Marquas, is an artist, an entrepreneur and a real estate developer with a passion for developing his community.
He is currently working on a massive project that will provide an excellent space for black and brown communities in the Central Iowa.
His current endeavor is The Center @ Sixth project which includes 12,000 square feet of ground level retail space and 32 upper-story apartments.
The project will also feature a tasting room, distillery experience, and bottling operation featuring Ashworth’s successful line of prohibition-era whiskey and craft liquor.
The project’s name is derived from the historical Center Street in Des Moines. Center Street was a thriving black commercial district from 1945-1970, destroyed when the Des Moines freeway system was constructed.
Center @ Sixth seeks to carry forward the legacy of Center Street through enhancing Des Moines’ most ethnically diverse neighborhood with affordable housing, a retail center that promotes existing local black and brown-owned businesses and a main street business incubator to foster future black and brown owned businesses.
As you are enjoying this interview, please don’t forget to visit https://shopziyadrye.com/ to sample some of his Ryes!
Marquas’s story is both motivating and inspiring all around! We appreciate him sharing his story with us all at Conversational Lounge Media
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