The Invest Atlanta Small Business Team has upcoming events to help grow your small business. Join us! January Events

City of Atlanta Business License and Zoning Q&A Learn more about more about the City of Atlanta business license and zoning process. Date: Tuesday, January 10, 2023 Time: 6:00 p.m. ET Register here

Calling All Developers: Let's Talk Brownfields! Learn more about the Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund. Date: January 19, 2023 Time: 6:00 p.m. ET Register Here

MARCH: Welcomed Six New Board Members	Miko Evans: Meak Productions: Co-Vice President,  Ashley Browning: Village Fitness: Secretary, Micki Silvestros:  East Atlanta Copy Center: Public Safety Chair (publicsafety@eastatlantabiz.com), Marsha Bagley: Intown Marsha: Events Chair (events@eastatlantabiz.com) Carlen Hultgren: RPG Home Advisors: Changed positions from Events to Membership Chair (membership@eastatlantabiz.com) FOMO/East Atlanta Main Street Board Representatives: Michelle Rice and Roger Deweese of Peachtree Architects.  Thank you to Co-Vice President: Mary Mckissick, Secretary Asiaa Karriem: The Wing Bar, Co-Membership Chairs: Lauren Janis and Vicki Park for serving as the founding board members of EABA from 2019-2022.
APRIL: EABA Hired Main Street Coordinator Chelsea Sommers	Launched an inclusive search for a part time coordinator to manage the East Atlanta Main Street program from January - April with idealDESIGN. We had 23 candidates. Thank you to the review committee for your time!!  Chelsea Sommers was hired part-time at the end of April to manage EABA communications and Main Street initiatives.  You can reach Chelsea at hello@eastatlantabiz.com.
MAY: All About Main Street	East Atlanta Business Association is an Atlanta Main Street District and received $20,000 from the Department of City Planning for program training and staff.   We are a 2023 District and will receive funding.  EABA president, Nate Minor, new Main Street Coordinator, Chelsea Sommers and Community Development Consultant, Jennifer Ohme attended the National Main Street Conference in Richmond Virginia in May with the City of Atlanta and the other 4 Atlanta Main Street Districts.  Developed the Atlanta Main Street volunteer board with the Friends of Madison Organization and worked on our 2022 Main Street Work Plan. Launched Visioning Questionnaire: What do you Want for East Atlanta in May online and in-person receiving over 300 responses.  Hosted a Whispers of History Walking Tour in May, National Historic Preservation Month, with 30 attendees. The event raised $880 and supported local authors by promoting Images of East Atlanta book as part of the tour.
June: Outreach + Marketing	EABA teamed up with EAV Farmers Market on the last Thursday of the month to promote EAV Main Street and EABA to residents. We had a great time!
	District 5  Councilmember Bahktiari sponsored $500 to purchase gift cards from 20 EABA members for prizes to the Visioning Questionnaire participants. EABA matched the amount to award 28 winners $1300 in prizes.
July was for Winners	Promoted winners and prizes of the Visioning Questionnaire all month on social media and emails. Prizes from Argosy, Screenfixing, Village Fitness EAV, Traci with an Eye Graphic Design, East Atlanta Strut, EABA Bundle, East Atl Copy Center, Park Pet Supply, Holy Taco, MikChan's EAV, JenChan's Cabbagetown, Music with Monique, Big Daddy Biscuits, Midway Pub, Gate City Tattoo, The Furside Pet Spa, Chelsea Sommers, Realtor® Bundle Filming in the Village: USAA Commercial
Fall Y’all	Completed 4 rideshare drop off/pick up locations with signage and geofencing during peak weekend hours to alleviate traffic jams and increase safety for pedestrians. https://eastatlantabiz.com/Blog/12966694 Collaborated with East Atlanta Parent’s Network for EAV-O-Ween. Provided participating EABA members with a balloon and candy. Over 15 businesses participated and 1000 trick or treaters!!!  Launched SHOP EAV Digital Gift Card. Purchase one card and use it at multiple locations! Great cross-promotion opportunity for all participating businesses. Free for EABA members.  Sign up or purchase at eastatlantabiz.com. This is an ongoing program!!!  Promoted Small Business Saturday and 12 EABA members specials on social media and emails.  New HUB membership is available for businesses located within a shared storefront. Ask us about it!
2022 GOAL	Become an Accredited Georgia Main Street Community!!!

