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AUBURN GRESHAM — A South Side organization is celebrating Black History Month by welcoming, minority-owned businesses into its new community center.
The Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation will host a vendor showcase 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays this month at the Healthy Lifestyle Hub, 839 W. 79th St.
Small businesses will set up shop in the Healthy Hub throughout the month and neighbors can shop for local goods.
“We wanted to do something for our local, minority-owned vendors this month and give them a chance to advertise somewhere they otherwise might not be able to assess,” said Khayeem Anderson, assistant project manager at the development corporation. “We have a heavy flow of traffic coming into the Healthy Hub. We thought it would be a perfect opportunity to partner with some of them.”
This Friday, neighbors can buy colorful earrings from Octavia Barnes Paparazzi Jewelry, give in to their sweet tooth with cupcakes from Krazy Kake House or get an early Valentine’s Day gift from Felicia Gifts and Baskets.
Other vendors at the hub this weekend include Monique Beauty Experience, Katie Thurman Massage Therapy and All Thingz Neeski, organizers said.
Credit: Atavia Reed/Block Club ChicagoThe Healthy Lifestyle Hub, dubbed the “miracle on 79th Street” by local officials, opened in October in Auburn Gresham. Neighbors walked the red carpet to enter the hub in November.
The nearly 100-year-old terra cotta building was home to a drab public aid office in the ’70s before it sat vacant and boarded up for years.
For seven years, Carlos Nelson, executive director at the development corporation, went to work to transform the “lifeless” building into a prime destination for neighbors equipped with a medical office, bank, pharmacy, high-tech kitchen and more.
The South Side corporation won the first $10 million Pritzker Traubert Foundation Chicago Prize in 2020 to bring Nelson’s vision to fruition. They secured another $4 million from Mayor Lori Lightfoots’ Invest South/West program.
The Black History Month vendor showcase is only the beginning of what the Healthy Lifestyle Hub hopes to welcome to the community, Anderson said.
“We want people to come out and support and know that these vendors are from the community or work in the community,” Anderson said. “We hope that those small business vendors can open storefronts or brick-and-mortar along their corridors.”
Business owners interested in joining the month-long showcase can call the Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation’s office at 773-483-3696.
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