Couple Felicia and Winchel Elibert are helping Black-owned businesses create wealth.
According to 95.5 WSB, the pair are behind a four-acre Fayetteville, GA shopping plaza that will be home to several businesses. Winchel already owned multiple barbershops, while Felicia worked as a nurse and is the founder of several Cleansing Waters Wellness Center locations. WSB-TV Atlanta News mention that the Eliberts also owned a Smoothie King for several years.
Entering new territory with the plaza was a “journey” that began with a sign located across from their Smoothie King.
“Right across from our Smoothie King and Cleansing Waters location in Fayetteville, there was a sign that said land for sale,” Felicia told 95.5 WSB. “We made a phone call to ask about the land, which was at a good price. We checked with our realtor and were encourage that this was a really good investment.”
For three to four years, the couple worked to develop the idea for the shopping center, which was ultimately named Kingdom Corners.
“The Matthew 5:5 [5] Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth,” verse came to mind while we were at the groundbreaking ceremony,” Winchel said to 95.5 WSB. “That is when I started to understand the magnitude of us being chosen to do this project. That is why we named the plaza Kingdom Corners. We are blessed.”
Kingdom Corners is now home to several businesses, including Frida’s Bar and Grill, Southern Fire Kitchen, Salada, Tanzar Nail Bar, Dough Boy Pizza, Smoothie King, and Cleansing Waters Wellness.
During the creation of Kingdom Corners, the couple learned over dinner with the mayor that they had become the first Black developers to own a plaza in Fayetteville—a milestone the Eliberts deeply appreciate and do not take lightly.
“We have been getting phone calls, texts, and folks stopping by—just to say what an inspiration we are in the community. Now it is really hitting us. Making history and what that means. Not just to us, but what it means to our community,” Felicia explained to WSB-TV Atlanta News.