ATLANTA (Nov. 9, 2023) – The six local businesses participating in Atlanta BeltLine’s BeltLine MarketPlace, a business incubator program on the Eastside and Westside Trails, will be open for business on Small Business Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This national shopping day, which encourages supporting small business owners and “shopping local,” is scheduled for Saturday after Thanksgiving on Nov. 25, 2023. Businesses will be available for interviews, along with the local artists and makers participating in the Atlanta BeltLine Indie Market Experience.
Small Business Saturday marks the final major shopping event for the MarketPlace businesses before they graduate from the program in December. The businesses were part of the Atlanta BeltLine’s inaugural pilot program utilizing custom built shipping containers on the corridor that were build out for the tenants.
This event also will mark the last BeltLine Indie Market of the fall season. The Atlanta BeltLine Indie Market Experience is a family-friendly, monthly artist market that showcases an array of creative, handmade crafts, and one-of-a-kind art and features live music.
WHO
Local small businesses and artists, including:
- The six Minority Business Enterprises whose owners include Black men, women, veterans, families and members of the LGBTQ+ community, will be available for interviews. These businesses offer vegan snacks, sweet treats, coffee, iconic Atlanta merchandise and plants.
- Atlanta BeltLine Indie Market Experience artists.
Media Interviews Sat. Nov. 25 on the Westside at 11 a.m. with
- Grady Baby Company & Apparel (on social @gradybabyco)
- Cococakes by Coco (on social @cococakesbycoco)
- Life Bistro (on social @Lifebistroatl)
- Atlanta Indie Market Experience vendors
- Location: Under the Freedom Parkway Bridge (parking at 830 Willoughby Way NE, Atlanta, GA 30312)
Media Interviews Sat. Nov. 25 on the Eastside at 12:30 p.m. with:
- PinkPothos (on social @pinkpothosatl)
- Good As Burgers (on social @goodasburgers)
- Urban Grind (on social @urbangrindatl)
- Atlanta Indie Market Experience vendors
- Location: 1089 Allene Avenue, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30310
WHAT
- Celebrate “shopping local” with Atlanta BeltLine MarketPlace businesses and enjoy a festival like atmosphere with the Atlanta BeltLine Indie Market Experience
BELTLINE MARKETPLACE BACKGROUND
Atlanta BeltLine and The Village Market picked six businesses to take part in a pilot incubator program called Atlanta BeltLine MarketPlace to address commercial affordability and help minority business enterprises. The businesses were selected from more than 200 applicants. They have been participating in an intensive training to help them achieve their business goals. The MarketPlace retail locations are in custom containers.
High resolution images can be downloaded here: https://beltline.mediavalet.com/portals/beltlinemarketplace.
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To attend or find out more information, please reach out to the following media contacts:
Abigail Gross, TobinInk, (404) 405-7122, abigail@tobinink.com
McKenna Kauffmann, TobinInk, (678) 449-8725, mckenna@tobinink.com
About Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.
Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.’s vision is to be the catalyst for making Atlanta a global beacon for equitable, inclusive, and sustainable city life. As one of the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs in the United States, the Atlanta BeltLine is building a more socially and economically resilient Atlanta with our partner organizations and host communities through job creation, inclusive transportation systems, affordable housing, and public spaces for all. For more information on the Atlanta BeltLine, please visit www.BeltLine.org.
About BeltLine MarketPlace
BeltLine MarketPlace is a pilot program that provides new, affordable commercial space for local, minority-, Black-, and women-owned businesses. Participating businesses lease commercially affordable BeltLine-facing storefronts with direct access to the Atlanta BeltLine’s roughly two million annual visitors while also receiving business service support and coaching. BeltLine MarketPlace aims to uplift minority-, Black-, and women-owned businesses and ensure more equitable access to opportunity. A joint initiative of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. and The Village Market, it is organized in alliance with Atlanta BeltLine Partnership and Atelier 7 Architects and made possible with the generous support of the Kendeda Fund and Google. Learn more at beltline.org/marketplace.
About Atlanta Indie Market
Atlanta Indie Market creates markets across Atlanta year-round. Each market is curated with local, independent artists and makers and creates a hangout destination for enthusiasts seeking a vibrant blend of creativity and community. With a curated selection of over 100 of Atlanta’s finest independent artists, brands, and shops, Indie Markets immerses Atlantans into a world of shopping, chilling, and reckless creativity. For more information, visit atlantaindiemarket.com.