Membership

• Increased membership by 27 new businesses, closing out 2022 with 81 members. Membership is paid annually and renews on your join date. 

• Sign up at eastatlantabiz.com/membership.   

• Check out our members at eastatlantabiz.com/directory

2022 Meetings: A Lot of Great Business Information and Community Sharing! 

• BOARD: 10 in-person volunteer board of director meetings with 15 business owner volunteers totalling 200 hours. Thank you to Keller Knapp for hosting.

• GENERAL: 10 in-person and virtual general body meetings with an average attendance of 25 business and property owners. Thank you to East Atlanta Kids Club for hosting. Thank you to Councilmember Bakhtiari’s office for attending. 

• ATLANTA MAIN STREET DISTRICTS: 12 in-person and virtual district meetings with Dept. of Planning, Georgia Main Street and fellow districts of Virginia Highland, West End, Sweet Auburn and Little 5 Points. 

• EAV MAIN STREET/FOMO:  10 in-person and virtual volunteer board for Atlanta Main Street/Friends of Madison Organization with 7 dedicated residents and business owners totalling over 250 hours. Thank you to Argosy for hosting.

Communications

• EMAILS: Sent 46 emails to 500+ businesses and interested residents featuring meetings, events, filming notices, Atlanta Main Street initiatives and over 100 business resources.

• WEBSITE: Added a dedicated Main Street page to eastatlantabiz.com. 

• BLOGS: Added 38 informative blog posts. Meeting minutes are posted monthly! 

• SOCIAL MEDIA:  Grew our IG and FB followers by 250 over the year. @EastAtlantaBiz posts reached an average of 23,000 people in 2022. All EABA members receive a dedicated post. Please tag @EastAtlantaBiz and we’ll share to our stories and reels! Thank you to Marketing Chair, Traci Sampson of Traci with an Eye Graphic Design. 

2023 LOOK AHEAD!!  

1st General Meeting of 2023: Tuesday, January 17, 2023 6pm

• 3rd Tuesday of the month 6:00-8:00 pm @ East Atlanta Kids Club

Volunteer Board of Directors Election: Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at General Meeting

• Interested in volunteering? Email hello@eastatlantabiz.com

Whispers of History Walking Tour: May 2023 

Small Business Saturday + Shop Small: Saturday, November 25, 2023

MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW WITH ALL OF EABA’S 2023 MEETINGS, EVENTS & PROMOTIONS

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!! PLEASE GET INVOLVED!

FUN was had by all at EABA's 2022 Holiday Party! A huge thank you to all those that contributed to the success of this event with donations, volunteer hours and support.

In addition to the good food, drinks and company a few lucky attendees got to take home some pretty awesome raffle prize packages. With the entry and raffle ticket purchases we were able to raise funds to support EABA's Main Street initiatives in our small business district. 

It was a great celebration with EABA members and community members alike!

  
  

VIEW MORE PHOTOS

Special thanks goes out to the following EABA supporters:

Superior party planning: Marsha Bagley | Midtown Marsha

Event space donation: Armando Celentano | Argosy

Raffle donations: East Atlanta Business Association, Honey Plzzzz, ScreenFixing, Midway Pub, Holy Taco, Grant Central East, Zoo Atlanta, Farmers Jam, Music with Monique, High Museum, Gate City Tattoo, Metropolitan Studios, FurSide, Park Pet Supply, Big Daddy Biscuits,  Midtown Marsha, Chelsea Sommers Realtor®, Midtown Arts Cinema

Groovy tunes: Scott Morris | DJ Dookie Platters 

Thank you to Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari of District 5 for stopping by and showing support of the East Atlanta small business community! 

Get your wallets ready! We've got some really awesome raffle prize packages lined up for the evening. Raffle tickets can be purchased during the party via paypal, cash or credit/debit until 8 PM when we start announcing winners live. Must be present to win. All raffle ticket purchases will go directly to supporting EABA's Main Street initiatives.

A huge THANK YOU to all the businesses who donated raffle prizes!

