ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tucked inside the President Barack Obama Main Library in St. Petersburg, sits a new collective of three businesses.
There’s C2 Brews for coffee, managed by Joe Allen.
“We’re in the Library so we’re in the face of the public. You see a lot of people,” said Allen.
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It’s those people whom Joe loves to serve.
“You don’t want to just have something that people are just buying and spending money on, you want to them to actually enjoy it and want to keep coming back,” said Allen.
Then you’ve got GiGi’s Catering with owner Antoinette Dixon.
“I do cinnamon rolls, donuts, I also make their chicken salad, their egg salad,” said Dixon.
The mother of eight is a self-taught cook who took what she learned and turned it into a business.
“I had no choice but to learn how to do it,” said Dixon.
The collective also includes Corey’s Bakery with owner Corey Miller.
“What I do is everything. I’m not a one-trick pony, mind you. So what I do as far as business goes, I do a lot of pastries and desserts,” said Miller.
Those desserts he learned to bake from his grandmother, which he’s honored to share with the public.
“It’s something that I hold dear,” said Miller.
The mastermind behind all of this is Renee Edwards.
She’s the CEO and founder of Saturday Shoppes and Everyday Shoppes. It’s the largest Southside marketplace for small shops.
Edwards has dedicated the past few years of her life to lifting up minority-owned businesses and helping them succeed.
“We can’t make it without community support,” said Edwards.
It’s that community support she hopes people will consider during Black History Month—driving economic equality and fostering community growth.
“As a Black woman with Black children, they have to see that the community supports them to build what they want to build,” said Edwards.
For Miller, sharing his baking with people is about more than food.
“Culinary is art. Art comes from spirit, which connects to history,” said Miller.
“It's our culture. So it really means a lot,” said Dixon.
They also want people to focus on community connection right now, realizing we’re all much more the same than we are different.
“Being here in the library, you don’t judge a book by its cover. So you don’t do that with people as well. You will miss something. You will misjudge someone that could benefit you as well,” said Miller.
They, of course, hope you’ll support them beyond February.
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