This past Friday we had the privelage of being interviewed by Julia Harding of Fox 5 News about our inability to apply for an alcohol license due to a quirk in the City of Atlanta Ordinances. Julia and her team found out we are unable to apply for a license to offer wine and beer and wanted to know more. She and I sat down to talk and she was surprised to hear there were several other shops around town with the same problem. Please check out our interview!
As we work to keep The Mercantile afloat and make our way during a time of tremendous economic hardship, I am reminded of the very first inkling we ever had of The Mercantile. The dream Samantha and I dreamt started with a notion of creating something small and almost old fashioned. Of creating a business tied to a community where neighbors rubbed elbows and fresh food was part of celebration, sustainability and quality of life. Watching the news these days, I hear all about bailouts, economic stimulus packages, CEO's receiving subpoenas and giant publicly owned companies laying off thousands of workers. What is happening in the background? Small, independently owned businesses are hunkering down, finding ways to innovate and extend their resources.
These same small businesses are reaching out to other small enterprises-even competitors- and sharing information and building relationships. We are teaching each other to survive. We are surviving. One of the great advantages small business has during this time of upheaval is flexibility. Being small we can make fast decisions and quick moves. Being small we can still embrace our community and try to help our neighbors without the fear of stockholder backlash. So many friends and acquaintances have reached out to us at The Mercantile and said, "it's businesses like yours that will pull us out of this economic crisis." I hope they are right. I feel that they are.
Despite the economic hardships and despite missing a crucial revenue stream because of a quirk in the city of Atlanta ordinances, I am encouraged. It is our smallness that encourages me. It is the other small specialty food shops around Atlanta that have reached out and shared information and insight with all of us at The Mercantile. I have been on an incredible journey the past year and a half to actually tackle the system, follow the rules, dive into the political process and seek to legally change the law for the better of small business in Atlanta. All of the allies I have made along the way have made me feel as though there are brighter days ahead for us all.
Most importantly, our neighbors and guests encourage me. So many of our friends and guests have stopped in to show their support and sign our petition. If you haven't stopped in yet, I invite you to do so. I'd also like to personally invite you to take part in the democratic system and political process by contacting members of the Public Safety Committee. Please let them know you are in support of Ordinance 08-O-0843 which will provide a definition in the ordinances for a specialty food shop and will allow those shops to apply for a license with our own set of distance requirements. I have learned recently that your voice really does matter. You really can pick up the phone or write a letter and sometimes people really do listen.
Thanks so much for your support and interest in what we do! Please don't hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns. janea@themercantileatl.com
-Janea Boyles, President
Listed below is all of the contact information for members of the Public Safety Committee. I am told that phone calls and handwritten letters are generally considered to be more effective than email these days. Letters by mail should be sent to your council members attention at:
55 Trinity Avenue, Suite 2900, Atlanta, GA 30303
Lamar Willis, at large: 404-330-6041 hlwillis@atlantaga.gov
Cleta Winslow, chair:404-330-6047 cwinslow@atlantaga.gov
Kwanza Hall: 404-330-6038 khall@atlantaga.gov
Joyce Shepherd: 404-330-6053 jmshepherd@atlantaga.gov
Ivory Young, Jr. 404-330-6046, ilyoung@atlantaga.gov
C.T. Martin: 404-330-6055, cmartin@atlantaga.gov
-Please call Natalyn Archibong’s office and thank you for her sponsorship of this ordinance: 404-330-6048 narchibong@atlantaga.gov
-Please call Anne Fauver’s office and thank her for her current and continued support of this ordinance: 404-330-6050
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