A set of colorful refurbished shipping containers along the Atlanta Beltline will soon be home to six small minority-owned businesses as part of a new program to expand entrepreneurial opportunities in the city.
City and Beltline leaders held an official ribbon-cutting for the “Beltline Marketplace,” a pilot initiative that provides affordable commercial space to small businesses just steps off the Beltline trail. The businesses are located in two locations: Under the Freedom Parkway bridge on the Eastside Trail, and at Allene Avenue on the Westside Trail.
It’s the Beltline’s first business incubator and accelerator. The six businesses, chosen from a pool of 217 applicants, are also given training to help them grow, with the hopes that they will eventually be able to expand and move into a permanent space.
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Here are the first six businesses opening through the pilot-program:
On the Eastside Trail:
- Cococakes by Coco: Shop selling custom cake slices, whole cakes, soft drinks and coffee
- Good As Burgers: Vegan burger joint, also offering sides and desserts.
- Grady Baby Company & Apparel: Clothing brand known for the iconic “We Full” shirts. It also sells tees, hoodies, shorts and accessories centered around Atlanta culture. “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,” company founder Alexander Albritton says.
On the Westside Trail:
- Dope Coffee Company: Specialty coffee brand using hip-hop to curate a lively atmosphere and draw in customers. It’ll sell coffee and other brewed beverages.
- Not As Famous Cookie Company: Gourmet cookie shop making artisan cookie sandwiches, handcrafted shakes and deep dish cookie skillets.
- PinkPothos: Shop selling custom-made fabric plant pots.
“This is no pressure, but you are making history,” Beltline CEO Clyde Higgs said at Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting. “You are the first businesses that are fully located literally on the Beltline. Not close to it. On the Beltline.”
The Beltline sees the venture as a way of helping close the wealth gap between minority- and white-owned businesses amid rising commercial rents around the Beltline. According to a Prosperity Now report, Atlanta’s Black businesses are valued at an average of about $58,000, compared to Latinx businesses at $458,000 and white businesses at roughly $658,00.
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
“Small businesses are the backbone of our community,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, a former business owner himself.
The Village Market, an organization that promotes Black businesses and is partnering with the agency on the program, which is supported by a $750,000 grant from the Kendeda Fund, a local foundation.
About the Author