1. Drinks + A Movie Package: Soft cooler, 6-pack of beer, bottle of wine, key chain + water bottle + Midtown Arts Cinema Passes (3). Donated by: Chelsea Sommers Realtor® + Midtown Arts Cinema

2. Wine Package: Curated case of wine. Donated by: Midtown Marsha

3. With Love from EABA Package: ShopEAV Gift Card + East Atlanta T-shirt. Donated by: East Atlanta Business Association

4. Family Fun Package: High Museum Dual/Family Membership + Zoo Atlanta Family Membership. Donated by: High Museum + Zoo Atlanta

5. EAV Experience Package:  Gift cards to Gate City Tattoo ($50), Midway Pub ($25), ScreenFixing ($25), Honey Plzzzz ($50) + Metropolitan Studios (5 class pass). Donated by: Gate City Tattoo, Midway Pub, ScreenFixing, Honey Plzzz + Metropolitan Studios

6. You do You Package: Gift cards to Gate City Tattoo ($50), Honey Plzzz ($50), Village Fitness (4 personal training sessions) + Business Portrait Mini Session. Donated by:Gate City Tattoo, Honey Plzzz, Village Fitness + Dani Weiss Photography   

7. EAV Restaurant Hop: Gift cards to Midway ($25), Holy Taco ($50) + Grant Central East ($25). Donated by: Midway Pub, Holy Taco + Grant Central East

8. Dog Lovers Package: Gift cards to FurSide ($32), Park Pet Supply ($25) + $25 product from Big Daddy Biscuits. Donated by: FurSide, Park Pet Supply + Big Daddy Biscuits

9. Cocktails + A Movie Package: Midtown Arts Cinema (3 passes), Cathead Bourbon + Farmers Jam Cocktail Syrup. Donated by: Farmers Jam + Midtown Arts Cinema

10. Arts Exploration Package: Gift cards to Traci with an Eye Graphic Design ($100), Music with Monique ($90) + Midtown Arts Cinema Passes (3). Donated by: Traci with an Eye, Music with Monique + Midtown Arts Cinema

EABA Holiday Party Details:

Wednesday 12.7 | 6-9 PM | The Brig @ Argosy

FREE for EABA Members | $20 for Non-Members

Entry includes food, drinks + 1 raffle ticket

RSVP HERE

11.15.22 MINUTES

NEXT MEETING: January 17, 2023 | 6-8PM | EAKC 602 Brownwood Ave | EVERYONE WELCOME

SPONSOR NEXT MEETING → Shout outs on social, email, website and in-person @ the meeting!

#filmEAV update coming at you for this week! Two days of shooting with two locations.

Title of production- FreshFly - Jardiance

Production company name- FreshFly

Production type- Commercial / Advertising

Production Short synopsis- Commercial shoot for Jardiance - Portrays talent in lifestyle situations that they are able to enjoy due to use of Jardiance

Location A:

178 Degress Ave NE

Shoot start: 11/16/2022 07:00 AM

Shoot end: 11/16/2022 09:00 PM

Parking lane closed for working vehicles.

Traffic monitored by APD officer.

Location B:

Brownwood Park - 607 Brownwood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30316

Location Details: Brownwood Park

Shoot start: 11/17/2022 07:00 AM

Shoot end: 11/17/2022 09:00 PM

Number of Crew (Including Cast): 35

Eastbound lane of of Portland Ave, b/t Brownwood & Gresham closed for parking for working vehicles. Traffic monitored by APD.

Emergency contact on set:

Name: Brian Freedman

Mobile phone: 4043081475

Email: bfree@locATL.com

This new level of membership applies to businesses that are located within a shared (hub) space. A 25 % discount for Hub Members within EABA boundaries is as follows:

$187.50 (25% discount from $250): Restaurants/Bars + Event Venues with an alcohol license operating within a shared space.

$112.50 (25% discount from $150): STOREFRONT: Businesses that are walk-in or by appointment services located within a shared space. This includes food service businesses operating without a liquor license.

This discounted membership level will help to encourage the individual businesses located within these shared spaces to become members and have more active participation in EABA and the business community. This will also open up EABA's promotional opportunities to the individual businesses. 

HOW TO SIGN UP AS A HUB MEMBER: 

• Visit: eastatlantabiz.com/membership 
• Choose level- Storefront or Restaurant/Bar/Event Venue
• Upon check out use HUBMEMBER2023 as the code. 
• 25% off will be applied. 
• This code is only valid for businesses located within shared spaces.
  
  

If you need assistance or have questions about whether this discount applies to your business, please contact the EABA Membership Chair at membership@eastatlantabiz.com.

