It’s a center for business with deep historical significance. Filled with minority-owned businesses, it’s dubbed as the first black-owned mall in Central Florida.

  • The Village Square in Orlando's Washington Shores
  • First black-owned mall in the area; formerly the Wilcox Mall
  • Fully-occupied with black minority businesses

“We’re so proud of it in this community. This our hub," said George Coar, the property manager for The Village Square. “You can’t change where you were born, but you can change how you live where you’re born. And that’s what we’re going to do.”

What started as a grocery store along Goldwyn Avenue was built into a mall in the 1980s by developer Bobby Wilcox. The structure served as a symbol of progress for the Washington Shores community.

Years later, Wilcox Mall fell into disrepair, but in the last decade -- under new management -- upgrades were made.

“When you can change a community that was blighted, and you can empower people from their businesses," said Coar. “The impact will change the future generations.”

Thirty independent, minority businesses now line the hallways, including Onyx magazine.

“When you come here, you feel the souls of the ancestors, those who have walked these halls," said Richard Black, the president and publisher of the magazine, which highlights accomplishments of African-Americans.

Black said three years ago, as Onyx searched for a new space, they considered Winter Park -- but decided upon Washington Shores instead.

“If you’re going to write about African Americans, you need to be in the heart of the community," Black explained.

Tenants like Carlton Wright say the mall is a community of its own: It's filled with non-chain, boutique businesses who rely on one another for support.

“Black businesses always try to support other black businesses, so we support each other in this mall," he said. “It means that we have minority success in this area. Minorities can be successful.”

When Wright moved to the area in 1972, he stumbled across a barbershop on Goldwyn Avenue.

“I walked out the barber college and walked in here and went to work. Been here ever since," he said. “Haircuts change, but clients don’t change. That’s about the only thing. You give someone their first haircut, you give someone their last haircut.”

Wright said when he arrived, the barbershop was part of a small strip mall, but over time, “They built all the rest of the mall around us," he said.

Down the hall, Joanna James runs her own salon in a space in The Village Square, doing hair, makeup and even fashion consulting. Born and raised in Orlando, James said she moved into the spot six years ago for a sense of community.

“We all get along in this building. We try to work together as one," she said. “It’s been here for a long, long time. A very long time and it has changed a lot. I think the legacy is still continuing within the mall itself.”

While Coar said that the mall is now fully occupied, he wants to see the mall grow in foot traffic.

“We need more self-employed minorities here to come in together, work together," said James.

Tenants also want others to understand the mall's significance.

“I think that maybe if we can get a marker to go out in front, and if we can honor Bobby Wilcox, that would be significant," said Black. “In the African American community, we don’t share the history as we once did. So I think this will serve as a beacon to say this was the first black mall in Central Florida."