SHARP END — Walnut St, Fifth to Sixth A Douglass Neighborhood Story

Sharp End once pulsed along Walnut Street between Fifth and Sixth—a Black business district inside Columbia’s Douglass neighborhood built from dignity, hustle, and genius. Barbers kept the chairs full, cafés like Elite and Vi served meals with respect, Green Tree Tavern booked nights, and McKinney Hall drew legends. Then came two words that always sound like progress until the bulldozers arrive: urban renewal. Condemnations, razing, parking lots. In this episode, we walk the footprint, say the names, and read the receipts—so memory outlives erasure. We also trace today’s efforts to honor the past and support new entrepreneurs on the same ground.
If your family holds photos, menus, letters, or stories from Sharp End, please share them—details in the notes. Follow, rate, and pass this on to someone who needs to hear it. This is That Doesn’t Make Sense: where we mark the places, name the people, and make sure the story doesn’t end where the bulldozers began.