NORFOLK, Va. — A vision months in the making is now a reality in Norfolk’s Park Place neighborhood. The New Africa Marketplace officially opened its doors June 7 on 35th Street, bringing African and Islamic culture, locally owned entrepreneurship, and community pride under one roof.
The marketplace is located in what’s known as the 35th Street Business Corridor, an area that has recently seen renewed investment thanks to a city-backed façade improvement grant program. That program, funded through federal stimulus dollars, awarded Imam Ismael Saleem more than $46,000 to help launch the store.
“This place used to be called Shabazz Fashions,” said Saleem, who is also president of the Park Place Business Association and the imam of the mosque next door. “The owners sold it to the masjid and we purchased it. We wanted to continue their legacy, but also to bring something new and exciting to the community.”
Saleem walked through the store, pointing out the wide variety of goods—Islamic garments, dashikis, incense, handmade masks and calligraphy from Mali, and even deodorant without aluminum requested by a customer.
“The idea is African and Islamic fusion together,” he said. “Everything that we provide is a means to empower African Americans and to inspire and educate people who are not African American.”
The New Africa Marketplace is part of a broader initiative Saleem calls the “first phase of Black Wall Street,” referencing the roughly 20 to 25 Black-owned businesses on the block between Colonial and Colley Avenues.
“Our goal here is to have what is called Black Wall Street,” he said. “We wanted to start with something beneficial to the community, where the community can see us in ownership and buying and selling from one another.”
The marketplace was one of several businesses in the corridor to receive funds from Norfolk’s Economic Development Department.
Sean Washington, director of economic development for the City of Norfolk, said the program was designed to help anchor existing businesses in neighborhoods where vacancy and blight have been ongoing challenges.
“This was the way for us to combat some of those challenges we saw,” Washington told News 3 in a previous interview.
Business development manager Nikki Southall added that the goal is also to attract new business.
“To be able to revitalize and put a fresh new face on the businesses that are here… really is to attract new businesses,” Southall said.
Saleem said the community response to the store’s opening has been overwhelming. Several city council members joined the grand opening celebration, and excitement continues to grow about the store’s potential and future expansion.
“In five or six years, I want this place to be so vibrant, so many people running in and out, that we’re going to have to build a second and a third one,” Saleem said.
The store is also expected to launch youth mentorship programs and other community-focused initiatives.
“We want to bring back the soul,” Saleem said. “The city has dubbed this the soul of Norfolk, and we want to make that a place where people are coming, because this is Park Place as the soul of Norfolk.”
