2023 24 Black Pages FINAL 2 - Flipbook - Page 111
“It was important for our family to remain stakeholders here because Greenwood Bottom runs
deep in our being,” Harris said. “We have been very intentional in how we’ve invested in it. By
creating opportunities we’re helping families of color, raising Greenwood Bottom’s profile, and
changing its trajectory.”
Past and Present Equals a Promising Future
Harrell’s and Harris’s attitude is infectious and
is shared by their neighbor fifty-one-year-old
Montezuma, GA native Loy Young. The owner of
Loy’s Farmers Market at Hazel and Third Streets
around the corner from the barber shop, boxing
center and retail plaza, grew up in the fields.
“Farming is in my blood. I love people and raising
produce for them to eat,” he said while standing
in front of his business.
It feels as if Young and this location were
destined to be together. He first eyed it before
taking a negative turn as a younger man which
landed him in jail for fifteen years. Amazingly the
property was not only still intact but made
available to him for the right price by the owner. Young transferred his primary location there
following six years of success selling produce at Pio Nono Ave and Hillcrest Boulevard, not
knowing the history of Greenwood Bottom, but drawn to the energy and vibration of the once
booming business district and its current entrepreneurs and residents. “It was intriguing to see
them making it happen right where they are. Once I found out Greenwood Bottom’s history it
made setting up my business here an epic decision,” Young shared.
And he’s not done. Young plans to add a full-fledge butcher shop and place to purchase bake
goods. A Greenwood Bottom comeback increased this summer when the longtime ABC Beverage
Store at Hazel and Broadway was purchased, revamped, and rolled out by Black Atlantans. The
turnaround has replaced a former eyesore and reflects what can happen when the right people
with the right intent run a business.
“Greenwood Bottom is on the rise,” said Young. “I’m excited to be a part of it.”
111
