[Durham, NC] March 25, 2019 - Celebrate the future of entrepreneurship at the grand opening of the Angier Business & Children’s Center (ABC Center), 2101 Angier Avenue, on Saturday, March 30, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. The community celebration will feature music, children’s activities, refreshments and giveaways. Mayor Schewel and other guests will take part in a ribbon cutting that begins at noon. Free and open to the public. RSVP at abc-center.eventbrite.com.

ABC Center is an $11+ million investment in a series of historic buildings totaling 45,000 square feet in the heart of East Durham’s business district that Self-Help renovated utilizing state and federal historic tax credits, along with New Markets Tax Credits, which are federal funds that help spur community development and growth in distressed communities.  The project also received support from the City of Durham and local foundations.   

Businesses that are tenants at ABC Center include:

• All My Children Childcare Center – Paulette Muhammad has been in the field of early childhood for over 35 years. All My Children will serve over 80 children, infants through preschool age, when fully enrolled. This the second location of this childcare business.
• Durham Atletico – a soccer/futsal organization dedicated to broadening access to the game throughout Durham, with a particular focus on the urban core. They are committed to tackling the scarcity of low-cost, structured programs and lack of playing fields in Durham for children and adults.
• East Durham Children's Initiative – EDCI’s mission is to create a pipeline of high-quality services from birth through high school graduation for children and families living in a 120-block area of East Durham. More than 40 partner organizations and hundreds of community members work collaboratively with EDCI to help us achieve that mission.
• No Greater Love Christian Church – bills itself as “a Real church for Real people seeking a Real Word!” Dr. Arlene S. Chavis, Senior Pastor, presides over this East Durham-based congregation and its community outreach and other ministries.
• Russell’s Pharmacy – a new, independent pharmacy in East Durham’s historic Angier-Driver business district run by an experienced local pharmacist.The proprietors, Darius and Terensia Russell, are a husband-and-wife team with strong ties to Durham.Their mission is to provide complete pharmaceutical care to their patients to help improve their quality of life, to serve and inspire the community, and to create a welcoming and positive environment.
• ThriVve Global Urban Fashion – a place to shop, network, thrift, see fashion, and ThriVve. ThriVve Global Urban Fashion is the first brick-and-mortar location of a popular formerly pop-up shop featuring new, vintage, consignment and thrift clothing expertly curated by the proprietors.
• Top Notch Performance Fitness Studio – has one and only goal: to help you reach Top Notch Performance — whether you're a professional athlete, student athlete or working out to stay in shape.
• Non-profits and many other business ventures.

The ABC Center still has some available spaces for rent, including offices and a single remaining retail storefront, and will serve other small businesses and nonprofits in the near future. 

There are over 145 million small businesses in the United States. Small businesses are important to local economies. They strengthen neighborhoods by offering employment opportunities and the economic benefits of shopping locally.

Self-Help is a leading national community development financial institution headquartered in Durham, NC. Together with more than 150,000 members across the country, we work every day to expand ownership and economic opportunities for all, with special focus on people of color, women, and communities that may be underserved by conventional lenders. Since 1980, Self-Help has provided over $8.4 billion in financing to families, individuals and businesses across the country.

The nonprofit Center for Community Self-Help is the umbrella organization for the Self-Help family of nonprofit organizations, which includes Self-Help Credit Union, Self-Help Federal Credit Union, Self-Help Ventures Fund and the Center for Responsible Lending. Learn more at www.self-help.org, www.self-helpfcu.org and www.responsiblelending.org.

Jenny Shields, Director of Media Relations, Center for Community Self-Help | Direct Line: 919.794.6798  | Cell: 919.695.2037 | Email: Jenny.Shields@self-help.org