ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — When it comes to Black history in St. Pete, you can’t mention the city’s history without mentioning one family’s legacy.

Nearly 80 years ago, the family had one of the only dentists, cab companies and grocery stores in town. A lot of what they did in the area is hard to spot today, but there is a building that is still standing, now run by one of their descendants. The building serves as a reminder of their impact.

If there was ever an example of what it looks like to lay a solid foundation for a family of entrepreneurs, the building where Uniquely Original Art Studio is located, is it.

Catherine Weaver is the owner of the art studio that’s inside of a building her family has owned for decades. There’s even a signature in the concrete on the ground to prove it.

“This is where my uncle and my grandfather actually signed their name when they built the building in 1947,” Weaver said. “My grandfather, he built this building in 1947. It was originally a grocery store. After my grandfather passed away, his son, he made it into a TV repair shop and then after that my brother had it and made it into an AC repair shop.”

Weaver’s family ran businesses out of the building near the Jordan Park neighborhood for the past 78 years and counting. Today, the walls there look a little different at what’s now her art studio.

“I said I do painting parties. It’s called cultural art painting parties, but when I’m not doing a painting party, this is my personal studio,” she said.

It’s a space Weaver said was hiding in plain sight for years. “The building was always here, but over time it just went down, it was storage,” she said.

One day she said she decided to retrace her family’s rich history here.

“We were stuck in a certain area as far as Black people. We could only go so far, so you really didn’t have a choice but to build your own things. Meaning you had to have your own grocery store if you wanted to eat, because you couldn’t go outside of the boundaries because of racism,” she said.

That’s what made her want to carve out her own path in this same space, continuing to lay the groundwork for future generations.

“All of this stuff you tell your children, because it’s very important they understand where they come from,” Weaver said.

Understanding where they come from to figure out where they’re going. The large Black History Matters mural painted on the street in front of the Woodson Museum is just a few feet from Weaver’s art studio. She was one of the artists who helped paint the mural. And while the sign may have some wear and tear over the years, Weaver said the message is undeniable.

“Your history is very important and they’re trying to erase our history. When you talk about erasing our history, you’re talking about erasing the people. You can’t erase us. We are Black history,” she said.

It’s a history she’s reminded of every day.

“That’s when I put my uncle and everyone on the wall. Like they matter! My family mattered,” she said. “Their life mattered. What they did matters!”

She’s making sure with the work she’s doing in their family’s building, that no one forgets it.