theLOCAL’s New Tenants and Giving Small Businesses a Chance to Grow Their Ambitions
theLOCAL is Downtown Jackson’s micro-retail development and community space providing local entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop their businesses in a low-overhead environment. On August 11, 2022, three new tenants signed leases with the excitement of growing their small businesses in Downtown Jackson. theLOCAL was created nearly five years ago as an incubator for entrepreneurs to get a taste of operating their own retail space.
“theLOCAL, in my opinion, is one of the best additions to Jackson,” said Lakyn Bowman. “It gives small businesses like myself a fighting chance to grow their ambitions and ideas.”
Lamont’s Kitchen
Owner: Briyona Batchelor
Lamont’s Kitchen is a new and modern restaurant that caters to the entire community. Our business started in the honor of Chef Bri’s father Wesley Lamont Hampton, and through Bri’s love and passion, they’ve developed a restaurant concept that will cater to the community's needs. They initially started with a food truck where they perfected the perfect nacho, and now by expanding to a building, they are looking to merge their meal prepping service and their “jar concept. Their vision is to Cook with Community in Mind, and theLOCAL will provide Briyona with that opportunity to cook with Jackson in mind.
“There are a lot of great things happening downtown Jackson and I want to extend an option for great food which will bring more attention and business to downtown Jackson. Just imagine, after a long day of work you want to relax in the heart of the city with some friends and enjoy good food later in the evening. We will be making this possible with our unique restaurant concept that will bring a late night snack solution to downtown.”
Their jar experience has never been done before and they want to showcase a brand new restaurant concept that caters to the busy working professional or to the stay at home mom. The jar concept will allow families to enjoy meals on the go or right in their store. The jar experience keeps food fresher longer, and it also provides a unique way of enjoying your favorite meals.
Hello Annie
Owner: Alexandria Chaney
Hello Annie supplies fun and whimsical party decor, designs custom events, and offers different services, like event rentals/props and balloon decor, and custom gifts.
“Being at theLOCAL is exciting for me because it feels very comforting to be around like minded creatives like myself,” said Alexandria Chaney, owner of Hello Annie. “I’m also excited to connect with my community and hopefully bring joy into our everyday hustle and bustle! In my previous experience in this industry, most of my work is “behind the scenes”, I’m excited to see how having a storefront will diversify my business growth and offer new opportunities.”
The Nine Oh Six
Owner: Lakyn Bowman
The Nine Oh Six is a hybrid pottery studio and vintage home decor shop. Lakyn Bowman, owner of The Nine Oh Six, teaches pottery classes in an environment that emanates the colors, patterns, and vibrant expression of the 1960’s and 70’s. She is captivated by finding new life, value, and joy in the vintage items that have been discarded by pairing them with handmade pottery. Lakyn’s goal is to remind people they still hold imagination and creativity by getting their hands dirty in clay.
“The word “sonder” holds great value in my outlook on life. It is the realization that each passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as one’s own, complete with their own ambitions, routines, and density. While the word is about a person’s story, my interest is more about the physical object’s existence in that person’s life,” said Bowman. “I wonder how many conversations a particular chair or a kitchen table has been a part of. Just as I envision the lives of the vintage items, I do the same with the objects I make and the people who will encounter them. I want to give people the option to shop for sustainable home decor that has character and revisit their creative side.”
Want to visit theLOCAL? Check them out at 202 W Lafayette St, Jackson, TN 38301. The Grand Opening is set for September 10th from 9AM-6PM.