Janis FontaineThe florist, hair salon, cafe, learning center, event venue and home health business report that they are thriving.
Just over a year ago, the owners of six businesses gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Styx Promenade in the Historic Northwest District, just blocks north of downtown West Palm Beach.
The cluster of nine buildings, designed in the shotgun architectural style, is the home of a town-square collection of urban entrepreneurs, including
- a second-generation florist and event space,
- a beauty salon,
- a home care provider,
- a cupcake and soul food café,
- and a social justice-driven children’s bookstore and learning center.
The Styx Promenade renovations were backed by a $2.6 million investment from the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. It’s part of an effort to revitalize the historic Black neighborhood with local entrepreneur partners.
Styx is near two other multimillion-dollar CRA investments: Heart & Soul Park sits kitty-corner to the north of the storefronts, and the storied, restored Sunset Lounge is a block away on Eighth Street.
But the Styx Promenade business owners are there day in and day out between the events in the park and nightclub, sharing knowledge and building a business district together.
Here is a snapshot of the commerce that has become rooted on Seventh Street.
Reading is the answer
Rohi’s Readery might be the most colorful business on the block.
But the building could be painted gray and Pranati “Pranoo” Kumar’s energy, and her love of children and reading, would transform it into a vibrant color wheel.
“I’m so happy that I get to be a part of an incredible community and a community that is just so aligned with the mission and the work that we’re doing,” Kumar said.
She felt embraced by the other business owners immediately.
“We care for each other like family,” Kumar said. “Before I even was able to move into this space, Mr. Glover (owner of the home care business next door) was helping me figure out insurance and security and Wi-Fi.
“And Kimberly (Weston) and her family have just been supportive, making sure that we are sharing our events on social media.”
The work at Rohi’s Readery centers on mentoring kids, and that’s spreading down the block, too.
During the summer, Rohi’s Readery partnered with 2026 Philanthropy Tank finalists Ahkeam Ivy and Jordan Johnson, whose nonprofit program Mix, Measure, Mentor teaches elementary school children basic kitchen skills to build confidence and self-esteem. The Palm Beach Lakes High School students focus on youth from the Historic Northwest District.
Chef Greg Eaton, owner of Eat ‘N Cake two doors away, “was an incredible mentor to them. They were able to learn new culinary skills with him, and they made our free breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack for our children during summer camp,” Kumar said.
“And then at the salon next door, one of our girls who is really great at braiding and hair has been wanting to learn more, so she will stop by there and the owners, Kimberly Winn and Yaneek Facey, will pour into her. They give her advice and tips and products to try.”
Kumar, a two-time New York Teacher of the Year, founded Rohi’s Readery, a bookstore and learning center in 2021 in CityPlace to promote inclusivity and diversity by honoring historically marginalized communities.
The social justice-driven bookstore and art workspace also offers live literacy programming for children and adults. The books she stocks spotlight historically marginalized communities, untold stories by people who are Black, Hispanic, LGBTQ+ and immigrants. Like her.
The name Rohi comes from her grandmother, Rohini, an education activist who fought for women’s and children’s rights in her native India and who encouraged Kumar to do the same.
Her family moved from India to Texas when she was a child, and the racism she encountered shaped her worldview. She didn’t plan a future in social justice or education – she had her sights set on medical school – but the calling to teach was too great.
She taught in Harlem, then after starting the first elementary charter school in the greater Seattle area, she worked as a consultant for charter school programs in New York and Washington, and as an educational consultant with her company divHERse.
But in 2021, she put down roots in West Palm Beach. She opened her business in CityPlace, where her energy spilled out onto the lawn for events like her annual Diwali celebration. Then in 2025, she won the bid from the CRA to move her space to the Styx Promenade,
“We do sell books, but most of our work is providing a free and safe space for children,” Kumar said.
The married mother of two daughters, ages 4 and 5, says, “I feel incredibly fortunate that I have time to go home and be present because I also know so many families in our community where caregivers are working hard for their children, but they don’t have that.” The Readery gives their kids a place to go where they can learn and play and do art, for free.
Kumar’s mentors persuaded her to start a nonprofit to raise money for her programs. She opened the Rohi’s Liberation Station to consolidate all the free nonprofit programming and the distribution of free books in 2023. Now she can apply for nonprofit grants that she didn’t qualify for as a commercial business.
Kumar’s opposition to book bans and programs that want to limit access by underrepresented communitiesto books about people like them has brought her negative comments on social media, including death threats.
