Vol. 92, Issue 3
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David Muhammad (right) serves customers at Your Fish and Chips on Fayetteville Street in Durham. ‘We wanna make a positive impact on this neighborhood,’ said Muhammad.William Waters/ Echo Staff Photographer |
Eagle Village spreads wings
By Kendall Jenkins
Echo staff writer
For some, success is not just making it out of the hood, but getting as far away from it as possible. But for David Muhammad, owner of Your Fish and Chips at 1306 Fayetteville St., success means going back to that neighborhood and making a difference where it is needed most.
This busy Wednesday afternoon is business as usual along Fayetteville Street. It’s 4 p.m., and pedestrians pass by the old historic houses and worn businesses in greater numbers than those during lunch hour on Main Street. Two bicycles weave in and out of traffic. Cars line up 15-20 at a time waiting for a green light. Fayetteville Street is arguably one of Durham’s busiest streets.
However, none of the screeching tires, car horns, barking dogs, DATA buses or yelling can be heard in Your Fish and Chips, an escape of sorts. Everything inside the restaurant moves at a therapeutically slow pace — far removed from the energy and congestion that gives Fayetteville Street its character.
“What we wanted to do was give the people something that was their own. Here they can get good healthy food and kickback and relax all at the same time,” Muhammad said. “We’re locally owned and operated, and we’re from this neighborhood. We’re not gonna feed people garbage, and then take their money and run without giving back like some of these other business around here.”
At your Fish and Chips, an outsider could get the feeling everyone inside this restaurant knows each other. Some carry on light conversations, others turn their attention to a videotaped Louis Farrakhan speech. At one point, Muhammad excuses himself to turn his attention to a customer at the counter, then returns and slides back into the booth.
“Business has been great so far,” said Muhammad. “You know, we haven’t spent a dime on advertising yet. And people from as far as Raleigh are coming here. It must be word-of-mouth. The people around here are really accepting us.”
However, his interest in the area does not stop there.
Muhammad, chairperson of Durham’s local organizing committee to this month’s Million Family March on Washington, is not content with using his business to just make dollars.
“We wanna make a positive impact on this neighborhood,” said Muhammad. “We especially want the young black males to know that if you apply yourself and adhere to morals, you can break any mold. You can live and not have to sell drugs to make it and be respected in this world.
“You know, the money will not always be there ... but the people will. That’s why we’re not in this business just to make money. If we weren’t here making money, we’d be here anyway, still making a difference.”
Economic development in Eagle Village Muhammad is among a growing number of entrepreneurs recognizing the needs of Eagle Village where population is dense, and there are too few resources and businesses to cater to those needs.
“People are finally realizing the potential here, and they’re slowly coming around,” said Everette Miles, Executive Director of the Eagle Village Community Development Corporation.
The EVCDC was incorporated in Febuary 1997 as a non-profit organization focused on the revitalization of Eagle Village — an area that includes neighborhoods, churches, schools and businesses within an approximate 1.5 mile radius of NCCU.
The goals set in 1997 are identical to those outlined by Miles today: “[T]o create housing ownership opportunities, increase economic development, educate and train residents, promote community safety and security and promote health and wellness.
“What makes this area an attractive one is that not only its close proximity to other developments, but its accessibility. It has great access roads. One of the key things to consider in housing and commercial development is location. It is located right in the middle of everything that’s happening right now.
“There’s the Research Triangle Park, downtown Durham and the growth surrounding the Durham Bulls complex. There’s also the construction at Fayetteville and I-40, NCCU, and people getting on and off the freeway to commute to these areas. This is a major corridor between 147, I-40, the new shopping center. With all that happening it’s just a natural that this area is going to develop because it’s right in the middle of everything. So how could you ignore it?”
It is impossible to ignore the appropriately-named Phoenix Crossing Shopping Center, the latest development along Fayetteville Street.
Still under construction, the property occupies the corner of Fayetteville and Lakewood Streets. Aside from its anchors, Kerr Drug and KFC, the shopping center will also attract over 20 more businesses, according to Larry Hester, co-owner of Zuri and Associates, the developers of Phoenix Crossing and Phoenix Square at 910 Fayetteville St.
The center will feature a small grocery store, African World of Braids, The Bible Bookstore, a Caribbean restaurant, an insurance company, Fashion Cents and other retailers and restaurants.
“The idea is to bring goods and services to the interior of our community
so that we won’t have to travel miles just to get our shopping done,” said
Hester, who grew up on nearby Linwood Ave. “We’re comfortable, having been
here for such a long time, and we just want to change this community for
the better.”