Atlanta bartenders launch Kickstarter for neighborhood market

For Kathryn DiMenichi and Holli Medley, their next phase of food service starts at Third Street Goods
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Holli Medley (left) and Kathryn DiMenichi are partnering to launch a neighborhood market.

Courtesy of Kathryn DiMenichi.

Two popular Atlanta barkeeps, Kathryn DiMenichi and Holli Medley, are partnering to launch a neighborhood market, Third Street Goods. The small, bodega-inspired space will bring fresh local produce and meats, snacks, beer and wine, and other sundries to an as-yet undecided intown location. The Kickstarter for the new store began earlier this month.

Avid drinkers will recognize cocktail mavens DiMenichi and Medley from their time behind the bar at both Leon’s Full Service (where the two met) and Octopus Bar. Between them, they have more than 20 years in the food service business. As they became friends, they realized quality spirits weren’t their only shared interest.

Partly inspired by Candler Park Market, the duo hopes that Third Street Goods will be a regular destination for shoppers, where fresh offerings will be updated daily, and where their relationships with local farmers and brewers (like Riverview Farms and Creature Comforts Brewing) will be evident on the shelves. For both women, the store is one way to contribute to a healthier food system—matching the convenience of a corner store with the ethos of a farmer’s market.

“We’ve all seen those scary food documentaries,” DiMenichi said via phone. “But it’s easy to feel like there’s nothing we can do about the issues. We realized that we could do something.”

“I think there’s a demand for intown sundries,” Medley added, referencing their focus on ease and accessibility. “And I grew up in Southeast Alabama, where there’s nothing but farmland. I’ve wanted to bring that flavor to Atlanta.”

The shop will feature a coffee counter offering to-go drinks, along with ready-made family meals. Long-term plans may include a connected space, with a separate entrance, that could find both women back behind the bar. Overall, both Medley and DiMenichi hope that Third Street Goods will become another beloved option for intown shoppers who aren’t up for the trek to Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market, and would rather skip the lines at Whole Foods.

But for now, they’ve got to get Third Street Goods funded. The team has raised just over $9,000 of their $35,000 goal. Per Kickstarter rules, if the full $35,000 is not funded by April 14, they will not see a cent of the money raised. For more information, visit thirdstreetgoods.com

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