Stussy's Diner in Bridgeport thrives at site of attack on co-owner's family
A diner in Bridgeport is reclaiming the site of painful and personal history, bringing something good to a corner where its co-owner's family experienced great pain.
Stussy's Diner is located at the corner of 35th and Halsted in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood. They serve up comforting fare like pancakes and pasta.
"Stussy's is bright, fun, cozy, comforting and overall nostalgic for sure," said co-owner Dahlia Beckett.
But there is also history – painful and personal to Beckett and her business partner Erik "Rico" Nance.
"This is the actual corner that haunted my family for years and years," Nance said. "We had a terrible racial encounter here."
In 1979, Nance and his family were driving through the intersection of 35th and Halsted when they were attacked.
"My grandfather kept coming into the restaurant [that was previously here] and they wouldn't let him use the phone," he said. "My father never got over it, it was something that plagued him."
Then last year, Nance noticed the space was vacant and had an idea.
"I felt kind of called, like my father was saying, 'Let's redefine what happened here,'" he said.
So he and Beckett opened Stussy's.
"We wanted to bring an inclusive space to the community and bring a positive experience to everybody," Beckett said.
Now when Nance looks at the corner he feels a very different emotion from before: pride.
"We do feel proud. I'm proud to be Black. I'm proud to be someone strong enough to do something like this," he said. "I'm proud we have been able to change the narrative of what this corner means to us."
Stussy's is named after Nance's daughter, who is now in college. It's been open for more than a year. Nance said they have already earned more than $1 million in revenue.
