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From restaurants to retail spots to coworking spaces and more, business owners across the city are showing a vivid display of Black entrepreneurship.
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“We believe that there is an awakening in the Black community and we are not only taking advantage of the opportunities available but also creating opportunities, ” said Stacey Arthur, who opened wing joint Drumz N Flatz with her husband John on Stone Mountain Highway in March.
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Stone Mountain’s overall population declined by nearly 20 percent between 2000 and 2010. But the percentage of Black residents in the city went up from 69 to 75 percent at the same time, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“I met my wife at [the since-closed tavern] Dugan’s 15 years ago and that corridor was thriving big time then just kind of fell off, ” he said.
The Bostons moved to North Carolina shortly after to buy a funeral home. Since 2010, the overall population in Stone Mountain has rebounded with an eight percent increase, and the Black share of the city’s population is now 78 percent.
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The Bostons became part of that rebound, selling the funeral home and moving back to Stone Mountain in 2020 to start a string of breweries called Hippin’ Hops, the first Black-owned brick-and-mortar brewery in Georgia. They’re opening a location on Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain by the end of the year.
“The county has some really big plans that are gonna happen in the next two to five years for that particular corridor, ” Boston said. “They’ve already started implementing new landscape design, so a lot of good things are supposed to be coming.”
The Arthurs and the Bostons are just part of the flood of Black business owners making their mark in Stone Mountain in recent years.
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Natural haircare salon The Curl Conqueror opened on Hairston Road in 2018. Coworking space C3 Village and holistic therapy clinic Listening Hands opened on Main Street downtown in 2019. Healthy fast-casual spot Trend Urban Café opened on Stone Mountain Highway in 2020.
This year the Black-owned business movement spiked. In downtown alone, souvenir shop Rock Steady, CBD dispensary and smoke shop Smokeonia, holistic boutique Village Gemz and bookstore and wine bar The Vibrary opened. The Mailroom Lounge restaurant with live jazz will join them this fall .
“There has been an increase in the confidence of Black economics, ” Arthur said. “We are gradually realizing that there is strength in numbers when we work together as a community.”
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Jelani Linder, chair of the city’s Downtown Development Authority, said he’s “very excited” about the new businesses and diversity happening in Stone Mountain Village.
“We normally get overshadowed by the mountain’s past, but we have always been a diverse community that has welcomed everyone, ” he said. “We are really happy to see that people are starting to invest and take notice of our thriving ‘Village.’”
Shemeka Maddox, who co-owns the forthcoming Mailroom Lounge with her husband Lorenzo, agreed that the monument is usually the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Stone Mountain.
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“Our childhood began in Stone Mountain, ” she said. “As a child, the vision for Black ownership was illustrated as a wealth gap that greatly inhibits the ability to start a business or create generational wealth. It was important for us to strategically place our business in the community that we were raised in.”
Little contributed to that evolution in other ways. As a member of the Stone Mountain City Council, she was a force in getting the city to host its first-ever Juneteenth event this year.
“As Black business owners come in, they fall in love with the city and they recommend the city to their friends, ” she said. “A lot of my friends are here because of recommendations from other Black business owners.”
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The spike in Black-owned businesses in Stone Mountain comes amid a nationwide racial justice movement — a pillar of which has been a call to support such businesses.
“As a Black woman entrepreneur, I am very conscious that groups who historically haven’t been at the table must be supported because we all benefit from industries and organizations that are inclusive and diverse, ” she said.
“We are a big percentage of the economy that supports other businesses that are not Black, ” he said. “I just think it should be reciprocated, especially if you have a good product and a legitimate business that you’re offering.”
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“I think that it’s important for our children to understand that people that look like them can have the opportunity to be an entrepreneur, ” she said.
