ROANOKE, Va. – ROANOKE, Va. — Less than a year after the Market on Melrose opened its doors, Northwest Roanoke is celebrating another transformative milestone. Melrose Plaza held its grand opening Thursday morning, offering the community access to fresh food, education, and healthcare services—resources the neighborhood has long gone without.
“This Plaza is the first of its kind in the country,” said Richmond Vincent, CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Valleys. “So we’re excited and we just hope all the fans, and all of our folks here in this community are excited as well.”
The event included remarks from local and state leaders, the unveiling of a history wall honoring prominent members of Roanoke’s African-American community, and celebrations recognizing years of collaborative effort.
Stan Hale, associate editor of The Roanoke Tribune, the city’s longest-running Black newspaper, spoke about the plaza’s significance.
“It’s changed a community in a most magnificent way,” Hale said.
The plaza includes a full-service grocery store and an adult high school—two offerings that local residents say are already making a real difference.
“We’ve been working on this project now for over three years. So three years of hard work now comes to fruition,” said Vincent.
“This is brand new,” Vincent added. “We’re operating a grocery store. We’re operating an adult high school. And so we have really, really been able to pivot to what this community really needed to have done.”
Hale said the grocery store alone “changed my life immeasurably.”
Roanoke City Sheriff Antonio Hash shared his excitement for the new plaza.
“It’s for the City of Roanoke, it’s just located in the Northwest corridor,” Hash said. “It’s going to be impactful.”
Longtime Roanoke resident Janice Baxter reflected on the transformation.
“I grew up in Northeast, they did the urban renewal. So to bring this into this neighborhood, I feel like I’m home again,” Baxter said.
She encouraged the community to come experience the new space: “For anybody who hadn’t been here, please come down. You have to see it. It’s awesome.”