BREAKING BARRIERS TO BUSINESS | ATLANTA, GA

Atlanta’s small business corridors vividly reflect the character and energy of the communities they call home. From the neighborhood roots of Grove Park to the cultural epicenter of the Sweet Auburn district, entrepreneurs and community leaders are showing what’s possible when community investment, vision, and collaboration meet on the ground.

The city is the third stop in the Breaking Barriers to Business (B3) docu-series, highlighting the collaborative partnership between Main Street America and Living Cities, supported by Truist Foundation. The series lifts up local voices and explores what it takes to build an inclusive economy where small businesses gain the resources and connections they need to secure lasting opportunity.

Grove Park: Laying the Groundwork for Lasting Growth

For Eric Fears, Director of Economic Mobility at the Grove Park Foundation, the challenges facing his corridor are clear. ​“Atlanta has boomed since the Olympics,” he shared, ​“but with that growth, community development strategies in places like Grove Park have suffered which shows that economic viability isn’t shared equally across the city.”

Serving roughly 5,000 residents, Grove Park is a close-knit community where small businesses seek to grow but often lack the systems and resources to do so. ​“Starting a business is not hard,” Eric explained. ​“Running a business is. What we need right now is infrastructure.”

That vision for infrastructure — what Fears calls being ​“Grove Park ready” — means ensuring businesses have their legal structures, licenses, finances, and marketing in order so they’re positioned to sustain and grow over time.

For entrepreneurs like Terrell Patterson, owner of Rellies Hospitality in West Atlanta, that kind of support has been monumental. When he first started his hospitality venture, he recounts his largest hurdle as finding initial clients and helping them understand the value of his services. ​“I had to make them realize this service is a luxury,” he said, noting that his work helps clients buy back time outside of event planning and logistics. With help from local partners, Patterson secured a training space in Grove Park that allowed him to scale. The dedicated space provided him with the ability to train more staff at once, so he no longer had to be in all places at the same time to keep the business moving.

For entrepreneurs like Patterson, ambition is both a guiding vision and a practical tool for growth. Across Atlanta, the B3 initiative is helping transform that ambition of entrepreneurs into tangible progress by building the structures, support, and accountability that move small businesses forward.

Sweet Auburn: Preserving Legacy, Shaping Tomorrow

In Sweet Auburn, history is lived and remembered daily through the spirit of its cultural sites and streets. ​“When you visit Sweet Auburn, you’re visiting one of the most unique African-American cultural districts in this country,” reflected LeJuano Varnell, Executive Director of Sweet Auburn Works. From the site of the first African-American daily newspaper to preserved storefronts once listed in the 1930s Green Book, the corridor’s storied past is closely woven into its modern-day present.

But that history also carries reminders of past challenges. The construction of Atlanta’s Downtown Connector (I‑75/85) in the 1950s cut directly through Sweet Auburn, displacing many families, community churches, and small businesses. ​“Almost overnight, livelihoods were erased,” Varnell explained. Today, he recognizes growth and preservation as two sides of the same coin. ​“With the right engagement, vision, and focus, we can still use this history as a catalyst for growth.”

For Devon Woodson, owner of Pal’s Lounge in the heart of Sweet Auburn, the legacy is personal. Founded by his great-grandfather, Pal’s has weathered decades of social and economic change within the area. ​“When neighborhoods go through transitions, people suffer,” he said. ​“If there’s construction across the street for a year, my business suffers. If there’s no parking, my business suffers.” Still, Woodson remains committed to carrying Pal’s into the future: ​“It’s ultimately about continuing the legacy of entertainment for the community and being a beacon in the neighborhood.” For Woodson, the support of the B3 initiative extends beyond funding as it reinforces the foundation that keeps small businesses resilient across generations.

Historic West End: Where Culture Anchors Community

Just minutes from downtown, Atlanta’s Historic West End holds one of the city’s richest concentrations of Afrocentric cultural assets, a neighborhood where history, creativity, and community pride converge. That vibrancy, however, is not without the growing pressures of investment and the risk of cultural loss. As new development continues reshaping cultural corridors throughout the city, longtime residents and small business owners face the ongoing tension between growth and preservation. ​“Minority business owners often face challenges that larger communities don’t, and those challenges often go overlooked.” explained Dionne Fraser, Main Street America Coordinator for the corridor. ​“We were really excited to be a part of B3 as they created a safe space for owners to share what their challenges are and are listening to those concerns.”

Throughout the West End, small businesses face the realities of a changing neighborhood and the pressures that come with growth. Yet local entrepreneurs remain determined. Haji Bakari Silah, founder of Bakari’s Pizza, recalls the uncertainty of his early days conceiving a restaurant idea during COVID-19 while transitioning from a career as a computer tech engineer to life as a restaurateur. ​“I remember the initial challenge was, ​‘how am I going to pull this off?’ I was coming from a tech background and going into food and beverage, an industry I knew nothing about,” he said. Years later, his restaurant has become a beloved community staple, and he credits the B3 initiative with helping ensure that resources are within reach for business owners like him. ​“When I hear Breaking Barriers to Business, I’m thinking access. I’m thinking support for small business. I’m thinking information. I’m thinking funding — because those are the real-life barriers that small businesses must grapple with.”

Charting What’s Possible in Atlanta, Together

From Grove Park to Sweet Auburn to the Historic West End, Atlanta’s small business corridors reveal both the obstacles and opportunities in building a more inclusive economy. The Breaking Barriers to Business initiative works to bring necessary voices to the table, to dig deeper than surface-level solutions, and to clear pathways for lasting change.