She acknowledges that it was hard at first. “But I thought, there are people who have been doing this work far longer than I have, and with much more severe consequences, so I’ve definitely developed a thicker skin around it,” Kumar said.
Her Styx Promenade neighbors’ support helps. “We have a group chat, and we have our CRA meetings, but sometimes we just get together to talk about things. We really feel connected, and I feel really grateful to be here in this space.”
The Liberation Station is hosting two fundraisers this week:
Dinner with 12 Elders — 6-9 pm, Thursday, Sept. 24. An intimate dinner and fireside chat listening to the stories of the elders whose wisdom and advocacy have shaped the Historic Northwest community, hosted by Soledad O’Brien, the award-winning broadcast journalist, executive producer and talk-show host. The evening honors Dr. Alisha Winn. Only 75 tickets are available for $750. Buy tickets here.
Bridging Learning & Revolutionaries — Saturday, Sept. 26. Start with storytime and activities at the Cox Science Center from 10:30 am-noon (a separate ticket is needed for Cox), then head to Rohi’s Readery for a Lunch & Learn Community Celebration from 12:30- 2:30 pm with a self-guided tour and celebration of the history of the Historic Northwest community.
Tickets are $50 for adults, $25 for ages 12 and younger. Proceeds benefit RLS community-led literacy and storytelling programming. Buy tickets here.
Rohi’s Liberation Station
630 Seventh St. 561-408-3842
The mayor of Styx Promenade
If Styx Promenade had a mayor, Craig Glover would be it. Other business owners look to him for his expertise in navigating the city’s bureaucracy and as a representative on a variety of boards to bring economic growth to the area.
Glover was the first to move into Styx Promenade. He relocated his thriving home health care company there after purchasing two buildings from the CRA in 2023.
But he points to Lojo Washington’s Queen of Sheeba Ethiopian restaurant at the corner of Seventh Street and Sapodilla Avenue. Glover calls Washington and her husband the area’s “real pioneers. They made it possible that we could all move in here because they endured so much.”
Washington showed people what was possible, Glover said, so when the opportunity came for him to own his buildings — something most business owners only dream about — he jumped at the chance.
He wasn’t the only one to appreciate how unusual this opportunity was. In 2025, the Florida Redevelopment Association awarded the Styx Promenade project the Roy F. Kenzie “Out of the Box” Award, which recognizes the most innovative and effective redevelopment programs in Florida.
In July, Glover, a downtown resident, joined the Downtown Development Authority board. He previously served as executive director of Northend RISE, a nonprofit pushing for community revitalization in the Coleman Park neighborhood.
Glover started his home care business with his late wife, Bonnie, in response to a personal need. When Bonnie needed a kidney transplant, he was her donor and they both needed help when they returned home after surgery. Neither was happy with what they got.
Glover, who has a master’s degree in health management and policy from the University of Miami and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Florida A&M, had been working in the health care field before his surgery.
He and Bonnie decided to become part of the solution. They opened A Better Way Home Care, a nonmedical, in-home care agency, in 2016. The caregivers help with daily living tasks such as bathing and dressing. They also provide companionship.
Glover’s company educates and helps certify new home care aides and certified nursing assistants, providing pathways to employment, and it helps our elderly and disabled population stay safe and well at home.
All caregivers are licensed and certified and pass a background check. Then his team — a director of nursing and two RNs — matches caregivers with clients.
A Better Way earned a contract with the Veterans Administration in 2017 to provide free services to veterans. “It’s allowed us to serve hundreds and hundreds of veterans,” Glover said. “But a lot of veterans are not connected to the VA and they don’t know about these benefits, so we ask people in the community to help us find them.”
Today, Glover uses half his space for lectures and training, and the other half serves as his office and administrative center. The company has about 75 clients and 60 caregivers, most of whom work part time.
For some, it’s the beginning of a career. “We’ve had many caregivers go on to become LPNs, enabling them to take care of their families.”
And helping veterans, Glover said, “That’s probably the most rewarding work I’ve ever done.”
A Better Way Home Care
626 Seventh St., 561-202-1266
The flower shop is blooming
Kimberly Weston owns Camile’s Flowers & Gifts, a second-generation florist named for her mother. “Next year will be our 40th year in business, and we have customers who have been with us the full 40 years,” she said. Weston also runs the Wild Rose Wine & Daiquiri Bar event space next door.
