Nearly three months ago a radically different community marketplace opened its doors in the Sherman Park neighborhood in Milwaukee.
The highly anticipated redevelopment, appropriately named the Sherman Phoenix, rose from the ashes and transformed the charred interior of the former BMO Bank building off Fond du Lac Ave. into a vibrant galleria where food, wellness and culture meet.
The cream brick structure endured the flames from the Sherman Park unrest in 2016, making its revival particularly significant for not just the surrounding community, but for the 27 small business owners that now get to call the Sherman Phoenix home.
Clarindria Addison is one of these entrepreneurs. Her company, Hands at Home, provides services to adults with disabilities.
Addison is an outlier compared to the 26 other tenants that occupy the three-floor building. While her co-tenants sell products and services, Addison's space serves as the Hands at Home corporate office.
Watch the video above to hear more about Clarindria's journey—leaving the corporate world and entering a family of entrepreneurs at the Sherman Phoenix—and her personal reflection on the grand opening day in November and the impact she feels it has already had on the community.