Beyond the Conference: Experience Atlanta Through Women-Owned Businesses
By Raechele Smalls
Coming to Atlanta for Invest Fest, Atlanta Tech Week or RenderATL? Make time to experience the women entrepreneurs shaping the city beyond the conference stage.
August is one of Atlanta’s biggest months for business, technology and culture. Invest Fest returns to the Georgia World Congress Center August 7–9, Atlanta Tech Week brings six days of citywide programming August 9–14, and RenderATL convenes builders and technology leaders August 12–13.
That means thousands of founders, investors, executives and creatives will be moving throughout the city—meeting new collaborators, exchanging ideas and deciding where to eat, shop and recharge between sessions.
At BrainTrust, we believe women who build wealth change the world. And in Atlanta, supporting women entrepreneurs does not have to end when the conference programming does.
The city is home to an extraordinary ecosystem of women-owned restaurants, boutiques, bookstores, wellness destinations and cultural experiences. Whether you have an open morning, a free afternoon or one more dinner to schedule, here are several locally rooted businesses worth adding to your itinerary.
Because operating hours and availability can change, check each business’s website and make reservations where appropriate before visiting.
—-
Start the Day With Something Worth Waking Up For
Bomb Biscuit Co.
Best for: A distinctly Atlanta breakfast near the Beltline and Old Fourth Ward
Founded by chef Erika Council, Bomb Biscuit serves Southern biscuits, breakfast sandwiches and brunch dishes grounded in family tradition. Council, who previously worked as a software engineer, drew inspiration from both of her grandmothers—including the founder of the celebrated Mama Dip’s Kitchen.
This is the stop for anyone who wants a conference breakfast that feels far more memorable than another hotel buffet.
Buttermilk Kitchen
Best for: A relaxed breakfast meeting in Buckhead
Chef Suzanne Vizethann opened Buttermilk Kitchen in 2012, transforming a converted Buckhead home into one of Atlanta’s best-known breakfast and brunch destinations. Its menu emphasizes Southern comfort food and ingredients sourced from local producers.
It is a strong choice for a slower morning, a founder-to-founder breakfast or a meal before heading into a full day of meetings.
The Little Tart Bakeshop
Best for: Coffee, pastries and a quick working session
The Little Tart has grown from farmers-market beginnings into a beloved Atlanta bakery with multiple locations. Expect thoughtfully made pastries, seasonal baked goods and quality coffee in an atmosphere that works equally well for a quick stop or an informal conversation.
Just Add Honey Tea Company
Best for: A coffee alternative and a quieter afternoon reset
Located in Old Fourth Ward, Just Add Honey offers an extensive collection of teas alongside pastries and light bites. It is an inviting option for a one-on-one conversation or a moment to decompress between events.
Gather Around a Great Table
Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours
Best for: An impressive dinner in West Midtown
Chef Deborah VanTrece brings a contemporary, globally influenced perspective to soul food at Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours. The restaurant is known for reinterpreting Southern traditions through dishes such as glazed oxtails and elevated comfort-food favorites.
For visiting founders or investors planning an intentional dinner, this is an excellent place to continue the conversation after the conference ends.
Star Provisions Market & Café
Best for: A polished lunch, gourmet provisions or a casual West Midtown meeting
Chef and restaurateur Anne Quatrano has shaped Atlanta’s culinary landscape for decades. Star Provisions combines a café, bakery and specialty market, while her broader restaurant family includes celebrated concepts such as Bacchanalia and Floataway Café.
Come for lunch, pick up locally inspired gifts or use it as the starting point for an afternoon exploring West Midtown.
Cheese Me (💙BrainTrust Member Spotlight)
Best for: Elevated hosting, client gifts, team gatherings, and effortless entertaining
Some of the best business conversations don’t happen in conference rooms—they happen gathered around a beautifully curated table.
That’s the idea behind Cheese Me, founded by Neakyn Boroujerdi, whose handcrafted charcuterie boxes, boards, and grazing experiences have become a favorite for everything from client appreciation gifts to founder happy hours and intimate celebrations.
