by the more than 100 Black vendors, talents, and groups that set up on the street on Saturday.
"When we're serious about what it is. How we want our communities to look and we put plans together to make that happen and then we align the business community. The political community. The homeowner community. The activists community. All of these various different communities we're able to bring together and this is what you see right here on Black Wall Street 314," he said.
Congresswoman Cori Bush recently dedicated $9 million in federal funding for community projects to restore communities including the north side of the city.
During the event, she presented a $916,900 check to go toward the Wellston Loop Mixed-Use Development Project, a space for affordable housing units and retail that will sit at 5955 Martin Luther King Dr.
The Easton Development Corporation and Young Voices With Action will also have offices in the facility.
Sean Hibler was serving up his famous Philly cheesesteaks and recalled the successful food industry in the neighborhood.
"We had everything from chicken shacks. We had everything from two different hamburger joints that were up and down this block. We had all different things going on. I can go all the way when JC Penney's used to be here. We get some of these same buildings and we come back and put the money back in our community,” Hilber said.
Jiryah Miller, 18, boxed up her product at Juiced The Beauty Brand, a cosmetic line committed to making women with full lips feel good about themselves.
Miller told 5 On Your Side she was proud to do business at home.
"My momma grew up over here. My cousins got houses over here so it's just like wow I'm doing it over here with my people," the young entrepreneur said.
Down the road, Bessie Halbert opened Little Tots Shop, selling children's clothes, 40 years ago.
She started out six days a week but now only opens once or twice a week.
Her eyes, like everyone else here, are set on a renewed future.
"I think it'll be wonderful because it really hurt me. That's why I stayed. Because it really hurt when everybody moved out," Halbert said.
The festival went from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.