The Invest Atlanta Board approved another round of Municipal Market Vendor Success grants totaling $90,000 to support nine merchant booth improvement projects at the historic Municipal Market in Sweet Auburn. This is the second round of grants since the program’s inception in 2024, which was funded by a $200,000 Eastside Tax Allocation District (TAD) Grant.
The Municipal Market Vendor Success Program offers $10,000 grants to small businesses operating in the Municipal Market to help vendors make meaningful upgrades to their spaces and operations, with grantees contributing a 10% match toward their projects.
Eligible improvements include installing consistent signage, repairing or replacing major fixtures and enhancing overall booth functionality. In addition, 20% of each grant will support the implementation of new Booth Design Standards that will create a refreshed, cohesive look across the market while also preserving its historic character.
The following small businesses were each awarded $10,000 Municipal Market Vendor Success Grants:
AB! Cookie Company
AfroDish Restaurant
Atlantic Seafood
The Garden Market Atlanta
D&J Meats
Dolce Tropical
MattChews
Rawesome Juicery
Unexpected Atlanta Two
In addition to the $200,000 small business improvement grants, another $500,000 has been allocated for market-wide capital improvements, while $75,000 supports a vendor technical assistance program.
“Invest Atlanta has been a really key partner in restoring this market,” says Jeff Delp, director of the Atlanta Municipal Market. “There’s no place else like this in Atlanta. We have people from around the world operating businesses – you get a little bit of everything here.”
The Municipal Market in Sweet Auburn, also known as The Curb Market, was founded in 1918 and opened its current building on Edgewood Avenue in 1924. It houses up to 30 local businesses in small vendor booths, including retail stores, grocery vendors and several popular eateries. The low cost of the vendor spaces makes the Municipal Market the most affordable place for a new small business or restaurant to open a brick-and-mortar space in the Downtown market.