The latest issue of the Moving Atlanta Forward Newsletter is out now from the Office of Mayor Andre Dickens. Topics include:

• Working towards goal of One Safe City with crime stats trending downward.
• The legacy of Mayor Maynard Jackson
• Atlanta's tech office officially launched
• 8,900+ affordable housing units build or being developed across Atlanta
• Transitional housing project, The Melody, is unveiled
• Expanded warming center efforts
• + MORE

Read the full issue HERE. 

The second season of Main Street Business Insights, a podcast featuring the stories of downtown and neighborhood entrepreneurs, launched today with an episode featuring predictions for small business trends in 2024. Every Wednesday for the next 11 weeks, tune in wherever you get your podcasts as host Matt Wagner, MSA's Chief Program Officer, takes a deep dive into the personal journeys of Main Street entrepreneurs and the leaders that support them. 

Launched in August 2023, the first season of Main Street Business Insights featured downtown and neighborhood entrepreneurs, highlighting the innovative ways Main Street business owners have overcome adversity and the advice they have for others on how to keep their businesses on track. In our second season, we'll widen our lens to cover macroeconomic trends, share advice from the community leaders, and feature economic development and small business marketing experts. 

Of course, we'll also continue to take deep dives into the personal journeys of entrepreneurs – this season, focusing in on overarching issues that small business owners grapple with that are too often overlooked, such as loneliness and burnout, digital marketing and AI, and more. 

Today's episode focuses on economic, societal, and technological trends that Matt believes will impact the work of Main Street leaders and the businesses we seek to nurture and support. Given the topics and guests coming up in Season 2, this episode is meant to lay out the issues, trends, and shifts that our business owners are likely to experience in the coming year.   

Matt breaks down his predictions from last year – the misses, the wins, and a push prediction from 2023. Plus, he uses data, stories, and anecdotal evidence to make his six predictions for the coming year. 

Listen to the new episode here – or wherever you find your podcasts. You can also watch an accompanying video breakdown of the episode to get extra insights through data visualizations, photo examples, additional case studies, and more. And as always, we encourage you to rate, review, and subscribe to get updates every time a new episode drops. 

Business License renewal season is underway. We want to make sure that you have all the tools you need to make the process as seamless as possible. In this edition of the Office of Revenue Newsletter you will find the dates for the annual renewal period, newly required documents, the deadline for payment and a schedule of fees and penalties. Your renewal can be completed online by logging into the ATLCORE Customer Portal, uploading your required documents, submitting your payment, and printing your license, all within minutes. As always, if you are having issues with the online customer portal, contact ATL311 customer service at 404-546-0311.

VIEW FULL DOCUMENT

The start of a new year means one important thing for business owners: time to renew your business license. We understand this can be a confusing and arduous process. We are here to help!

Join us Thursday, January 18, at 6pm for an informative webinar hosted by Invest Atlanta and the City of Atlanta’s Office of Revenue. We're here to simplify the business license and zoning process, making it easier for you to navigate the essentials.

Agenda:

• Understanding the Application Process (25 minutes)
• Insight into Post-Submission Procedures (10 minutes)
• Addressing New Financial Documentation Requirements (5 minutes)
• Interactive Q&A Session (15 minutes):

REGISTER NOW

This one-hour webinar is tailor-made to empower you with the knowledge to effortlessly navigate Atlanta's business landscape. Whether you're a seasoned business owner or embarking on your entrepreneurial journey, this session will provide valuable insights.

The webinar will be recorded and shared by our economic development team, ensuring that the knowledge shared is accessible to any new business venturing into the city. Don't miss this opportunity to equip yourself with the tools necessary for success in the Atlanta business community.

The business license and permitting portal will be undergoing scheduled maintenance beginning Friday, December 29, 2023, at 7:30pm through January 1, 2024, midnight. General Business License customers will not have the ability to APPLY for a NEW application or RENEW an existing application for General Business Licenses during this timeframe. Normal operations will resume on January 2, 2024.

