In the middle of the 20th century, many urban neighborhoods in St. Louis and elsewhere were virtual cities within the city itself. Residents were able to live, work, and play within their own community. Major street corners were alive with commerce and a variety of service and retail businesses were mixed in with gathering spots of cafes and restaurants. Local youth worked in these establishments and learned valuable lessons from caring owners who provided a stablizing influence to these communities.
As residents began their mass migration to the suburbs during the later part of the century, much of the commerce that supported a larger population followed and left the remaining urban residents with few neighborhood shopping options for their basic goods and services. This out-migration has also created a lack of economic investment in the most distressed neighborhoods, resulting in a marked decrease in jobs, tax revenues, and neighborhood role models. Many civic, charitable, and religious organizations continue to work with residents to restore vitality to those neighborhoods through various social ventures. Neighborhood retail commerce played an important role in the fabric of these neighborhoods in the past. We believe that neighborhood retail commerce will play a key role in in future community building as more effort is put into helping people do business in their own community.
Doug Brown, the founder of the Habitat for Neighborhood Business, observed the absence of retail businesses in distressed areas of North St. Louis and many other cities he visited as a senior officer for Enterprise Rent-A-Car before his retirement. Doug believed there are residents in these communities who are capable of providing goods and services to their neighbors. The partnership with Saint Louis University began in order to build upon the mission platform of the Habitat for Neighborhood Business.