The holiday season is upon us! As we prepare to express love to friends and family through the act of gift-giving, why not simultaneously express love for our community by shopping locally? Shop for a cause from our curated list of local small businesses! A special thanks to the Scheller College of Business Net Impact Club for their collaboration on this list!
There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others – Mandy Hale.
Every gift to a friend is a wish for their happiness – Richard Bach
- Nourish Botanica is a black woman owned greenhouse and eatery in Atlanta to provide healing through art, flowers and plants grown in our greenhouse, food as medicine and herbal blends. ILSI is proud to call founder Quianah Upton a community partner!
- The Beehive is truly a place where Atlanta entrepreneurs - of every level - can get the support they need to make their businesses better. Owner Malene Davis forged her vision together with other local designers to keep top quality handmade culture alive and well in her city.
- Grady Baby Company & Apparel is a local black-owned business that represents the soul of a city, the heartbeat of a culture, and you don’t have to be born at Grady to wear it.
- The New Black Wall Street Market is a family friendly shopping, dining and tour destination. It is inspired by the achievements of the pioneering spirit of O.W. Gurley and the several business partners that contributed to the success of the original ‘Black Wall Street’ in Tulsa Oklahoma.
- The Sistah Shop, located in Atlantic Station, retails a curated line of products made by women of color, while also featuring local vendors in a “pop-up” model on weekends.
- Teresa Afternoon: support local Atlanta art created by Lebanese immigrant, Teresa Abboud. “Being a resident on this planet, I appreciate every culture and I am keen to know every ethnicity and its origin.”
- Truly Living Well is committed to bringing good food, good health and well-being to Atlanta’s urban center. Shop produce subscriptions, classes, local honey, and salad dressing.
- Bombchel is inspired by a love of African women and fashion combined with a commitment to a tiny West African country. GT alum and founder, Archel Bernard, began designing her own clothing in her homeland of Liberia. To help those affected by the Ebola outbreak, she opened a sewing factory with a mission to improve the lives of an all-women staff in 2016. The Bombchel Factory opened its first store in the US in 2020, at Atlanta's Ponce City Market, bringing bold and beautiful ethically made fashions to America.
- Plywood - Want to get all your shopping in one place and empower local entrepreneurs? Visit Plywood’s Artsan Market that will feature unique items from dozens of small businesses from ATL.
Do you have another suggestion for us to include on this list? Send us a note (sarah.naumann@gatech.edu)!
The Institute for Leadership and Social Impact is an interdisciplinary institute that promotes servant leadership and organizational practices that contribute to a more just, caring, and equitable world. Learn more about our work!