Businesses ‘Stake their Claim’ in new Renaissance East Corridor
On Tuesday, April 9, businesses in the heart of East Winston unveiled new signage marking the beginning of a partnership known as the Renaissance East Corridor.
The idea for the businesses in the vicinity of Laura Wall Blvd. and East Third Street to unite came shortly after representatives from Ayers Saint Gross, a Baltimore-based design firm, unveiled plans for the East End Master Plan. The design calls for the complete redevelopment of the portion of East Winston bounded by Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Business 40 and U.S. 52 to include a new retail center, multi-use space for housing and retail, restaurants and more.
Rasheeda Shankle, who serves as the community coordinator for the Simon G. Atkins Community Development Corporation (SGACDC), said one of the driving forces behind the partnership was the need to uplift the businesses that already call East Winston home and show support for the East End Master Plan. She said the signage project dubbed ‘Stake Your Claim’ was designed to let the community know they’re there for the long haul.
“The Renaissance East Corridor is a newly formed organization of minority-owned businesses in the area. We wanted to bring together the businesses that were already here and build on what was outlined in the East End Master Plan,” said Shankle. “The project itself is called ‘Stake Your Claim’ because we as business owners within the community want to make sure that we claim our stake and own the property in the area. And to do that we have to come together as one.”
Following a brief ceremony, business owners and representatives from the City of Winston-Salem, SGACDC, and Winston-Salem State University, walked around the neighborhood unveiling the new signage on each of the minority-owned businesses. Businesses represented in the Renaissance East Corridor that participated in the signage project include Other Suns Event Center, 4th Street Taxes, Eliza’s Helping Hands, Triad Cultural Arts, Back Out Bail Bonds, Johnathan D. Weston, M.D. OBGYN, and The Chronicle.
