Black-owned community hub in Atlanta raises money for expansion
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A rendering of a 20,000-square-foot community hub that the Ke'nekt Cooperative wants to build in southwest Atlanta. Rendering: Courtesy of Perkins & Will
A community hub where Black residents, entrepreneurs, creatives and the like gather and exchange ideas is raising money to construct a commercial building where businesses can operate.
Why it matters: As the Atlanta Beltline and developments surrounding the multi-use path spring to life around the city, the cost to lease retail space has increased, making it harder for legacy business owners to keep their operations in the neighborhood.
The latest: The Ke'nekt Cooperative earlier this month launched its One Acre for Change campaign.
- Founder Kiyomi Rollins told Axios the cooperative is looking to raise $2.4 million to acquire the site and another $5 million to build the facility.
- The campaign, which launched earlier this month, has so far raised nearly $160,000.
Zoom in: Ke'nekt Cooperative's current location is about 2,000 square feet at 1492 Ralph David Abernathy Road.
- The current space also is home to 404 Coffee, a Black-owned business.
- The new 20,000-square-foot building would be about three blocks from the existing space near Westview Cemetery, Rollins said.
- Ke'nekt envisions the building having gathering, office and co-working, retail and "co-living concept" spaces.
- Rollins said she would ideally like to partner with nonprofits and other entities that could help with financing and fundraising.
What they're saying: "Our mission statement is that we're a Black, liberated third space where the community gathers, and that's what happens in this space," Rollins told Axios.
- The hub, she said, offers an intergenerational vibe similar to the time when churchgoers mingle with each other before going home.
- "So that means, regardless of your age, you're going to know the decorum that if there's old people sitting inside the Ke'nekt, you got to speak [and] check in," she said.
- The space also has a cache of books that people can peruse related to mental health and wellness.
Flashback: Ke'nekt grew out of an unexpected turn of events for Rollins.
- The founder of The Good Hair Shop, Rollins was served a notice to evict her as a tenant as her neighborhood was in the midst of gentrification.
- She closed her shop, but was able to secure a lease for commercial space to launch the Ke'nekt.
- Rollins currently operates her hair shop business as a pop-up at Ke'nekt.
What's next: Rollins said she would like to see construction begin in February 2026 and for the space to open in August 2027.