Her mother, Camile Bunche, with the support of her husband, Julius, started the business in New York as a side hustle that helped her decompress from the stress of her nursing job. When the couple moved to West Palm, she brought the business with her.
Now 87, Camile spends most of her time tending her vegetable garden at home, Weston said.
“My dad’s here at the shop every day, and he keeps us all in shape,” Weston said.
Weston was raised around the business. Her parents taught her to read the profit-and-loss statements each month. “You need to know your numbers,” she said.
The business has flourished. “We’re part of life’s milestones, part of people saying, ‘I love you’ and ‘I’m sorry.’ Those moments matter. Flowers are a tangible expression of sentiment,” Weston said.
The business, which serves clients from Juno Beach to Boynton and Palm Beach to Westlake, always slows down during the summer, but this year it’s been a bit harder, Weston said.
“One challenge is tariffs,” she said. Almost all of her flowers come from outside the country, so she is managing an increase in cost for the blooms as well as for hard goods, like vases and containers. As a delivery business, gas price increases have also been a challenge. Weston estimates her costs have increased by about 25% since opening in the Styx Promenade.
“Not only that, we’re a luxury service. You don’t need to have flowers delivered, and people are watching their bottom line,” she said.
Still, there’s enough business to keep her staff busy. She has four designers, independent contractors who work their own hours, who have been with the company for decades.
Though Weston grew up in the flower business, as a young adult she explored work as a flight attendant, in health care and pharmaceutical sales. But when her mother started talking about retiring, Weston forged a new path.
And when the opportunity for ownership through the CRA came, the family relocated from Old Northwood to the Styx Promenade. Weston wanted a legacy.
“We wanted to have a little piece of this earth to call ours, and the reality is that it would not have been possible without grant money and the support of the CRA. But ownership is a different animal. There’s no one to call when the plumbing breaks.”
Camile’s Flowers & Gifts
618 Seventh St. 561-655-6772
The wine is flowing
Weston said it’s been a slow summer for Wild Rose Wine & Daiquiri Bar.
“West Palm Beach is a seasonal city, and our business absolutely is reflective of such. In the summertime, when it’s hot, the natives don’t have many events,” Weston said. They’re waiting for the cooler weather.
Weston and her parents opened the event space with their flower and gift shop to build another stream of revenue.
“West Palm Beach has a lot of midsize rental venues and a whole lot of big places, but nothing for people who want to have an intimate event with 20 or 30 guests,” Weston said. “Between the indoor lounge area and the outdoor garden area, we fill a need.”
Weston recently hosted a surprise engagement party. The groom found the wine bar using ChatGPT to search for a garden. Wild Rose filled its outdoor space with flowers and carefully strung lighting. The groom proposed in the garden while guests watched from inside. “All their family and friends were just waiting for her to say yes,” Weston said. She did.
Wild Rose also recently hosted a celebration after a baptism at a local church.
“They walked right across the street to have the after-party at the park. They were really taking advantage of all that the area has to offer,” she said.
Wild Rose hosts a monthly Sip and Arrange that combines a class in flower arranging with cocktails and snacks.
“It’s an introduction to floral design and it is incredibly fun. It is a great date night or a girls’ night out,” Weston said.
The cost is $69.99, and you get to take the flowers with you. “It’s an experience you don’t forget.”
One year in, Weston is making it work. “The CRA has been very responsive to any problems. I had concerns because we have speakers around the exterior and the noise issue. I don’t want to trouble my neighbors because they’ve been great to me,” Weston said. “This neighborhood was theirs first. I’m respectful of that.”
Weston installed large hedges to provide a buffer between Wild Rose and the houses behind the venue. “It also provides a little privacy and camouflage for the venue, but one that’s pretty,” she said.
“We are operating with a great deal of patience and optimism, doing what we can. And it’s only been a year.”
Weston misses the foot traffic that Old Northwood drew to her business. “This hasn’t become like a true destination area yet so we need the people who live here to support the businesses that are here.”
Weston says there’s a characteristic she shares with her fellow entrepreneurs. “I think the common thread is we’re all scrappy. We’ll make a lot out of a little,” she said. “But really, we’re just grateful for the opportunity.”
Wild Rose Wine & Daiquiri Bar
620 Seventh St. 561-941-9008
Wild Rose is co-hosting a community workout Saturday at Heart & Soul Park
Weston and personal trainer BJ Bruce Wayne Brown of
Woozie Fitness will host a community workout at 6 pm Saturday, Sept. 26, in Heart & S
oul Park across the street from Wild Rose. The event features yoga stretching, a workout and a healthy dinner by Chef Boy Keyzz. Open to the public. Designed for all fitness levels. More information here.
