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Sherman Phoenix

Face of Community Economic Impact

Sherman Phoenix; (Left to right) Rashidah Butler-Jackson, Christal Shipp, Dr. Stacia Thompson, Latrece Nelson; Photo by Boutique Photographer Linda Smallpage; Instagram: @boutiquephotographer | Facebook: Boutique Photographer | Linkedin: Linda Smallpage

When Sherman Phoenix opened in 2018 as an entrepreneurial hub for Black-owned businesses, one goal was to reclaim the Sherman Park neighborhood after the 2016 civil unrest. Built on the former site of a bank that had been burned down, Sherman Phoenix now hosts over 27 businesses, from food vendors and beauty services to retail collectives and mental health services.

“There needs to be a place of healing somewhere in the neighborhood,” says Dr. Stacia Thompson, executive director of Sherman Phoenix Foundation. The foundation formed in 2020 to lead value-added programming that brings cultural and economic vibrancy to the hub. It focuses on four areas: entrepreneurship and small-business success; strategic corporate investment and training; economic equity and empowerment; and cultural and economic vibrancy.

Recent Phoenix events include a community baby shower for mothers-to-be, which sent each of them home with gift bags stuffed with Pampers diapers and wipes; a financial-literacy class for high schoolers; and a group therapy session for people of color and their families. Thompson plans to host more community impact programs in the year to come, as Sherman Phoenix continues to grow.


3536 W. FOND DU LAC AVE. | 262-228-6021

shermanphoenix.com