See all Best of Atlanta 2022 winners
Photograph by Ben Rollins
New Place to Browse: Heritage Walk at Crabapple Market
An irresistible little row of shops has popped up along Heritage Walk at Crabapple Market in Milton. First came Loveday Place/Artisans at Crabapple, a spacious gallery showcasing locally made merchandise from greeting cards to turned wood vessels and fine oil paintings. But the recent additions of Poe & Company Bookstore (with a carefully curated selection, specialty coffee from Brazil, and children’s story hours), Evimero (a fair-trade gift store, where you can also refill your ecofriendly laundry products or make your own candles), and the Store/Dinna Eckstein Designs (a family-minded design studio/furniture store, which ranges from retro Pac-Man tables for the kids to swanky velvet chairs for adults) have turned the strip into a destination. Milton
New Kids Store: Happy Mango
At Happy Mango’s new Westside store at the Works, expect high-end gear from brands like Nuna, UPPAbaby, and Doona mixed with fan-favorite clothing lines like Angel Dear and Magnetic Me. Owner Phnewfula Frederiksen is also a certified safety passenger technician who can help parents install new car seats. The Works
New Tattoo Parlor: Ephemeral Tattoo
For anyone who has ever wanted to get a real tattoo but was afraid of the commitment, Ephemeral Tattoo is the answer. The company, which opened its first Atlanta studio this summer, uses a proprietary ink made of medical-grade, bio-absorbable, and biocompatible polymer that is made to fade within nine to 15 months, depending on the individual’s biological response. Poncey-Highland
Photograph by Ben Rollins
Designer Fashion: ANT/DOTE
Along with partner Eugene Rabkin, Atlanta native and fashion impresario Lauren Amos brings hard-to-find brands like Mad et Len and Hyke to the Westside and fills the hole Jeffrey left in Atlanta’s fashion scene. Don’t miss out on the subterranean shoe floor. Westside
New Sustainable Clothing: Reformation
In the last couple of years, many direct-to-consumer brands have opened their first Atlanta outlets—such as Lunya, Rothy’s, Allbirds, Peloton, Lovesac, and Framebridge. One DTC newcomer that might not be on your radar is Reformation, which opened this summer at Ponce City Market. This Los Angeles–based womenswear brand is committed to both fair labor practices and sustainability—using ecofriendly or deadstock fabrics. Its limited editions minimize waste and help ensure you won’t bump into someone else wearing your outfit. Ponce City Market
New Old Stuff: Mother Lode
This new vintage shop lives up to its name. Half of its warehouse is a retail store, and the rest is dedicated to refurbishing and cleaning fresh inventory—from midcentury-modern furniture to garments from almost every decade of the 20th century. Follow @motherlodeatl on Instagram to see new items and learn about special events. Decatur
West Coast Arrival: Jenni Kayne
There’s a touch of California cool in the middle of Buckhead thanks to Jenni Kayne’s eponymous clothing and home store. For those who deal strictly in neutrals, this is heaven. Soft cashmere knits, denim, and household wares will have you thinking you’ve walked into Santa Barbara, if only for a moment. Buckhead Village District
Way to Rep the ATL: Foot Locker’s Home Grown Collection
Launched last January, Atlanta’s version of Foot Locker’s Home Grown Collection features designs by a half-dozen Black-owned businesses: Humbl Hustlr, Grady Baby Co., Raunchy, the Baptist, Honor Roll, and, of course, Atlanta Influences Everything. Rep our hometown with slogans like “All This Love” or, if you’re feeling spicy, “We Full.” Merch is available on Foot Locker’s website and at area stores.
