It’s been 20 years since All Day Sunday closed its doors at Midtown Plaza in downtown Rochester. The store opened in 1969 and became a cultural staple in the local Black community.
It was the longest running tenant of the indoor mall and sold a wide range of products including African art, custom jewelry and clothing.
According to Calvin Nicholson, who is reopening the business, the store was much more than merchandise.
“No one's purchased anything in over 20 years, but it still left this indelible mark in people's minds and hearts,” Nicholson said.
Nicolson has plans to bring the essence of the old store to a new generation, by building an online presence for All Day Sunday. He said the online storefront will serve as a platform for other Black-owned businesses and it will launch this spring.
Nicholson is a former employee and son of one of the original owners, Ruby Lockhart. Her late husband Frank Lockhart died in 2018. He opened the original store in 1969.
Nicholson said All Day Sunday came out of a pro-Black era, and had a business model that was an example of great collaboration within the Black community.
To commemorate 33 years of All Day Sunday, this month Nicholson is hosting a series of pop-up shops. He is inviting former customers to share their experiences for a docuseries called All Day Sunday: Then and Now. He plans to release the series in the fall.
He said he wants to honor his mother who inspired him to carry on with the business.
“This is a way to give my mother Mrs. Ruby Lockhart, her flowers, while she's still here," Nicholson said.
He said he also wanted to include the customers who still talk about the business decades later.
“All Day Sunday really was like Rochester's Harlem Renaissance," Nicholson said. “When people talk about the good old days, it's back when Sunday was open all day and you could go downtown, and mingle with people peacefully.”
All Day Sunday’s pop-up shop is from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 20 at 1042 University Ave. More information can be found on All Day Sunday Facebook Page.