A note from EACA's Land Use and Zoning Committee:

Talks with commercial parcel owners, managers, proprietors, city, and business leaders has been quite fruitful. Your feedback and input has been instrumental in shaping this initiative and partnering with our commercial partners and the East Atlanta Business Association. Here we, fellow neighbors, return to present the updates to you. 

Specifically, noting the following:

• Expanded boundaries for revitalized Commercial Node and 4 new inclusions parcels
• Types of businesses and permissible uses
• Mobility - parking, pedestrian, streetscape, sidewalk, amenity zones
• Residential and Commercial mix
• Timeline for legal review and City Council

Community Outreach Session

Saturday,  November 12th | 11- 12:30pm

First Mount Pleasant Baptist Church (Maynard Terrace)

*light refreshments will be provided

Dial In:  646 931 3860

Logon: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88534743537?pwd=Y3RvcVNoMWFYWWlrSmlWVjBoZ01wZz09

Meeting ID: 885 3474 3537 | Passcode: 125287

In-person capacity is 50 persons and masks are required.  Please encourage neighbors with limited access and mobility challenges to dial-in.

Questions: landuse@eaca.net and 770-771-2652

As an EABA member, we are offering a FREE DIGITAL GIFT CARD PROGRAM that supports your business and helps promote the entire community!

EABA is focused on supporting our local business members and promoting shopping local this holiday season and all year long!

FREE TO PARTICIPATE FOR EABA MEMBERS!!! 

• This program is perfect for The Victorian Atlanta if you can MANUALLY enter a gift card transaction in your PoS system, Square or Clover. 
• You want to attract new and existing customers to your business and East Atlanta. 
• You want to take advantage of this EABA member benefit through collaborative marketing on email and social media. 

HOW IT WORKS: 

1. SAY YES YOU'LL PARTICIPATE by replying to this email by Monday, November 14th! 
2. We’ll add you to the SHOP EAST ATLANTA  Community  Digital  Gift Card listings that links to your business name, address, website.
3. Then we'll send you an activation code to run through your PoS system that confirms your participation. 
4. Your business and listing will show up on the map at eastatlantabiz.com at this (Not live yet- button) 
5. EABA provides gift card redemption training, marketing materials and promotions via email and social.
6. Your business will process the SHOP EAST ATLANTA Digital Gift Card as a MasterCard through YOUR credit card processing system WITH MANUAL INPUT ONLY!
7. You will receive the payment for the purchase and pay the processing fees on the purchase. Customer pays the delivery fee and keeps this program free for EABA! 

MEMBER BENEFITS: 

• Email marketing to our 500+ local supporters
• Social media shoutouts with tags on IG (1030)  and Facebook (1500)
• Poster for your window and register
• Training for you and your staff! 

READ UP ON MORE INFO INCLUDING FAQ'S ON THE PROGRAM

SHOP EAST ATLANTA COMMUNITY DIGITAL GIFT CARDS LAUNCH ON SHOP SMALL SATURDAY ON NOVEMBER 26TH!  

• FILL OUT THIS FORM and let us know what specials or events you'll  have on 11/26/22. It will be part of the marketing!! 
• You do not have to be a part of the Digital Gift Card program to participate in the Small Business Saturday promotions! 

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE BY THIS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH.

MARKETING WILL START THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 13TH!!! 

UBER + LYFT have been set up to drop-off & pick-up at 4 locations in East Atlanta Village. If you use a rideshare during peak times you will be automatically routed to one of the 4 rideshare locations marked with 'Loading and Unloading' signs. 

• Locations: Glenwood + Joseph, Glenwood + Haas, Flat Shoals + May and East Atlanta Fire Station 
• Peak Times: 5PM-5AM Thursday through Sunday

This rideshare geofencing only applies to the peak times listed above. During non-peak times you will continue to be routed directly to your specific location. Every business located within the East Atlanta Village district boundaries is within a 1-3 minute walk from one of the rideshare zones. This is for the increased safety of all passengers and pedestrians utilizing the business district during peak times as well as traffic alleviation. 

It is imperative for the efficacy of this initiative that you DO NOT park in front of the 'Loading and Unloading' zone signs in the Village. Signage will be updated over the next couple of weeks to clearly define that these zones are for passenger loading and unloading.