Revamp: Bottega Veneta
The Italian leather brand known for its wildly popular woven Intrecciato styles has debuted a new store at Phipps Plaza. Featuring an architecturally intricate floor with handmade terracotta tiles from Palazzo Morelli and ceramics from Richard Ginori, the store is a grand place to explore. Phipps Plaza
Nature’s Visionary: Quianah Upton
When artist Quianah Upton launched Nourish Botanica, she traveled around the city in a hand-built trailer selling dried bouquets—on a mission to reconnect people with the earth. Now, she has added a brick-and-mortar shop and offers houseplants, too. She has also launched an annual Black Girl Plant Festival and another festival celebrating the surrounding Joyland community. Next up? A vegetarian/vegan cafe. Joyland
Photograph courtesy of Odd Mclean
Gifting: Odd McLean
Tucked away in Ansley Mall is Kwynn Everest’s Odd McLean, a cabinet of curiosities aka gift shop named after her grandfather. (Yes, his real name!) Browse chic accessories like Lucite boxes from Alexandra Von Furstenberg and handmade items found by Everest in places as far-flung as Greece and Colombia. Ansley Mall
Affordable Barware: CB2
Crate & Barrel’s less pricey offspring, CB2, has settled into its expansive new digs. There are many reasons to love CB2—that white bouclé sofa—but a specialty is stylish, modern barware. Look for unique glassware like elegant Porsha Smoke wine glasses ($13.95 each) and creative accessories like a space age–looking Hawthorne cocktail shaker set ($99.95). Westside Provisions
Resell: Fashionphile Selling Studio
Tucked into the second floor of Neiman Marcus Lenox Square is Fashionphile’s Selling Studio, where consignors can drop off their luxury goods to be inspected for resale on the brand’s global website. Shop while authenticators look over your goods, then return to pick up a check for your items right then and there. Lenox Square
Home Office Furnishings: Herman Miller
Now that we’re often working remotely, it’s time to step up our home office game. Pro tip: Visit the new Herman Miller retail store in the Westside Provisions District. This small showroom has a sampling of the brand’s iconic accessories, such as retro-style wall clocks, but the real reason to visit in person is to test all the desk chairs. Westside Provisions
Luxe Streetwear: Amiri
New to Phipps Plaza this year, Amiri, an L.A.-based brand, brings its interpretation of casual cool to Atlanta. Its style is a luxury riff on streetwear featuring men’s, women’s, accessories, and even kidswear, with distressed denim being a big seller. Phipps Plaza
Sectionals: Burrow
What Casper et al. did for shipped-to-your-door foam mattresses, Burrow is doing for upholstery. Their expansive, 7,450-square-foot showroom in the Westside Provisions District showcases endless combinations of midcentury-modern and Scandinavian-style seating that arrive at your home in manageably sized boxes. Also, the store’s modular approach allows for deeper inventory and faster shipping. Westside Provisions
New Record Shop: The Record Loft
Debuting in Decatur in 2021, the store now has loftier new digs in Ormewood Park. Owners Steve and Margo Tockerman have created a nicely curated, cozy neighborhood nook for vinyl crate diggers of all ages. There’s a budget-friendly array of vintage jazz, soul, and country LPs, alongside the rock and pop albums that pay the rent. Bonus: In homage to its 12-inch Atlanta ancestors, the shop uses repurposed Turtle’s record bins. Ormewood Park
Plant Pop-Up: Uprooted ATL
Plant lover Azlin Dowling, a sophomore at Maynard Jackson High School, has launched Uprooted ATL, a mobile plant shop based out of a vintage green-and-white horse trailer, which Dowling’s mom hauls to local festivals and farmers markets. Customers can browse lush greenery (Monstera deliciosa is a bestseller) nested into Dowling’s handpainted pots and homemade macrame hangers, and every new plant parent goes home with personalized care instructions.
Buckhead Village District Hits Its Stride
Three years into management by Jamestown, Buckhead Village District—previously the Shops Buckhead Atlanta—has finally settled into a reasonable name and a dynamic tenant mix. In the last calendar year, 12 new leases have helped vary the selection, which is aiming for a more contemporary feel. Luxury retailers like Veronica Beard, Interior Define, Don Purcell, Rag & Bone, and Frances Valentine have joined, with forthcoming stores for Brown & Co. Jewelers and Le Labo in the works. Additional restaurants like Planta, which has a 100 percent plant-based menu; Carmel, from the team behind Aziza; and Yeppa & Co. from the team behind Storico Fresco help give the property more of a community feel and encourage shoppers to linger, as do new pedestrian-only spaces. Long-term pop-ups like Kristen Giorgi and Sheyda Mehrara’s Impossible Currency art and design studio and events like weekend Holiday Shop & Strolls help make the area a destination, not just a shopping center. Who cares that Hermès may depart for Phipps Plaza? —Lauren Finney Harden
This article appears in our December 2022 issue.
