Coffee Conversations: East Atlanta leaders on public safety facility, rapid development and small business challenges

March 23rd, 2023

For the March installment of Coffee Conversations, Rose Scott talks with Sara Obregon, the owner of Joe's East Atlanta Coffee Shop. (Mely Garcia-Rodriguez/WABE)

East Atlanta community leaders and business owners say they have watched their neighborhood change over the years.

Many say while their community has grown in diversity, rent increases and new development continue to push residents and businesses out.

On Thursday’s edition of “Closer Look,” Rose Scott heads to Joe’s East Atlanta Coffee Shop for the March installment of “Coffee Conversations.”

First, Scott talks with Sara Obregon, the owner of Joe’s East Atlanta Coffee Shop, about operating a small business amid rapid development and her ongoing efforts to support the East Atlanta community.

Scott then talks with District 5 Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari about affordable housing and efforts to establish safe sidewalks and combat homelessness.

Bakhtiari also talked about the controversy surrounding a proposed public safety training center and why the majority of her constituents oppose the facility.

Lastly, Nate Minor, the president of the East Atlanta Business Association and owner of ScreenFixing, discusses the challenges East Atlanta business owners face and how his association is working to help.

Minor also talked about the challenges and successes of being a small business owner in the midst of rapid development and being a leader in East Atlanta.