LYNCHBURG, VA – A long-abandoned block in Lynchburg is getting a new lease on life.
For over 20 years, the property at 12th and Kemper in Lynchburg has sat empty.
“I drove past many times, saw the empty buildings, and imagined things in my mind,” Rashid Rahman said.
Now, it’s at the center of a project to bring jobs and services back to the neighborhood.
“This part of the neighborhood needed to be transformed,” Rahman said.
Rahman is the manager of Unique Appliances, the first business to open as part of a multi-phase revitalization project — but it wasn’t an easy journey
“Over the last year, I’ve been trying to find a job,” Rahman said.
Behind the project are owners Ahmed Jahangir and Junaid Kazi.
“I’ve been serving the community myself in Lynchburg for the past 20 years. We’ve identified a big gap in these areas, the economic development, and the day-to-day needs of these people,” Kazi said.
Unique Appliances is helping fill that gap, offering low-cost, discounted appliances
“The side-by-side, that says $1049, that retails for about $2200,” Kazi said.
The pair is funding the entire project - planning to bring even more life to this block with a laundromat, a medical center, a restaurant, and more
“Things that people have to drive to the other side of town for. They don’t have a car, so there’s no fresh produce place, there’s no meat and butchery shop. There’s no medical facilities - people have to wait in line for hours if they go to the E.R.- so solving those problems,” Jahangir said.
Jahangir and Kazi are partnering with Peacemakers founder Shawn Hunter to hire local workers every step of the way.
“When you get people jobs, they feel more valuable. Once they feel more valuable about themselves, they look at life differently. That’s why we’re bringing projects up here, to get people off the street,” Hunter said.
The owners say the gears are already in motion for phase two of this project. They hope to have the entire building open by spring of 2027.