ST. MARTIN PARISH — Wilbert Ledet Jr. 's journey from grocery store to youth center to dancehall is one that has been shaped by his family and the Promiseland community. He is the owner of one of the oldest dance halls in St. Martin Parish, and he’s celebrating Black History Month by sharing his family’s legacy.
“I’m talking about Black family owned, and still in operation! Under the same ownership of the Ledet family, that’s what makes it so great!” Ledet said.
Sharing that greatness has been Wilbert’s mission since 1993, when he took over as owner of the Ledet Bar.
“The good Lord said you must push it through because you’re on a mission for your late father’s accomplishments of the underprivileged and disadvantaged community,” Ledet explained.
The community where his family is from, known as the Promised Land, is where his father opened the club in 1952. However, the club’s primary focus at the time was more of a multipurpose spot for the community.
“A lot of these people who migrated here, they were sharecroppers. So being that my daddy noticed that when he came out the service, he said I need to accommodate them because most of them don’t have any automobiles,” Ledet recalled.
The club, which doubled as a grocery store by day and a dancehall by night, even became a youth center in the 1970s, run by his mother. In 2018, it received a historical marker to recognize it as one of the oldest Black businesses in the area.
“I said, I can’t believe it, I said the good Lord knows, he said I’m gonna help you so long as you follow my rules and regulations in life,” Ledet said.
Renaming the location PBD's Club Valentine, after his high school nickname and February 14th birthday, Wilbert says that while the name has changed, its history remains—and sharing that history is his goal.
“It's like when you’re baking a cake, I wanna put the icing on the cake,” Ledet said.“I want this landmark site, business landmark site, to attract a lot of tourists in the state of Louisiana but especially in St. Martin Parish,” he added.
Wilbert Ledet Jr.’s efforts continue to highlight the rich history and legacy of his family’s business, serving as a testament to the enduring impact of the Promiseland community. He has plans to renovate sections of the business in hopes of making it a major tourist attraction for St.Martin Parish