Please mark your calendar and plan accordingly for this maintenance window. Should you need additional assistance, please contact the office at (404) 546-0311 between the hours of 8:30am and 5:00pm ET. Apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause and your understanding is appreciated.

Shop EAV this holiday season and keep your dollars local! Every purchase supports a small business owner and keeps the diverse, one-of-a-kind restaurants, shops and services of East Atlanta thriving!

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: Purchase a shop EAV gift card now through December 31 and EABA will cover your eDelivery fees (saving you $1 + 5% of card value)!

Use the shop EAV digital gift card at one or multiple participating locations within the community.

Easy to gift via email or text message. No shipping - all fun!

Shop EAV

 Purchase gift cards, check your balance, view a current list of participating businesses, or join the program as a business (pssst.... it's FREE to join) at the shop EAV website.

Congrats to one of EABA's Members for being mentioned in Atlanta Magazine! Their "Best of Atlanta 2023: EAT" edition features our very own Mercer Street Meals. 

"No-Cook Option: Mercer Street Meals

A pandemic project turned brick-and-mortar, chef Lance Gummere’s Mercer Street Meals sells ready-made three-course dinners five nights a week. Preorder and enjoy chicken piccata, coq au vin, beef stroganoff, and more. East Atlanta." View the entire article here.

Thank you Chef Lance for your amazing meals and  for making East Atlanta your business' home.  

Atlanta Main Streets met up with @natlmainstreet representatives to tour Sweet Auburn with the guy who knows it all... Lejuano Varnell of @sweetauburnworks

As an Atlanta Main Street cohort (alongside @virginiahighlanddistrict, @l5pbiz, @westendmerchants and @sweetauburnworks), EAV Main Street is dedicated to supporting EABA and East Atlanta through Design, Organization, Promotion and Economic Development.

We have work to do and continue to push for more @cityofatlantaga support to develop the Main Street program even further. Our goal is to preserve and promote East Atlanta as the historic, cultural and unique place it is, with a focus on small business and community.

We had a great time celebrating with y'all at the 2023 EABA Holiday Party Hop! 

On a perfect December evening in the village, we were joined by our fellow business members, board members and the EAV community to celebrate the successes of 2023  while also fundraising for EABA's Main Street initiatives.  This year we kicked up the holiday fun a notch with a village bar hop! The evening started with festive cocktails at Midway Pub, hopped over to Ten ATL for raffle prizes, food from EABA members + more drinks and then stumbled over to Eldertree for the DJ, cookie/wine bar, MORE drinks and shenanigans!

Special thanks goes out to EABA's Events Chair Liz Lootens of AtlantaPurus for organizing this wonderful event. 

Huge THANK YOU to the following EAV small businesses for supporting this event with donations of event space, food, drinks + services: Midway, Ten Atl, Elder Tree, Argosy, Atlanta Purus LLC, Chelsea Sommers, Realtor®, Traci with an Eye Graphic Design, DJ Dookie Platters, Coffyn Pyes, Mercer Street Meals, Holy Taco, Grant Central East, Qommunity, + Flat Iron.

Our specially curated raffle packages helped raise funds for East Atlanta Main Street initiatives. You can take a look at the raffle prizes that were taken home by all the lucky winners  HERE. 

See y'all again next year! 

Thank you to all who made it out for our November Cocktail Conversations event! We had a truly informative presentation by Austin Taylor, marketing guru of Highland Mortgage.  We also did a mini EABA general meeting update for attendees. Engagement was great and the questions were flowing! Feedback from this presentation was ALL positive. We will definitely host Austin again in the spring and encourage all East Atlanta small businesses to take advantage of these FREE offerings from EABA. 

Special thanks to Argosy for hosting and providing snacks! 

Great information overall and some fun networking. Hope to see y'all at the next one!