“We were always dreamers and visionaries and are now taking the steps to making these dreams and visions a reality.” Want to support these businesses? Here are their hours and locations Drumz N Flatz. 5370 Stone Mountain Highway. Monday-Tuesday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Wednesday-Thursday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m. – 11 p.m., Sunday closed. www.drumznflatz.com Village Gemz. 978A Main Street. Monday closed. Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. www.yourvillagegemz.com The Vibrary. 970A Main Street. Monday-Wednesday closed. Thursday 5 p.m. – 10 p.m., Friday 5 p.m. – 11 p.m., Saturday 12 p.m. – 11 p.m., Sunday closed. www.thevibrary.co The Curl Conqueror. 1147 South Hairston Road. Monday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday closed. Thursday – Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. www.thecurlconqueror.com C3 Village. 965B Main Street. Monday-Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday closed. www.c3village.com Trend Urban Café. 5370 Stone Mountain Highway, Ste. 790. Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. Friday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sunday closed. www.trendurbancafe.com Listening Hands. 1014 Main Street. Monday closed. Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Friday 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. www.listeninghands.com Rock Steady. 6670 James B. Rivers Memorial Drive, Ste. 400. Monday-Tuesday closed. Wednesday-Friday 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. www.rocksteadyvibe.com Smokeonia. 6670 James B. Rivers Memorial Drive, Ste. 600. Monday-Friday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. www.facebook.com/Smokeonia The Mailroom Lounge. 5379 East Mountain Street. Opening this fall. www.themailroomlounge.com Hippin Hops Brewery. 5644 Memorial Drive. Opening by the end of the year. www.hippinhopsbrewery.com
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Black Owned Businesses In Atlanta
If you like what we do, consider becoming a paid supporter. Your support keeps our content free for everyone. To support us, click here.One of the things that makes Atlanta a Great American City is our Black history and culture. And dining at locally-owned, minority-owned businesses is a great (and delicious) way to support Atlanta’s fabric. Here are some of the best Black-owned restaurants in Atlanta! Restaurants listed below in no particular order.
These aren’t just popsicles! Enjoy handcrafted gelato, yogurt, and sorbet served on a stick. This Alpharetta spot is family-owned and operated by Jamaal and Charel Palmer. Indulge your sweet tooth with their creamy, signature hot chocolates, mouthwatering waffle pops, and decadent gelato shakes!
Gocha Hawkin’s is serving up so much brunch realness, plus lots of vegan friendly dishes! Expect affordably priced Southern favorites like shrimp ‘n grits and biscuits that are “better than yo momma’s.” Find this joint on Cascade Rd!
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Right outside Mercedes Benz Stadium in a small, colorful shack is a helluva meal. Get some real delicious Jamaican cuisine right at this spot–amazing jerk chicken with a homemade jerk sauce you’ll want to drizzle straight into your mouth. Gotta pair it with some perfectly sweet plantains. Try the jerk chicken cheese fries!
This family-owned spot is cooking everything up with flavor. Whether you indulge in the seafood or dig into their lamb, you’re going to make your tastebuds happy. The service is always excellent and the dining room is spacious, but reservations in recommended for weekend nights.
This Buford Highway spot has all the good stuff. Collard greens, mac and cheese, oxtails, catfish, and grits. You’ll love the grown and sexy vibes and blue velvet touches throughout. It’s elevated soul food right on Buford Highway!
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We just discovered Black-owned Pit Boss BBQ, a total dive, hole-in-the-wall, line-out-the-door gem in Hapeville, but airport area folks have known for years that this is the place you want to go if you want phenomenal barbecue. Their smoked wings are truly some of the best we’ve tasted!
For a break from the hustle and bustle of the Beltline, step into the peaceful, quiet, and cute-as-a-button Just Add Honey tea shop, owned by Brandi and Jermail Shelton. They have the coziest of seating and an ample selection of teas that make this place a wonderful spot to catch up with a friend or get some reading done.
You’d be hard-pressed to find an Atlanta restaurant with more of a cult following than Big Dave’s
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