Kingdom Corners: Black-owned shopping center is a first for Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Felicia Elibert and her husband Winchel thought it might be a big deal, but not “this” big. “It really didn’t hit me until the day of the ribbon cutting,” Felicia said.

Last week for the new Kingdom Corners shopping center in Fayetteville. It is the city’s very first Black-owned shopping center. Seven new businesses, four of them open---all of them leased--along New Hope Road.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

It was a project that required quite a bit of courage and a never-give-up mindset. The couple closed on the 4-acre property during the pandemic.

“Prayer. That is all I can say. We were ‘chosen’ for this project,” Winchel said.

The Eliberts have a lot of business experience. They have owned a smoothie franchise for years and built a new one at the shopping center where they also own a med spa called Cleansing Waters.

They never thought they would be developers. The Eliberts say it includes a new set of responsibilities. They are the first in the local Black community to do this. They hope the first of many.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Lineman dies, another injured after ‘equipment failure’ in downtown Griffin
• Man shot in the head while sitting inside Fairburn Mexican restaurant. His killer hasn’t been caught
• Consumers report glass oven doors shattering out of the blue. Company hasn’t issued a recall

“We have been getting phone calls, texts, and folks stopping by—just to say what an inspiration we are in the community. Now it is really hitting us. Making history and what that means. Not just to us, but what it means to our community,” Felicia said.

All the stores in Kingdom Corners will be open by next spring.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

©2024 Cox Media Group