From the Show Versus Tell newsletter by Jon Birdsong, CEO of SoDo Atlanta — Volume 2, Month 9 (October 2025)
246 days until the World Cup.
Infrastructure
Mitchell Street received fresh pavement with crisply painted lanes for on-street parking, car lanes, and a new dedicated bus lane for the MARTA A-Line. Sidewalk expansion is underway on the south side of Mitchell Street. The Poplar Lot at Mitchell and Forsyth has opened for public parking — previously fenced with barbed wire and holding Fulton County vehicles, it was transformed through a land swap with Georgia Power as a partner. The neighborhood has 6 acres of street-level parking total.
Safety & Security
Fire Chief Rod Smith met with the team for a neighborhood walkthrough and code enforcement discussions focused on World Cup event preparations. Dedicated APD officers coordinate with the Undaunted security team. Over 100 Verkada cameras monitor the neighborhood. The Undaunted team proactively screens footage, forwarding screenshots of concerning behavior to a 24/7 APD officer via Telegram. Addresses trespassing, loitering, prostitution, and vandalism.
Major Business Announcements
Brewhouse Cafe — Voted America's Best Soccer Bar, opening its second location in downtown Atlanta. Founder Humberto Bermudez is bringing the 25-year Little Five Points institution to South Downtown, capitalizing on Atlanta United devotion and the US Soccer Federation headquarters a few miles south.
KMM & Co — Leather goods manufacturer opening on Peachtree Street. Co-founders Kyle Martin and Marcus Orfield feature a visible workshop with leather cutting and stitching, offering heirloom-quality bags and accessories plus goods from local makers.
Breakfast/Lunch Counter — Located at Broad and Mitchell streets in a historic building. Operated by Todd Ginsberg and Josh Kim. Todd founded The General Muir and Fred's Meat and Bread, and currently co-runs Bloom's Roadside in Milton.
AdPipe — The Atlanta startup that raised $12M relocated its entire headquarters to South Downtown. CEO Andrew Levy leads one of the fastest-growing local startups.
Dr. Noze Best — Hardware startup assisting infant breathing, moved offices to ATV - Sylvan.
Smorgasburg Atlanta
Official launch: October 18th. Open-air food festival every Saturday. South Downtown hosts vendors vetted and hand-picked by the Smorgasburg team. SoDo is setting up a tent for the first couple of weeks with merchandise and giveaways. Smorgasburg chose Atlanta over several competing cities.
Community
Atlanta legends Lecrae, Killer Mike, and T.I. filmed the "Headphones" music video at Crates — bringing major cultural visibility to the neighborhood.
Development
Over 40 new trees hand-selected from the Trees Atlanta outpost in middle Georgia are arriving, emphasizing Atlanta's "City in the Forest" identity. Steel columns and metal frames installed in historic brick buildings are designed for a 125-year lifespan. Walk Your Plans 3D walkthroughs were conducted with restaurateur teams including Brewhouse for final design modifications. Nearby, Centennial Yards' The Mitchell has 300 new residential units with move-ins underway, Hotel Phoenix continues, and the Entertainment District develops.
Source: Show Versus Tell Newsletter
