It’s 10 a.m. on July 1 and Bottle Rocket Fine Food and Beverage is packed with rowdy soccer fans.
They got an early start to the FIFA World Cup festivities. In the afternoon, England and DR Congo are set to face off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium down the street. The impending game has created an infectious energy and a robust pregame, if the empty beer glasses and singsong chants are any evidence.
Outside of Bottle Rocket, the frenzy continues. Founder’s Green is hosting a mini match day fan festival called “Match Day Live!” complete with a contest to secure semifinal tickets. To fight off the sweltering heat, some Englishmen have taken off their shirts and downed tequila shots from El Tesoro. Others have run to air-conditioned spots like Brewhouse and Broad Street BBQ.
It’s a sight to behold. It’s SoDo in full swing.
Just a year ago, the neighborhood looked completely different. South Downtown was known for dilapidated buildings and empty storefronts. Few tourists visited the area, and even fewer locals hung around.
Enter South Downtown, or “SoDo:” a massive restoration and revitalization project to turn 58 buildings across 16 acres into a true urban core for the city. It was an ambitious project, and many locals were skeptical – including myself.
Yet, as SoDo chugged along restoring buildings and opening businesses, the skepticism faded. Bottle Rocket owner Josh Calvin said he realized “those SoDo guys aren’t playing around.”
They were going to get the project done. But would people show up? More importantly, would they come back again and again?
On July 1, SoDo answered one question – people will show up. According to SoDo leadership, the crowds have turned out for every single World Cup match day. Some watch parties have drawn thousands of attendees.
“We couldn’t ask for a better opening party,” SoDo CEO Jon Birdsong said.
Clearly, the party is a draw. One England fan said he took a red-eye flight from San Francisco just for the match. He planned to fly home after the game to work the next day. “But maybe I’ll stay,” he admitted. “Who knows what will happen.”
The Atlanta Police Department had a similar attitude. Dozens of cops gathered at the end of Mitchell Street. They said there was no march to the stadium scheduled, but they were prepared for England fans to bring the frenzy pre- and post-match.
But what about the second question: Will SoDo bring the locals back to downtown?
It’s a harder thing to measure. Birdsong made a point to call out every local he saw in SoDo during the July 1 festivities, like an unofficial neighborhood mayor, complete with a custom SoDo jersey. He said Atlanta residents have turned out en masse, and he expects them to come back.
“I’m just very pleased that this is the experience that tourists are getting in downtown Atlanta, and that locals are rediscovering downtown,” Birdsong said.
The real proof is in the businesses. Birdsong targeted “unique, boutique and local” Atlanta establishments to relocate or open additional locations in SoDo. It paid off. Now, El Tesoro, Glide, Brewhouse and Broad Street BBQ all have new and expanded spaces.
“The curation they did, it’s honestly really crazy,” Bottlerocket’s Josh Calvin said.
Calvin owned and operated Bottle Rocket Fine Food & Beverage in Castleberry Hill for 15 years. He developed a loyal following in a tight-knit community, but he wanted to expand the small space. Birdsong was looking for a neighborhood bar. It was a perfect match.
“We’ve been waiting for downtown for a long time; I know everybody has,” Calvin said. “I know it’s been decades in the making, but it’s just amazing to see it in action.”
Now, Calvin has joined the ranks of the unique and boutique SoDo establishments. He said the rows of businesses feel like a real community, each with their own built-in clientele.
“It’s like putting together a supergroup,” Calvin said.
The so-called “supergroup” draws different audiences. At Bottle Rocket, Calvin can count on Castleberry Hill regulars. He even has a golf cart to take some longtime customers home after last call. But he said the World Cup has brought more crowds than ever expected.
“I knew we were going to be busy, but not this busy, “ Calvin said.
It has not all been smooth sailing. The open container district has proved tricky in practice, with Calvin and other business owners getting fined for unclear details in the ordinance. Calvin thinks it’s growing pains that come with “momentum.”
“I think the momentum is going to last a lot, lot longer than the World Cup,” Calvin said.
Atlanta is a funny place. Midtown is declining, Lindbergh fell out years and years ago, the westside lost all those trendy food places, Buckhead is deader than a government wall clock on Friday night, but magically this will last? Those of us who can still recall, the government wall clock thing hurts a little bit. But it’s no surprise.
I’m sure something will come from SoDo. It was excellent for the 1 time soccer matches. But there won’t be locals who have money to spend. Not because they don’t want to. They’re just 1-2 hours away from “SoDo” now and not moving back despite cool pop up taco stands. Why would they?
Chattanooga’s downtown could pull the same marketing as far away as Atlanta locals are from Atlanta. My guess is this winds up as a tourist place for games, which for Atlanta is a success of sorts.
For obvious reasons, nothing lasts in Atlanta…