Home Park

Husband-and-wife shopkeeping duo Sid and Ann Mashburn have had their finger on the pulse of how Atlantans want to dress for more than a decade. They recently opened a dedicated space for home goods, books, and a line for littles—affectionately dubbed Kid Mashburn. The light-filled 1,600-square foot space mimics the Mashburns others, in the sense that it feels personal and never overwhelming: in the kids section, for example, there’s a basket of toys on the floor meant to be played with and a table piled high with a rotating assortment of books.

Named for the vivacious French boxing champion Marcel Cerdan, Ford Fry’s take on a classic French brasserie has all the trappings: luxe red banquettes, white-tablecloth-ed booth seating, and a dramatically lit bar. The menu focuses on meticulously sourced, heavy-hitting steaks; in fact, Marcel is the only steakhouse in the city that exclusively serves hormone-free beef. A meal like this comes with a price tag to match, so we like it best for special occasions—or just stop by for a glass of wine and an order of frites, best enjoyed near the patio fireplace.

Occupying the old Miller Union Stockyards, this is one of Atlanta’s most celebrated restaurants—early on, they had a review in the New York Times and were finalists for a James Beard Award—but even the most cynical locals will tell you that the food lives up to the hype. Co-owners Neal McCarthy (the general manager and sommelier) and Steven Satterfield (the chef) have an extraordinary commitment to sustainability, so the menu changes daily, but you can always count on fresh vegetables, including the Southern vegetable plate, to be crowd-pleasers. The wine list, made up of exclusively organic and biodynamic bottles, is one of the city’s best.

Optimist’s dining room is actually separated into two distinct sections, divided by a nautical, blue-and-white striped curtain. In the traditional dining room, chef/owner Ford Fry serves a southern-inspired seafood menu featuring lobster rolls, peel-and-eat Georgia shrimp, and excellent hushpuppies. On the other side, a smaller oyster bar offers raw or roasted oysters (imported straight from the Alabama coast) and Fry’s signature punch. From there, you can also access the open-air turf patio, which has a few mini-golf holes and room for a live band.

At this boutique stationery store in Atlanta’s White Provisions district, you’ll find everything you’d expect to find in a store curated by designers and painters who are obsessed with typography, paper, and letterpress. While you can work with them to design personalized invitations and paper goods, they have an amazing (and varied) selection of gift cards and stationery along with Simply Put’s own custom line of goods. And, while you’re at it, you can peruse their gift selection, which includes Taschen books, hand-crafted decanters, candles, and soaps.

Don’t let the industrial name fool you—Seed Factory is a warm, super-cute kid’s clothing store, where you can find everything from well-priced baby basics like high chairs and bibs to Oeuf selections for children up to eight years old. You’ll also find an array of books, crafts, and simple wooden toys. It’s the perfect place to shop, both for utility and thoughtful baby gifts.

Sid Mashburn, the eponymous store from Ann Mashburn’s husband, isn’t just one of the best men’s stores in Atlanta—it’s one of the best in the country. While the much-talked-about store experience is a comfortable hang (think Miles Davis records and a complimentary drink of choice), what’s even better is how much you can get done with just a short trip here: with a wide selection of stylish but classic well-made basics, stylists on hand, and full-service tailoring, it’d be easy to overhaul a guy’s wardrobe in the span of one painless afternoon. In addition to Mashburn’s second Atlanta location, you can find stores in Dallas, Houston, DC, and the Brentwood Country Mart.

One-half of the powerhouse sartorial couple who has built a small clothing empire from a single boutique in Atlanta, former Glamour editor Ann Mashburn’s eponymous store is a quiet, curated oasis that feels like walking into a woman’s (massive) dream walk-in closet. The store experience is designed to be comfortable: you can have a drink and listen to some seriously good music while you peruse a selection that includes everything from Carven dresses to Jil Sander blouses to Ann Mashburn’s own line, which is full of well-made classics with slight southern feminine flair. And, of course, you’ll find the Sid Mashburn menswear counterpart right next door.

Billy Reid is a distinctly Southern designer, seamlessly working traditionally preppy elements (pastels, seersucker, lots of khaki and linen) into elegant, streamlined, and sometimes vintage-inspired silhouettes. In addition to his second Atlanta location in Buckhead, he’s got shops across the country, including one in Charleston and two in New York—his White Provisions shop is everything you’d expect.

The great thing about this certified dive bar on the West side (which has been open for more than forty years) is that they have live music seven nights a week. They specialize in blues and roots music, and any Atlanta music geek you ask will verify that they get some of the best acts in the city. Try to catch a Wednesday night, when Mudcat is on rotation—front man Danny “Mudcat” Dudeck is an important fixture in the town’s music scene, and worth the trek across town.