BACKGROUND ON EACH BUSINESS
WESTSIDE TRAIL BELTLINE MARKETPLACE
Located at 1089 Allene Avenue SW, Atlanta, GA. 30310
Kina Morgan wants everyone on the BeltLine to grab one of her custom cake slices, on the go. In business for six years, she used the BeltLine MarketPlace location to “test our new concept of ‘build a chunk,’ which allows a customer to select cake and a variety of toppings for a unique dessert experience.” The shop also sells whole cakes and has soft drinks, water, milk and coffee. She currently has one location.
On social @cococakesbycoco
Online apparel company founder Alexander Albritton says Grady Babies have changed the world, secured civil rights for all and achieved educational success. (“Grady baby” is a term for people born at Atlanta’s Grady Hospital.) From music moguls and superstars to world class athletes – many started as Grady Babies. “It’s our mission to spotlight and celebrate that greatness. The Grady Baby Brand represents the soul of Atlanta, the heartbeat of a culture, and you don’t have to be born at Grady to wear it,” he says. Known for the classic “We Full – Atlanta” t-shirt, the brand sells tees, hoodies, shorts, jogging suit sets and accessories and aims to become a national brand.
On social @gradybabyco
Life Bistro
Life Bistro was founded by Issa Prescott with a mission to serve vegan food that promotes life in its many forms. Issa’s passion for healthy living and conscious eating is at the heart of the business, which specializes in international vegan cuisine and comfort food. Founded in the historic southwest Atlanta neighborhood of Sylvan Hills, Issa says his community has been a food desert with few healthy options. He offers dishes that tantalize the tastebuds to help people transition to a more conscious diet. The restaurant’s menu has American comfort food, veganized such as seafood gumbo, grilled shrimp skewers, sweet and spicy fried oyster mushrooms, lion’s mane crab cakes, black bean chilaquiles, seafood “rasta pasta,” blackened shrimp alfredo, po’ boys and “lobsta fondue.” Offerings also include cold-pressed juice and vegan cupcakes. Life Bistro is a Black-owned business that is proud to be part of a movement that is changing the way people think about food. The restaurant’s focus on American, international, soul- and Caribbean-inspired dishes makes Issa’s vision of making healthy and delicious vegan food accessible to everyone.
On social @Lifebistroatl
EASTSIDE TRAIL BELTLINE MARKETPLACE
Located under the Freedom Parkway Bridge at 830 Willoughby Way NE, Atlanta, GA 30312
Lakeisha Jones wants to add visual interest to people’s space, one plant at a time. “I sell custom-made fabric plant pots.” She’s looking to expand into her first retail location selling plants and accessories. Currently only on the web, this was her first physical location.
On Instagram @pinkpothosatl
Cornoy Watkins’ is the CEO and creative genius behind Good As Burgers (GAB’S). His vision is to build a worldwide chain like McDonald’s – for vegans as a cook to order restaurant. “We create a fun and tasty way to make the plant-based lifestyle mainstream, saving the lives of hundreds of animals and reducing damage to our environment, one Good As Burger at a time.” In business for two years, the eatery offers all plant-based delicious menu including burgers, sloppy joe sliders, plus sides and desserts. GAB’S currently has 1 location and a food truck in Atlanta. He accredits much of his success thus far to his partners Talia Jones, Jevon Kinloch, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, and his incredible team. Cornoy wants everyone passing through on the Beltline to stop by and remember “Be Better, EAT GAB’S”.
On social @goodasburgers
Urban Grind’s founder Cassandra Ingram has run her successful coffee shop concept in Atlanta’s West Midtown since 2007, embodying her company’s motto of “building community one cup at a time.” She’s now excited to expand and bring her “cozy” coffeehouse culture to BeltLine Marketplace. Urban Grind features a selection of specialty coffees and teas, sandwiches, cakes and pastries that Cassandra believes fuels her patrons daily to #keepgrinding. She also takes pride in Urban Grind’s reputation as a neighborhood gathering space that “cultivates conversation, creativity and a stronger, more inclusive community.”
On social @urbangrindatl
