Former warehouse district The Works is beefing up its retail offerings this spring as plans percolate for a major expansion that could nearly triple its current size. 

District developer Selig Enterprises announced today three new retail concepts will all bring hands-on experiences to the Makers Building section of The Works this year, including a new concept by food hall creator Robert Montwaid. 

The concepts include The Food Work Shop (described as “a first-of-its-kind culinary studio”), Summer Breeze Flowers & Gifts (a floral workshop and retail space), and The Body Creamery (a “body butter ice cream parlor.”) 

The last business is new, while the other two originated in smaller spaces at onsite market Chattahoochee Food Works. 

Exterior of The Works' Makers Building in Underwood Hills. Courtesy of Selig

The additions will help give The Works' patrons “the kind of immersive, hands-on experiences you simply can’t find anywhere else in Atlanta,” Mindy Selig, co-CEO of Selig, said in today’s announcement. 

Summer Breeze Flowers & Gifts and The Food Work Shop are scheduled to debut this spring, while The Body Creamery will open sometime later this year. Below is a description of each concept provided by Selig officials this week, edited for length: 

  • Summer Breeze Flowers & Gifts: The family-owned floral and gift shop known for its European-style arrangements is expanding its footprint at The Works for the second time since opening in 2021, growing from its 280-square-foot stall within the food hall to a 1,500-square-foot retail space. The move will create room for events, additional floral coolers, same-day pickup, and a larger retail selection, per Selig. The business will also host monthly workshops for the community. The shop also operates stores in Doraville and Johns Creek.
  • The Food Work Shop: Robert Montwaid, owner of the 31-stall Chattahoochee Food Works, will debut this 1,200-square-foot culinary studio with a demo kitchen for interactive cooking classes, chef-led dinners, and private events. It will also feature a retail component offering a mix of cooking supplies, local goods and produce, gifts, and more. “This next chapter allows us to engage with our guests in new ways,” Montwaid said in a prepared statement. “This will benefit our current food stall vendors as well as deepen our reach within the local culinary community.”
  • The Body Creamery: A new concept from Octavia Jones, owner of body butter pop-up experience The Skintimacy Bar. Expect a front-of-house retail component, where guests choose scoops of various body butter “flavors” modeled after an ice cream parlor. Flavors include marshmallow, peach, lemon grass, coconut, pineapple, and more. Elsewhere, half of the store will house a workshop for classes and private parties, where customers can make their own body butters, per Selig officials.  

Meanwhile, Selig has begun preparations for a phase-two expansion of The Works that would eventually span roughly 50 acres—much larger than the completed first phase’s 27 acres.  

Selig filed Development of Regional Impact paperwork in February with the State of Georgia indicating The Works could pack on roughly 2.2 million square feet of additional development over the next five years as part of the second phase. 

An aerial showing the scope of phases one and two at The Works warehouse district. Courtesy of Selig

How one of the first The Works corridors came together between formerly empty warehouses, as seen in 2021. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Growth plans would entail another 1 million square feet of residential development, with a target completion date of 2031. 

Joining that would be 1.2 million square feet of restaurant, office, and retail land uses, per the DRI filing.

According to Selig reps, the phase-two expansion would come along Logan Circle and Chattahoochee Avenue as an extension of The Works’ existing footprint. The developer submitted a rezoning request to the city earlier this year, but construction timelines remain TBD. 

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