Soho of the South. Atlanta’s Village. SoPo. Little 5.

This entry was posted on June 29, 2016 by coolshoesAdmin.

Over the years, Little 5 Points has earned a variety of nicknames for the wide array of quirky businesses and vibrant personalities that have entrenched the Little 5 Points business district as a very special part of Atlanta’s modern soul.
In the early 1900’s, Atlanta’s first suburbanites in ritzy Inman Park and Candler Parkwere connected to downtown Atlanta with a trolley service, linking their Five Points with our Little 5 Points. This haven half-way to Decatur spawned a business district that grew between the two Parks and flourished with them for decades. But like our neighbors, we decayed in the 40’s and 50’s as countless other, newer neighborhoods circled Atlanta in every direction.
The urban pioneers of the 60’s found and fixed dilapidated homes and businesses as intown living was ‘rediscovered.’ Occupancy picked up from mostly vacant to waiting lists. And the new, exciting character of Little 5 Points evolved from those ashes as the place where everybody was welcome, and diversity and creativity were celebrated.

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What does that look like? Arts, music, theater, bars, restaurants, boutiques, of course. An abandoned school turned into a Community Center with its own own indie radio station and avant garde theater company. Independent record stores (WaxnFacts, Criminal), independent bookstores (Charis, A Capella), pre-Starbucks coffee shops, a regional performance venue, the South’s vanguard co-op food store, and countless business experiments took hold here, with the common denominator being locally conceived, owned, and operated. So much creativity in one place naturally spilled out into the street, in the form of outdoor music and art festivals, and our now renown Halloween parade.
One of the many businesses that sank its roots in Little 5 was our own little experiment named for its owner: Abbadabba’s. Starting with toys, cards, gifts, jewelry, and ‘some shoes in the back,’ Abbadabba moved from her weekend launching pad at the fabled Atlanta Flea Market into her first real retail store, a sliver next to the Sevanada Co-op, part of a building that became a National Treasure. We still looked and felt like a mini flea market, but the shoes in the back quickly became our calling. Basing on Birkenstock, and Shakti, we started on the mission to bring Innovative Comfort Footwear to Atlanta, before the concept of “comfort footwear” had even been born. That focus on shoes exploded our business, and in just a few years, we became known for our cool shoes, and have been ever since.
We have won our share of awards, of course. But the win we are most proud of is with each customer who discovers how healthful, hip footwear can transform how they look and feel. We solved problems, created opportunities, and spread the word about comfort footwear that we literally helped create.

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It’s not just what’s on our shelves that’s positioned us as Atlanta’s premier source for cool shoes. We are deeply committed to providing a truly pleasant shopping experience, as we introduce each customer to comfortable footwear that promotes a healthy life. We have a great story to tell, finding the shoes your feet want and need. And we also make it fun to discover that perfect fit and function. We enjoy spending time with you in our store, and appreciate you choosing to spend your shopping time with us.
Our amazing customers have propelled us to expand in Atlanta to four stores, each catering to the needs of their own rich community. Each store has its own personality, people, and products. But Abbadabba’s was born and raised in Little 5, and that commitment to creativity and individuality still pervades our business soul. We are Atlanta’s Premier Source for Innovative, Comfort footwear, and it all started right here in L5P.
This entry was posted in Atlanta, Birkenstock, Uncategorized on June 29, 2016 by coolshoesAdmin.

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