{"id":19930,"date":"2025-07-15T11:02:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T16:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\/?p=19930"},"modified":"2025-07-16T08:47:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T13:47:11","slug":"a-legacy-of-community-and-soul-honoring-mary-hale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\/?p=19930","title":{"rendered":"A Legacy of Community and Soul: Honoring Mary Hale\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

As part of our growing <\/span>Sabathani Living History Museum<\/span><\/i>, we are proud to add a new face to the Southside Timeline: Mary Hale, a trailblazing business owner and beloved community figure whose story lives on through her daughter, Joyce Mayes, Senior Program Coordinator here at Sabathani.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Born Mary Sanders in Duck Hill, Mississippi, she grew up during an era of intense racial discrimination. She and her husband, Jimmie Hale, were childhood sweethearts who later made the courageous move northward in search of greater opportunity. Jimmie\u2019s brother, who lived in Minnesota through military service, encouraged them to relocate. The couple first settled in North Minneapolis before making their home in the Southside, where their impact would ripple through the community for decades.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jimmie found steady work at JK Weiser\u2019s Minnesota Bearing Company, and Mary did housework for the Weiser family. Yet Mary had bigger dreams; she longed to open her own business. Though space and resources were out of reach, Mr. Weiser offered to rent her a storefront. With determination, Mary saved up to stock the shelves.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the early 1970s, she opened what became <\/span>Hale\u2019s Records & Wigs<\/span><\/i> at 4753 4th Avenue South, just steps from a bus stop. It quickly became more than just a shop: it was a neighborhood hub pulsing with music, warmth, and connection. Mary curated every genre, from jazz to soul to the Bee Gees. She also sold wigs and jewelry, making the shop a destination for style, sound, and community care. Prince even stopped by once. Joyce remembers it fondly: \u201cIt was community, for sure\u2026 People weren\u2019t just coming in to buy records\u2014they were coming in to hang out, to listen to music, to find each other.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As business picked up, she moved to the corner of 46<\/span>th<\/span> and 4<\/span>th<\/span> Ave. Mary brought others along with her. She hired a trusted friend who was a single mother of four, and a student saving up for college. True to her generous spirit, she made the store a place of opportunity as well as joy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joyce\u2019s sister Patricia Jones remembers local performers singing on the front step of the shop, drawn by speakers that played music outside. \u201cIt was like you see in the movies where the groups practiced on the street,\u201d Joyce shared. The shop spilled out into the sidewalk, a Southside soundtrack echoing through the neighborhood.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary was the first to open a record store in the area, and she made sure it felt like home. The shop also featured African art, jewelry, and vibrant paintings. She organized trips to the Milwaukee Jazz Festival and made sure the store was a welcoming space for young people, often serving as an informal after-school hangout. \u201cShe was like a babysitter,\u201d Joyce laughed. \u201cKids would just stop in after school. \u2018Do you have this record?\u2019 they\u2019d ask, after hearing Pharaoh Black on KMOJ suggesting they visit the store, but really, they just wanted to be there.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although the record store lasted only about five years, it left a lasting mark. The Hale family later shifted their focus to a beauty salon run by Joyce\u2019s sister, where Mary continued to show up, support others, and be \u201cMom\u201d to everyone who walked through the door. Even as she aged, she remained active and independent, until she passed away in 2021.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She defied expectations at a time when it was rare for women \u2013 especially Black women \u2013 to run their own businesses. \u201cShe worked because she wanted to,\u201d Joyce shared, \u201cand my father supported her in that.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mary Hale\u2019s legacy continues to inspire us. Her story is a reminder of the resilience, creativity, and deep sense of community that defines South Minneapolis \u2013 and Sabathani itself.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are honored to lift up her memory and include her photo on the Southside Timeline. Thank you, Joyce, for sharing your mother\u2019s story with us. Her spirit lives on in every beat, every smile, and every act of community care.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Visit the Sabathani Living History Museum<\/h3>\n

Learn more about the <\/span>Sabathani Living History Museum<\/span><\/i> here<\/a> and come visit during Sabathani open hours:<\/span>
\nMonday\u2013Friday, 7am\u20139pm<\/span><\/b>
\nSaturday, 10am\u20134pm<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Soon, we will showcase new additions to our <\/span>Southside Heroes<\/span><\/i> display in the north corridor. <\/span>Details coming soon!<\/span><\/b> Subscribe to our email newsletter<\/a> to get the scoop on the date for the unveiling.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  As part of our growing Sabathani Living History Museum, we are proud to add a new face to the Southside Timeline: Mary Hale, a trailblazing business owner and beloved community figure whose story lives on through her daughter, Joyce Mayes, Senior Program Coordinator here at Sabathani.\u00a0 Born Mary Sanders in Duck Hill, Mississippi, she […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":19931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nA Legacy of Community and Soul: Honoring Mary Hale\u00a0 - Sabathani Community Center<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\/?p=19930\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Legacy of Community and Soul: Honoring Mary Hale\u00a0 - Sabathani Community Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  As part of our growing Sabathani Living History Museum, we are proud to add a new face to the Southside Timeline: Mary Hale, a trailblazing business owner and beloved community figure whose story lives on through her daughter, Joyce Mayes, Senior Program Coordinator here at Sabathani.\u00a0 Born Mary Sanders in Duck Hill, Mississippi, she […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\/?p=19930\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sabathani Community Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-15T16:02:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-16T13:47:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/mary-hale-website-1024x614.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"614\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"jleaf@sabathani.webaloolabs.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"jleaf@sabathani.webaloolabs.com\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\\\/?p=19930#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\\\/?p=19930\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"jleaf@sabathani.webaloolabs.com\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/73ee40b1d78818c55e17b15037d081a8\"},\"headline\":\"A Legacy of Community and Soul: Honoring Mary Hale\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-15T16:02:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-16T13:47:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\\\/?p=19930\"},\"wordCount\":735,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\\\/?p=19930#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/mary-hale-website.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Blog\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\\\/?p=19930#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\\\/?p=19930\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sabathani.webaloolabs.com\\\/?p=19930\",\"name\":\"A Legacy of Community and Soul: Honoring Mary Hale\u00a0 - 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