With thoughtfully sourced ingredients and beautifully packaged presentations, Cheese Me makes entertaining feel effortless—so you can spend less time preparing and more time connecting with the people who matter most. As Neakyn puts it, the mission is simple: to create more “cheese-worthy moments” by helping people gather around great food with less effort and more fun.
Whether you’re hosting investors after a full day of conference programming, thanking a client, or planning your next team gathering, Cheese Me is a delicious reminder that hospitality is one of the most powerful forms of relationship-building.
Slutty Vegan
Best for: A high-energy Atlanta original
Founded by entrepreneur Pinky Cole, Slutty Vegan grew from a food truck into one of Atlanta’s most recognizable hospitality brands. Its indulgent, plant-based menu and unmistakable personality have helped make it a destination for residents and visitors alike.
It is bold, lively and ideal for anyone looking to experience a business that has become part of Atlanta’s contemporary entrepreneurial story.
Toast on Lenox
Best for: Brunch with personality
This Black woman-owned brunch concept has locations in Buckhead and Midtown and serves breakfast staples alongside Southern favorites including chicken and waffles, fried catfish and grits, and salmon cakes.
Its locations make it especially convenient for visitors staying near major business districts.
Shop With Purpose
The Village Retail
Best for: Discovering multiple Black-owned brands in one stop
Founded by Lakeysha “Key” Hallmon, The Village Retail at Ponce City Market is a curated marketplace showcasing products from Black-owned businesses. Hallmon’s broader work through The Village Market has supported more than 1,400 businesses and generated millions of dollars in sales for participating brands.
This is one of the easiest ways for a visitor with limited time to shop across several emerging brands while experiencing one of Atlanta’s best-known mixed-use destinations.
For Keeps Books
Best for: Black literature, history and a meaningful cultural stop
Rosa Duffy opened For Keeps in Atlanta’s historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood in 2018. The bookstore specializes in rare, classic and contemporary Black literature and offers a deeply considered experience that feels equal parts bookstore, archive and gathering place.
Pair your visit with time exploring the surrounding neighborhood and Atlanta’s civil rights history.
Abbey Glass
Best for: Atlanta-designed womenswear
Designer Abbey Glass founded her namesake fashion company in 2012. Her Buckhead Village boutique offers dresses, tops, jackets and accessories designed around approachable luxury and confident personal style.
It is a worthwhile stop when your conference wardrobe could use a distinctly local addition.
Buckhead Art & Company
Best for: Collectors, design enthusiasts and art-centered conversations
Led by Karimah McFarlane, Buckhead Art & Company uses exhibitions and programming to elevate artists and perspectives that have historically been underrepresented. The gallery is located in Buckhead Village, making it easy to combine with shopping or dinner nearby.
Soberish (💙BrainTrust Member Spotlight)
Best for: Thoughtful host gifts and a reimagined happy hour
Founded by attorney and entrepreneur Mehrnush Saadat, Soberish offers a curated collection of nonalcoholic beverages and wellness products in Atlanta’s Kirkwood neighborhood. Saadat created the business as an educational, welcoming destination for people exploring alternatives to traditional alcohol-centered socializing.
It is an especially relevant stop for conference attendees looking for a polished gift or a different kind of evening experience.
Invest in Your Well-Being
Smart Living Chiropractic
Best for: Recharging your body after long conference days—without leaving the heart of Atlanta
Conferences can be energizing, but they can also be physically demanding. Hours of travel, standing, networking, carrying bags, and working from hotel laptops can take a toll on your body.
That’s where Smart Living Chiropractic, founded by Dr. Tiffany Smart, comes in.
Dr. Smart recently expanded her practice with a second location in the heart of Atlanta at 141 Mangum St SW, Suite 206, making personalized chiropractic and wellness-focused care even more accessible to conference attendees, local founders, and professionals moving throughout the city.
Smart Living Chiropractic takes a whole-person approach to health, helping patients move better, feel better, and sustain the energy required to lead well.
Whether you need to reset after a full day of programming or simply want to prioritize your well-being while you’re in town, it’s a powerful reminder that investing in your business starts with investing in yourself.
