6,000 Vistors A Week

The New Black Wall Street Market (NBWSM) has been open for less than a year and has brought in over 6,000 visitors per week, sometimes even in one day. NBWSM is located in Stonecrest, Georgia at 8109 Mall Pkwy with plans to host over 100 Black shops and restaurants inside of its location.

The marketplace is named after the original “Black Wall Street” in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was destroyed by a racist massacre. Lecester “Bill” Allen is the project owner and developer and he created NBWSM to help Black and minority entrepreneurs flourish. 2021 marked the 100th year anniversary of the massacre, which is also when the market opened. The grand opening brought in over 10,000 visitors.

NBWSM is 125,000 sq. ft. and is located across from Stonecrest Mall, which is about 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta. The building used to be a super Target.

Fostering Black Entrepreneurship

Although the market is open, stores and other additions are still in the works. In the near future, the location will have a grocery store, jazz club, art avenue, food court, a sundry store, and a bakery – all to foster Black entrepreneurship.

“We want to make sure our market is a reflection of the community,” said NBWSM Spokesperson Tyler Green.

According to Green, the plan is to eventually have Black products from around the world sold at the market.

Meet the Business Owners

King Henry’s Turkey Legs and Things is one of the many Black-owned restaurants in the market. King Henry is expected to open next month in March. The restaurant has catering services, which are currently being offered.

Owner Dr. Henry M. Carter started his business because he said there aren’t many places for someone to get a turkey leg in the area.

“There is no one who serves turkey legs all year round,” said Dr. Carter, so he decided to fill that gap.

King Henry serves a variety of turkey legs, including lemon pepper and barbecue. The restaurant sells other items like fried chicken, cabbage, mac and cheese, and veggie burgers.

Dr. Carter has over 20 years of experience in operations so for him, it was just a plug-and-play to bring his restaurant to life.

His restaurant has been around for three years. Just like many other restaurants, his business slowed down during the beginning of the pandemic; he said his first location became a ghost town. Once he found out about NBWSM, he knew he had to be a part of the history.

“It’s like the Wakanda of entrepreneurship,” Dr. Carter said about the market.

The Business Store owned by Jean Kimpson has been open in the market since last year. According to Kimpson, before the market opened, the NBWSM team attended classes and strategic seminars to set the owners up for success.

Ironically, The Business Store itself offers business services and classes to help entrepreneurs. Some of her services include filling business entities like an LLC and business consultations.

“At The Business Store, we’re all about business…the business of Black ownership,” said Kimpson.

Kimpson has over 30 years of experience as a real estate broker, so through The Business Store, she’s helping and encouraging individuals to go toward the path of ownership. She said a lot of people dream about ownership but are often deterred because of the lack of knowledge or help.

“We can make your dreams of ownership a reality,” she said. “We must close the wealth gap in America and it can only be done as owners.”

Plans for Expansion

The market recently acquired 30,000 more sq. ft. to eventually create a Black Market Village that will feature affordable housing and arts entertainment.

To learn more about The New Black Wall Street Market, click here.