The little plaza built in the 1970s across from the police station at the Hannah’s Rest intersection, and known as the Hannah’s’ Rest Plaza, is getting a face lift. The area has been mostly empty in recent years and had become shabby looking, so small business owners have joined in to spruce it back up.
Neil Thomas got the ball rolling cleaning up and painting the outside of the building where he opened a month ago the third Thomas Bakery called the Bread Box Bakery and Deli.
“I want to uplift this whole area and bring it back to life,” Thomas said, adding that it used to be a busy place and the center of the community. Thomas said he is proud of his island and likes to see it clean and alive.
“This is good for business,” the second generation baker said. “By this summer we’ll start to hold functions here like block parties,” he said. “We’ll showcase our local musicians and have fun.”
Boyd Brown Jr., a St. Thomas artist, is beautifying the bakery building with a huge Caribbean mural. Brown is painting the wall with acrylics in bright primary colors and explained it is all about coming back to a community. He says it fits the idea Thomas has about bringing the plaza back to life.
Brown painted people going about life, fishing, gardening, cooking and then all heading to the center of the community. He calls the mural “In Unity Community.”
“This is the community coming back right here,” Brown said, “where we commune in unity.”
Brown started painting the mural Friday and finished it Tuesday. In addition to the mural and a new sign for the bakery, he also painted a sign for the soon to open Belly Full Bar and Restaurant at the plaza and One Love West gas station on the corner.