Find Your Community at The Lola
(BrainTrust Community Spotlight)
Best for: Meeting Atlanta’s women entrepreneurs, coworking, networking, and meaningful conversations
Every great entrepreneurial city has places where people naturally find one another.
In Atlanta, The Lola is one of those places.
More than a coworking space, The Lola has become a vibrant community built by and for women entrepreneurs—a place where founders gather to work, collaborate, learn, celebrate milestones, and build lasting relationships.
Whether you’re looking for a productive place to work between conference sessions, hoping to attend a networking event, or simply want to experience one of Atlanta’s most welcoming entrepreneurial communities, The Lola is well worth adding to your itinerary.
It’s also home to many of BrainTrust Atlanta’s signature gatherings, including our Lowdowns, where women founders come together to connect, learn, and discover whether BrainTrust is the right next step for their entrepreneurial journey.
Experience Atlanta Through a Different Lens
Unexpected Atlanta Tours
Best for: Visitors who want more than the standard tourist itinerary
Founded by local historian and guide Akila McConnell, Unexpected Atlanta offers experiences centered on the city’s food, neighborhoods and history. Options include explorations of Grant Park and the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District.
A guided experience can be one of the best ways to understand the Atlanta behind the convention centers, hotels and business districts.
Living Walls
Best for: Public art and self-guided city exploration
Founded by Monica Campana, Living Walls uses public art as a tool for cultural and community development. Its murals and installations can be found throughout Atlanta, highlighting work from women, artists of color and LGBTQIA+ creatives.
Visitors can build a mural stop into almost any neighborhood itinerary without adding a formal appointment.
Ponce City Market
Best for: Combining food, shopping and Beltline access
While the development itself is not woman-owned, it serves as a useful anchor for this itinerary because it houses The Village Retail and sits near several women-owned businesses in Old Fourth Ward. From there, visitors can access the Atlanta Beltline, explore nearby neighborhoods and reach additional dining destinations with relative ease.
Build Your Itinerary by Neighborhood
Staying near the Georgia World Congress Center or Downtown?
Start with For Keeps Books in Sweet Auburn, explore nearby civil rights landmarks and then head toward Old Fourth Ward for Just Add Honey, Bomb Biscuit or Ponce City Market.
Spending most of your time in Midtown events?
Make your way to West Midtown for Star Provisions or Twisted Soul. Buckhead destinations such as Buttermilk Kitchen, Abbey Glass and Buckhead Art & Company also work well for a breakfast or afternoon meeting.
Extending your trip through the weekend?
Explore Kirkwood and East Atlanta, stop by Soberish, take an Unexpected Atlanta tour or follow the city’s Living Walls murals through neighborhoods you may otherwise miss.
The Best Way to Experience Atlanta Is Through Its Entrepreneurs
Atlanta’s business ecosystem is not just confined to conference stages or networking receptions. It lives inside neighborhood restaurants, independent bookstores, retail concepts, galleries and companies built by founders who saw an opportunity—and created something the city needed.
As you exchange ideas at Invest Fest, Atlanta Tech Week, RenderATL and the many gatherings surrounding them, consider extending that same spirit of investment into the places you choose to visit.
Order breakfast from a woman chef. Hold your next meeting in a locally owned café. Buy a gift from an Atlanta designer. Explore the city through a woman-led cultural experience.
Because when women build businesses, they do more than create destinations. They build wealth, strengthen communities and change the world.
Who did we miss? Drop your favorite Atlanta womenpreneurs, woman-owned coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques, and hidden gems in the comments so we can keep this guide growing for everyone visiting ATL. 💛
—
About BrainTrust
At BrainTrust, we’re fortunate to spend every day surrounded by women who are building extraordinary companies. This guide is our way of celebrating not only our members, but the broader community of women entrepreneurs who make Atlanta such a remarkable place to build, lead, and grow.
Are you a woman entrepreneur building a company in Atlanta?
BrainTrust is a national peer membership organization serving women business owners who have surpassed $100,000 in annual revenue and are ready to grow alongside other ambitious founders.
[Learn more about BrainTrust and the Atlanta community.]
