It was confirmed last week that the United States is officially in a recession. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) announced that the recession actually started in February, officially putting an end to what had been the longest economic expansion in American history. Several well known national retailers have already announced plans to either liquidate entirely or significantly reduce their store count. Additionally, a number of local and national restaurant groups have in recent weeks shuttered locations in metro Atlanta.
That said, there are several Atlanta area designers, restaurateurs and entrepreneurs who are pushing forward and opening their planned businesses albeit differently than originally planned.
ToNeTo Atlanta spoke with several Atlanta area business owners who will soon open or have recently opened new businesses in metro Atlanta.
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| Four Fat Cows in Madison Yards |
At Madison Yards in Reynoldstown, for instance, Robyn Thompson of Four Fat Cows and Scott Kinsey of Taqueria Tsunami are planning to open their respective businesses later this week.
Thompson had this to say of her imminent opening:
"Four Fat Cows is very excited to be announcing that will be opening our sixth location at the Madison Yards shopping center in Reynoldstown. Sitting right on the BeltLine, we are thrilled to welcome new faces and bring a classic piece of summer back to an unusual world. Right now we can all use an excuse to celebrate, so come down this week and try our new summer flavors!"
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| Taqueria Tsunami in Madison Yards |
Scott Kinsey Co-owner of Fork U Concepts and Taqueria Tsunami said of his opening:
"Our Madison Yards project has been long awaited. We were originally scheduled to open in April, which was abruptly stopped due to the pandemic. With 2 months of waiting, and the city beginning to reopen, we felt that it was time to get the project completed and staff trained. Unfortunately, there have been some additional unforeseen obstacles with permitting, as many city of Atlanta offices have been closed and some meetings have been delayed. We currently have hired 50 employees and are anticipating opening next week."
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| CH HOME |
In Johns Creek, designer and entrepreneur Cristi Holcombe plans to open CH HOME, a new design and home furnishings store, June 17.
"Owned by local interior designer Cristi Holcombe, CH HOME was initially scheduled to open in April, but the opening was pushed back due to construction delays and the pandemic. For now, the business will open with limited hours, reduced capacity, and is taking additional precautions to ensure the safety of its customers and staff. “When we signed our lease in 2019, we could have never envisioned COVID-19 and its impact,” said owner Cristi Holcombe. “With that said, we’re still very excited to be opening our first brick + mortar store, but we’re going to open it cautiously. The safety and well-being of our customers and staff is our number one priority.” CH HOME is located at 3005 Old Alabama Road, Suite 310 in Johns Creek, next to fellow tenants Fresh Market, Pure Barre, and others."
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| Greek Chicken bowl at Sahara |
Sahara Mediterranean officially opened June 1 in north Buckhead near Chastain Park. Owner Jacob Hussein operates a full-service restaurant by a similar name in Tallahassee and his Atlanta endeavor hopes to do for his restaurant what Cava Grill did for Cava Mezze in the Washington D.C. area.
Hussein had this to say of his Atlanta debut:
"Opening in a new city with a new brand is tough but part of business. Convincing people to come and try us during a pandemic is next to impossible. But with every adversity comes growth. We’re taking this time to learn more about our new neighbors and create an even better experience."
Caliber Car Wash, a new business that made its Georgia debut in Mableton, is slated to open in several other metro Atlanta markets in the coming months according to co-owner Mac McCall.
"We’ve opened three locations in the last 45 days. We take pride in knowing we’ve retained our existing 25 employees and have hired over 40 additional new employees during these challenging times. We have another site under construction on Chamblee Tucker Road just north of I-85 next to McDonald's and have submitted for permits on a site in Smyrna at 1047 Windy Hill Road across from Shops at Belmont. We are also submitting for permits on a site next to Racetrac on Highway 92 just west of 575 in Woodstock. We had to alter our openings in April because we give free car washes for a week and we didn’t want to create a frenzy. We have since gone back to opening as usual since the customers are spaced out. The government assistance did impact hiring but it has started to become normalized."
ToNeTo Atlanta reported May 1 that Memphis-based Buff City Soap was making its metro Atlanta debut with locations in Roswell and Peachtree Corners. Stacy Sheffield, franchisee of the Roswell location, provided us with the following statement when asked how things have gone in their initial weeks.
"Opening a sensory based, customer interactive business during uncertain times was a challenge. We, and our colleagues at Peachtree Corners used the visual and educational power of social media, unlimited curbside soap samples and utilized our local UPS stores to create outdoor banners and price boards to bring our store to the customers. It’s been so exciting to see those customers come back inside the store for the whole experience, because they love our plant based line, and the ability to participate while we create wonderful products for them. Our DIY stations and party bookings are up and running and extremely popular."
GreenWise Market, a new grocery concept from Publix, plans to open this coming Wednesday, June 17 at Sandy Plains Marketplace in East Cobb. The new store, the first of its kind in Georgia, primarily features the grocer's line of GreenWise products, but also offers other health-oriented products and services. One special amenity is "Pours," an in-house bar & cafe, featuring "Kombucha on tap, açai bowls, craft beer, wine, and more!" Patrons are invited to "get cozy" in the cafe or take their beverage with them as their carts have cup holders.
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| LIDL in Peachtree Corners |
German supermarket Lidl is also continuing its metro Atlanta expansion with new stores having recently opened in Peachtree Corners, Suwanee and Lawrenceville, and others slated to open in the coming months in East Cobb, Brookhaven and Dunwoody, among others.