From the Magazine

Stitching was once a beloved hobby choice for women of previous generations. It fell off in popularity before seeing a resurgence, partly thanks to the rise of neo-traditionalist decor. Local shops like The Nimble Needle, Stitch Club Atlanta, and Labors of Love are rising to the occasion, and there is room for anyone curious to give it a try.

Trees with human faces; humanoid forest creatures; dancing cats; humans with fur and tails. This list may sound fantastical, but for artist María Korol, this cast of characters regularly appears in her paintings. These creatures will come alive in Korol’s solo exhibition, Playing Ball Without a Ball, at Lyndon House Arts Center in Athens (July 18–September 27).

After selling his first startup, Atlanta entrepreneur Clint Jarvis found himself burned out and tethered to his phone, a cycle that inspired him to create Roots, an app designed to help people curb screen addiction. With features that track digital habits, block social media, and gamify healthier routines, Roots has already drawn 50,000 users worldwide who say it’s helping them reclaim their time and focus.

What started as a scrappy volunteer effort in 2009 to share foraged apples with vulnerable families has matured into a statewide nonprofit. Concrete Jungle rescues and distributes 1 million pounds of fruits and vegetables [4 million servings] annually to meet the increased demand. To date, the nonprofit has moved 3 million pounds of produce to local food banks and shelters.

Tucked along a stretch of East Point’s Sumner Park, the Dick Lane Velodrome is a concrete time machine where neighborhood kids, adults, and elite athletes alike chase speed and strategy in thundering laps. The high-banked racetrack, a centuries-old invention, invites cyclists to push the limits of physics at breakneck speeds in a crucible of grit and centrifugal force.

What was once the cellar of a 19th-century grocery store is now the home of one of Atlanta’s largest arts spaces. Willow Goldstein—a local artist and entrepreneur who also founded the arts nonprofit The Bakery—opened her newest venture, The Supermarket, which hosts exhibitions and performances, art workshops, and private rentals in a 12,500-square-foot space.

Every four years, Atlanta voters choose a mayor—and a city council president. The mayor gets more attention, but insiders know the council president can quietly steer the city’s agenda. This November, that gavel changes hands. Two contenders want Shipman’s job. Marci Collier Overstreet, who currently represents District 11, and Rohit Malhotra, founder of the Center for Civic Innovation.

Stan Sugarman is only half-joking when he says there isn’t much left of the original Atlanta Motel building. After a yearlong renovation, the once-derelict Reynoldstown motel, nestled between Moreland Avenue and an I-20 on-ramp, is now home to an affordable housing complex named The Ralph David House.

Secondwind Gear Shop is more than a place to score a discounted pair of Scarpa hiking boots or a sun-faded Patagonia fleece. Tucked away in an unassuming retail space on North Highland Avenue (formerly Highland Row Antiques), Secondwind is an outpost where conversations about gear and mountain getaways become one.

A flight attendant. A traffic manager. A Sky Club director. These are just a few of the people who keep Atlanta’s airport humming. As Hartsfield-Jackson and Delta celebrate 100 years, we asked the workers behind the scenes what it means to keep the world moving.