Beauty salon draws customers to Styx Promenade
Every seat is filled at Serene Beauty Suites on a recent Friday afternoon. Yaneek Facey and Kimberly Winn, who have been partners for more than 17 years, are juggling clients.
When they moved to the Styx Promenade, they brought a full roster of clients and they’ve attracted new faces through word of mouth, Facey said.
This is their fourth location but the first one they’ve ever owned. “It’s ours, and we love it,” Kimberly said between snips and clips.
The duo moved from Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard to the building at the west end of the block. Theirs is the only original shotgun house refurbished for the Styx Promenade project.
The salon operates in a single building, and at about 700 square feet, it’s smaller than the other businesses, but there is room to expand. The partners want to add a building, which would double their size.
The women bought the home for $133,000 from the CRA, which gets its money from city and county property taxes, in 2025 and received a $44,000 grant for improvements, records show.
Both women love their beauty work.
“I’m crazy about it,” Facey says of the business that keeps her on her feet all day and has for almost two decades. “I love meeting people, talking to my clients and getting to know them personally.”
The biggest challenge for their clients has been parking, Winn said. Each business only has two spaces in front of the storefront, which isn’t nearly enough.
Another issue, initially, was minor, nonviolent crime, such as vandalism and trespassing. People “not respecting this is private property.”
But the neighborhood businesses are united, and they watch out for one another, she said. One other issue: “It’s a Wi-Fi dead zone,” Winn said. Sometimes they have to go outside to get a signal. They’ve discussed these issues with CRA staff, who have been “very responsive,” Winn said.
Winn and Facey say the Styx Promenade is an example of what is possible if the city is willing to help.
“I’m proud of it,” Yaneek said.
Serene Beauty Suites
634 Seventh St., 561-202-6719
The Cupcake Man serves soul food
A stream of hungry people pick up soul food and cupcakes from Gregory Eaton’s eatery because this is food you cannot get anywhere else.
His cozy restaurant serves dishes that use recipes the chef learned from his grandmother, and Eaton’s menu bursts with flavorful authentic soul food and sweets made from scratch. Hearty fare like meatloaf and pork chops is offered alongside classics like fried catfish and Southern-style pigs’ feet.
But before Eaton was serving soul food on Seventh, he had a different nickname – and a fan in local government.
“For years we called him the Cupcake Man,” Mayor Keith James told Josh Tomey and David Haber on their podcast, “Sun, Sand and Sold.” The mayor recalled how Eaton sold his cupcakes outside of a Sam’s Club. CRA grants helped Eaton open his cafe in the Styx Promenade.
James called Eaton “an example of somebody who had a vision, who had a dream, and who hung in there. As an entrepreneur, it’s challenging, but he kept plugging away. That’s something I’m proud of because he’s continuing to hang in there. And he’s got the best chicken wings and collard greens.”
Eaton’s biggest challenge is one many restaurants face: finding enough staff.
“That’s just the restaurant business,” he said. “Unfortunately, a lot of the kitchens are revolving doors.” He has four employees now and he would like to have twice that many.
Last year, Eaton found Chef Nef.
Nefertini Marshall said people travel miles to eat their food. “People are excited because of what they see on TikTok,” Marshall said. “Most of them can’t get this food if it’s not Thanksgiving or Christmas.”
Her favorite? “It has to be the pot roast. You can’t beat it.”
Portions are hearty. Platters, which run from $18 to $23, come with rice and two sides, including macaroni and cheese, collard greens cooked with smoked turkey, chicken cornbread dressing with aromatic herbs, yams with a brown sugar glaze and creamy lima beans with savory seasonings and smoky bits of turkey. A la carte, sides are $4.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you have to sample the frosting-laden cupcakes that gave Chef Greg his start in the culinary world.
The Smurfberry is the bestseller, chef Nef said. “I don’t like to compare it to the red velvet because there’s a difference. It tastes like Smurf!”
Eaton calls his customers “Cupcake Baptists,” because they are “highly flavored people.”
Eaton said he couldn’t be happier.
“I love the neighborhood and I’m grateful to the city for making the opportunity available for us,” he said. “With their support, what we have here is a small collection of thriving business owners. I’m looking forward to the growth and development of more businesses and the community.”
Eat N’ Cake Cupcakery and Cafe
622 Seventh St., 561-355-5450
