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A Black-owned plaza is making its way to Quincy, FL, in Gadsden County.
According to WCTV, a variety of Black-owned businesses will be joining Seaboard Plaza. The plaza’s purpose is to increase the economic activity locally and create more jobs.
Seaboard Plaza will feature the following types of businesses:
- Food court
- Barber shop
- Hair salon
- Dry cleaners
- Construction and real estate offices
- Full-scale restaurant with a private bar room
- Event venue
“This helps to employ local people. This helps keep local money local and not take it out of town. This also provides convenience to people,” Gadsden County Economic Development Director T.J. Lewis told the outlet.
General contractor Latasha Murray, a Gadsden County native, commented: “We considered what other people in Gadsden County wanted. The restaurants was one of the main ones and the cleaners ’cause we don’t have a cleaners here in Quincy as of now.”
Furthermore, Seaboard Plaza is being built on the same land as the former Seaboard strip mall, which existed in the 1980s. Upon the new building’s completion, the developers hope to keep the spirit of the former establishment alive.
“They had many other businesses here back in the days,”Murray told the outlet. “So, we’re adopting some of that business trend here at the Seaboard Plaza, so the great history, we’re bringing it back.”
Construction is already underway, and the Plaza will be located at 335 Pat Thomas Parkway — expected to open in November 2025. It will reportedly be the first Black-owned plaza in Quincy, according to Murray.
There are also plans for Seaboard Plaza to provide resources benefiting the youth. Its office space will host training sessions and summer camps focused on education in construction and real estate. Participants will also have the opportunity to gain firsthand experience by visiting job sites.
“What we’re hoping to see is Pat Thomas Parkway emerge as a corridor for services, for jobs, for hotels, for commerce for this community that will allow us to become the Gadsden County of the future,” Lewis explained.
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