Black-owned Businesses

From Ethiopian cuisine to handcrafted soaps

Restaurants

Dawg Gone Good BBQ theater over the decades, including Ma Rainey, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Its vaudeville entertainment was legendary, drawing visitors from all over for the lively variety shows aimed at a Black audience. The building itself was an anchor of Black life, with doctor and dentist offices, pharmacies, bakeries and more operating there over the course of time. The first Black woman licensed to practice dentistry in the state of Georgia, Dr. Ida Mae Johnson Hiram, had her office in the Morton Building, as did Dr. E.D. Harris, who owned and operated the first pharmacy owned by an African American in Athens.

224 W. Hancock Ave.

This downtown barbecue joint owned by William Hardy is known for mouthwatering ribs and pork butt, demonstrated by its several Classic City BBQ Festival award wins. Bonus: coutdoor seating and free samples.

After a fire broke out in the film area in the 1950s, the theater closed for several decades but during that time other businesses continued to operate. Before they became famous, groups such as the B-52’s and R.E.M. practiced in the closed theater while it was in disrepair. In 1987, a local option sales tax referendum was passed that raised $1.8 million for the theater’s restoration. Thirty years ago, it reopened for performances and became a hub of Athens culture once again.

Mannaweenta Ethiopian/Eritrean Restaurant

1055 Gaines School Rd.

Owned and operated by Haregu Bahtu, this much talked about gem serves a host of authentic Ethiopian dishes ranging from varieties of wot to Ethiopian coffee.

Kelly’s Jamaican Foods

1583 S. Lumpkin St.

Nestled in Athens’ historic Five Points, Kelly’s turns out classic curry chicken, macaroni and cheese, cornbread and plantains.

Lil Ice Cream Dude’s Cool World Ice Cream Shop

1040 Gaines School Rd.

Born and raised in Athens, Victor “Beau”

Tracy Shell is a young entrepreneur who launched his own ice cream business when he was just eight years old in 2012. Now 20 and with a storefront, his window reads “you’re the coolest” on Gaines School Road.

Weaver D’s Delicious Fine Foods

1016 E. Broad St.

A soul food classic! Hailed by Southern Living, The James Beard Foundation and Garden & Gun, Weaver D’s is “automatic for the people,” a phrase used by original owner Dexter Weaver. It’s so legendary, the famous local band R.E.M. even ended up using it as the title of their eighth studio album. This iconic Athens fixture offers everything from peach cobbler to an autograph.

Shops

Cherokee Moon Mixology

160 Tracy St.

Founded by Almeta Tulloss, Cherokee Moon offers fresh cider, tonics and vinegars from local, organic fruit and medicinal herbs. Cherokee Moon’s microbrewery, The Georgia

Freda Scott Giles, a former associate professor at the University of Georgia who taught theater at the Institute for African American Studies and who also served on the Morton Theatre’s Board of Directors, described the importance that Morton holds for Black community in Athens.

“The Morton has become such a wonderful crossroads for the community to get together and to do things together,” said Giles, who believes that if you are truly interested and care about Athens, you should know about this space.

Giles holds that the University of Georgia has been remiss in talking about the full history of Athens and wants the history of the Black community in Athens to be discussed more. She said that many of the students don’t view themselves as part of the history of the city of Athens and hopes that they get to know the city that they are living in.

In recent years, the Morton has held shows and events such as the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, films, dance showcases and more. It continues to stand as an important indicator of Black history in Athens and what it means to the community itself.

Robert Tucker, former president of the Morton Board of Directors, expressed the joy he has felt in supporting the building and theater. He was born in Alabama and came to Athens in 2005, attending the events and putting together several different programs at the theater. Tucker personally fell in love with the Morton after stepping into the building for the first time and seeing one of East Athens Educational Dance Center’s shows. He wants everyone to understand and know about the building and its importance to the Athens Black community.

“It means so much to us [the Black community],” said Tucker. “If there is one big hope, it’s that the building be respected and for people to be able to see and appreciate the history.”