Posted Sept. 18, 2007 – Oprah already has her empire.  Now her dad and stepmom are trying to build their own.

But it won't be anything like Oprah's.

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Vernon and Barbara Winfrey, according to The Nashville Tennessean newspaper, plan to build retail and residential development near the barbershop Vernon has owned and operated for 40 years.

The Winberry Place development will feature six single-family homes, three townhouses, three apartments and retail space.  The project is to start early next year.

I have been in this neighborhood a long time, and I know what a wonderful community this area is," Vernon Winfrey says in a news release. “I am optimistic about the role Winberry Place will play in further enhancing this area, and I am honored to have the opportunity to give back what I can.

Barbara Winfrey tells The City Paper in Nashville that this project is just the beginning for her and husband.

“We have a vested interest in the neighborhood. We would love …to see all of East Nashville revitalized.”

So how much will this project cost?  It's expected to be a "multi-million dollar" project; however the Winfreys aren't giving out the detail on the specific price tag for the investment.

Oprah was born in Mississippi but was sent to live with her dad in Nashville when she was a teen. She landed her first TV job in Nashville.