Managed by the Rondo Community Land Trust, the Selby Avenue (East End) Corridor extends from Western Ave N to Lexington Pkwy N.
Last Edited: September 16, 2026
Rondo Community Land Trust (RCLT) used their 2025 Commercial Corridor Program funds to create the Rondo African American Arts District through a series of corridor-wide activities designed to foster cultural celebration, support economic, development, and promote small business engagement. For 2026, the RCLT is using Commercial Corridor Program funds to further build on this initiative promoting corridor activation including marketing, art, and cultural activations.
Marketing funds back social media promotion of the corridor and bring photographers and videographers to events.
Program funds support the Selby Arts and Culture, Selby Jazz Fest, Small Business Saturday, Event Outreach and the Rondo Exchange.
Business Support funds let the Rondo Community Land Trust award microgrants to local businesses for storefront improvements, pop-up events and other placemaking work.
Public art funds cover artist stipends and mural installation along the corridor.
The Rondo Exchange is a community space created to support emerging businesses while honoring the legacy of the historic Rondo neighborhood. The Rondo Community Land Trust hosted an activation event at Golden Thyme Cafe featuring a ribbon cutting. Commercial Corridor Program funds helped pay for the event.
Small Business Saturday kicked off a weeklong celebration of Selby Avenue aimed at increasing foot traffic and local spending. A community celebration at Golden Thyme Cafe featured food and a prize raffle. Commercial Corridor Program funds helped pay for decorations, signage, and materials to activate the Rondo Exchange.
Selby Jazz Fest is an annual three-day long music festival held on Selby Avenue featuring music, food trucks, and art. Commercial Corridor Program funds were used for the rental of a power generator for the main music stage.
Selby Art & Culture Day was an event hosted by the Rondo Community Land Trust to launch the new Rondo African-American Arts District. The event featured local artists and community organizations, a mural park, and the unveiling of a new mural on Mississippi Market.
Commercial Corridor funding helped provide outreach and event support staff — including outreach ambassadors, activation staff, and volunteer coordinators — to assist with business engagement, sub-grant administration, and event logistics such as setup and breakdown, ensuring that corridor plans were executed equitably and effectively.
The Selby Avenue Business Microgrant is a program designed to help businesses improve their storefronts, host community-facing activations, and strengthen their presence along the corridor. Recipients include In Black Ink, 2 Scoops Ice Cream, Golden Thyme Restaurant Bar, BLovely Production & LeMae Photography, Mind the Crown, Golden Thyme Cafe, and KP Inspires.
The Rondo Community Land Trust used Commercial Corridor Program funds to perform social media campaigns to promote events, sub-grants and other corridor activities.
Commercial Corridor Program funds paid for contracted photographers and videographers to document corridor events, participating businesses, and program outcomes for promotion, grant reporting, and community storytelling.
The Rondo Passport is a promotional coupon book and directory highlighting more than 15 businesses along the Selby Avenue Corridor. The guidebook will serve as a corridor-wide marketing and economic development tool. Commercial Corridor funds helped to cover designer stipends and marketing and copywriting support.
Commercial Corridor funds allowed for the hiring of three local artists for the production of three vinyl murals at Selby and Lexington, Selby and Victoria, Selby and Dale.
Contact the Economic Development team:
CommercialCorridors@stpaul.gov
Contact the Rondo Community Land Trust: