Community Celebrates the Debut of Rondo Exchange

As if the Minnesota winter had pressed pause for the Saturday celebration, dozens of community members spilled out onto the sidewalk at Selby and Victoria, savoring the sun and taking in the giant bloom of blue and gold balloons framing the entry to the corridor’s newest hot spot. 

For Anika Bowie, the Grand Opening of Rondo Exchange — a business incubator featuring four local Black entrepreneurs — was “a dream come true.” A daughter of Rondo and Saint Paul City Councilmember, she recalled her first job stacking products in her parents’ grocery store on Selby Avenue. She keenly remembered when, more than 20 years ago, Stephanie and Mychael Wright opened Golden Thyme Coffee and Cafe, sparking the latest commercial revitalization of the Selby corridor after the construction of Interstate 94 bulldozed the district in the 1960s. 

To her, this warm, sunny day rang with the lyrics of Jill Scott’s iconic song, “Golden.”  

I'm taking my freedom; Pulling it off the shelf

Putting it on my chain; Wear it around my neck

I'm taking my freedom; Putting it in my car

Wherever I choose to go; It will take me far

I’m living my life like it's golden. 

“This is the mindset of entrepreneurs; someone who takes their freedom in their own hands,” she told the crowd.” Someone who takes their creativity, their culture, and their lived experience, and turns it into ownership, stability, and generational wealth. That is the Rondo story.” 

“Small businesses carry our stories, they keep our culture alive — and Golden Thyme Cafe has proven that,” Bowie said. “Stephanie and Mychael Wright didn’t just build a cafe. They built a community and a culture and a love on this corridor. And we are so, so grateful to have amazing partners, like the Rondo Community Land Trust, that are bringing us another step forward. We are claiming our freedom. We are investing in our culture. And we are bringing businesses here to ensure that St. Paul has an opportunity to live our lives like they’re golden.” 

For months, community members have been able to grab their daily brew at Golden Thyme Cafe but there was always more in store for 856 Selby. Behind the soft green curtains at the back of the seating area, Rondo Community Land Trust was building a new kind of business incubator. Unlike a traditional retail strip or co-working space, Rondo Exchange combines affordable commercial space with ongoing one-on-one coaching, marketing support, financial training, and cohort-based learning — all under the stewardship of Rondo Community Land Trust. The goal: to seed long-term viability and ownership pathways for businesses, and cultivate community wealth and prosperity for the corridor at large.  

On Saturday, the curtain was pulled back and Rondo native, DJ Huh What, spun records as local leaders and community members got the first chance to browse the shelves of BriiNoir, Kprecia Inspires, and Mind the Crown.

For Saint Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, Rondo Exchange resonated with her own upbringing as a daughter of entrepreneurs — and represents a step forward in ensuring businesses owned by people of color don’t continue to face the same systemic barriers. 

“I remember growing up that, when you’re a person of color, navigating systems that were not built for you, they're constantly taking away any kind of social, cultural and political capital that you gained,” she said at the grand opening. “You feel like you're always starting from a negative. But to have an institution that understands the historic trauma and the history of a people and say how do we pull resources together? How do we create a space in which we can grow entrepreneurs? And how do we make sure that they have the capital that is so often taken away from us? That’s why I'm so proud to be a partner with the Rondo Community Land Trust.” 

Like Bowie, Kprecia Ambers described the day as a dream come true. One of the debut businesses in Rondo Exchange, her digital figurative art as a response to hate and an avenue to uplift people, celebrate resilience and inspire self love. 

“I honestly felt like this opportunity was made for me,” she told the crowd on Saturday. “It came at the exact perfect time in my life when I was exploring my artwork and wanted to create more, wanted to make collections and connect with my community. This opportunity does exactly that. It gives me space to meet new people, collaborate and expand. I tell the team all the time, there's nothing inside me that wants to grow alone. I want to collaborate. Being in this space to me is being a part of history and I'm so, so grateful.”

To represent the history and envision the future of Rondo, the space is infused with art, as well, featuring new works from local artists Akosiwe Medowokpo, Amanda Stout and Shae Maze. 

“Together, these artists make sure that this space doesn't just support business activity, but also reflect the cultural legacy and the future of Rondo,” she said. “This is what it looks like when we invest, not just in spaces, but in people, in their ideas, their stories, and their long term success.”

Rondo Exchange is now open for business from 12-4 pm Mondays through Fridays. And stay tuned to our e-news and social media for upcoming events and business promotions!