Tampa hardware store owner seeks to transform community

Christopher Cunningham gets his interest in investing in the community honestly: hanging above the cash register of the True Value hardware store he opened in Tampa in 2024 is a photograph of his grandfather, James H. McGee, a lawyer who worked NAACP cases and was the first black mayor of Dayton, Ohio. 

Cunningham lived with his grandfather during the school year from ages five to 14. The young boy made note of how his grandfather treated others in town and made sure people were taken care of.