When Barbra Horrell was young, Sharp End was a rite of passage.

It was Columbia’s historically Black business district, and it was for business only. Children were not allowed in the district unsupervised until they turned 18, but Horrell never got the chance to count herself among the adults who frequented Sharp End — urban renewal efforts repurposed the land and tore down some of the buildings before she had the chance.

Horrell shared her story at The Shops at Sharp End’s grand opening on Jan. 31. The business is a retail incubator aimed at helping minority entrepreneurs reach a broader audience while honoring the history of Sharp End. The building recognizes Columbia’s history of segregation and the way Sharp End was, to many, “the cultural heart of the black community,” according to the historical marker that stands on East Walnut Street, just east of North 5th Street.

“This is where we started. This is the second city. First city,” Horrell said during her speech at the opening ceremony, gesturing towards the broader Columbia. “Second city,” she said, gesturing to the street outside that once housed the Black Business District. “Let’s not forget. I have to do that, because some people forget where we came from, when we knew Sharp End. I’m not being mean, just being truthful.”

Sharp End was the center of the Black business community in Columbia from the early 1900s to the 1960s. The Shops at Sharp End honors this legacy by reminding patrons of what used to occupy the space in which they are shopping. Across one wall is painted, “You are in the historic Black Business District,” while the opposing wall recounts a brief history of Sharp End. Historic pictures will be printed onto the business’s windows in the coming weeks.

Inside the building, products from 19 sellers — everything from clothing to candles — are spread over tables and meticulously arranged in display cases. The retail incubator plans to eventually house as many as 40 vendors. Sharp End  seeks to reduce barriers to entry by providing a low-cost retail space and training on how to operate a small business. The grand opening brought a large crowd. 

“I was flabbergasted. I didn’t expect so many people to come,” Candace Hulsizer, a vendor at The Shops at Sharp End, said.

Hulsizer, like many of the vendors, does not have a background in business. She was a teacher for almost 20 years with Columbia Public Schools, where she found the inspiration for her business, the Black Tea Bookshop.

“I’ve been a reader my whole life, but as I became a parent of two daughters, and then also a teacher, I realized that we’re consuming all these books and there weren’t a whole lot that represented people who looked like me and my daughters and the kids that I was teaching,” Hulsizer said. “When you read these books, and you’re not in it, at some point you start to think, maybe I’m not important.”

Black Tea Bookshop sells books that center marginalized characters — the kind of stories Hulsizer wishes were available to her growing up.

As a vendor with The Shops at Sharp End, Hulsizer also receives personal coaching from a business coach and orientations that make sure all vendors have the licensing they need. 

Vendors interested in participating in The Shops at Sharp End are encouraged to apply on the business’s website.

“[The Shops at Sharp End has] Entrepreneurs supporting one another, and is somewhere that they can actually put their products in a space instead of utilizing online. Online is good, but you only reach a certain audience there,” retail manager Tanisha Simpson said. “Here it’s about local community, and that’s what’s important.” 

The Shops at Sharp End is located on the corner of Fifth and Walnut Street and are open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Edited by Sam Barrett | sabrrett@themaneater.com 

Edited by Genevieve Smith | gsmith@themaneater.com 

Copy edited by Sophie Gromowsky and Grace Knight | gknight@themaneater.com