Meet Edie Weintraub

We had the good fortune of connecting with Edie Weintraub and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Edie, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
What my team and I do goes well beyond a plug and play model. We are educators. Honored to work with established brands such as Millers Ale House and City Barbeque, our differentiator is that we offer emerging concepts and developers guidance by becoming members of the team to fine tune the brand story in order to put our best foot forward for our presentation to owners or operators. There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing a new brand we’ve advised grow and excel. We are story tellers. Before we even begin searching for sites or creating a merchandise mix, we review and evaluate the brand presentation and identity. For emerging restaurant concepts or entertainment operators, we digest where we’ve been, what successes and failures we’ve had to date to determine a strategy for our path forward. For local and regional real estate owners we work with, we see our website and social media strategy as valuable tools to help us build community around the property and set the tone for how we merchandise and lease the property. We connect with the community to ensure we’re bringing in brands and uses on site that they want to see. We are team builders. Beyond telling our story and creating an expansion strategy, we have successfully introduced our partners to other professionals to aid in their growth. A restaurant brand recently was considering growth and unsure if they were going to pursue new locations via franchising or corporate growth. Not only did we connect them with professionals in franchise sales to understand that process, we also connected them with potential financial partners, ones that could contribute an infusion of capital to aid in hiring the right team members in the support of corporate growth. We are cheerleaders. Our relationship continues beyond Lease execution or closing. We check in during the permit process to ensure the paperwork is moving smoothly. We ensure the build out of the space or construction is consistent with the timeline we had presented. We celebrate the opening with the operator and owner by helping to market the news on our social platforms. We check in with the owner and operators at anniversaries. Their success is our success and we want our partners to know we support them through opening, and for years beyond.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My real estate career began in residential and while I excelled and enjoyed working with multiple investors, I quickly realized commercial real estate was the path for me. Commercial real estate is very difficult to break into and I am thankful for my relationship with a well respected woman who paved the way before me. Through her support, I secured a position in retail tenant representation. I’ll admit, it took a solid 3 years to understand the business, the flow and evolution of the markets and the pulse of retail real estate. In the first year with 14,000 miles on my car, I pre-drove markets that I would present to a client to ensure there was nothing along the way before our tour that I missed in my market research. Since 2005, I have continued to refine my presentation of sites and brands to present both in a story form, one that captivates the partner and proves to them I know WHO they are and that I have earned the privilege of representing them grow and expand. Educating others is what I am most proud of. Whether that is advising a developer on who to market to or advising a growing restaurant brand to identify where we should position our next location, the goal is for us to position our partners in where they can shine.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love playing tour guide and there is so much to see! If I have to 24 hours in showcase Atlanta: I would spend the morning at Ponce City Market, an adaptive reuse of a former Sears catalog center that was transformed by Jamestown to a live/work/play site along the eastside Beltline. Lunch would be at Sweet Auburn Curb Market for a variety of local flavors, but I always find myself gravitating to Liz Fernandez’ Arepa Mia.  A short walk from Sweet Auburn Curb Market is the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic site includes a visitors’ center depicting the story of Dr. King and the civil rights movement; the restored King birth home; Ebenezer Baptist Church, where three generations of the King family preached; and Dr. King’s burial site.  For dinner one doesn’t have to travel far.  In the 1^st neighborhood in Atlanta, Inman Park, you can feel like an Italian by dining at Riccardo Ullio’s longstanding local love, Fritti. If one can afford me another day, we would start the morning with a hike up (or trolley) Stone Mountain where on a clear day, you can see all of the city.  Lunch would be in Downtown Decatur to experience Deer and the Dove with Chefs Terry Koval and Matt Crutchfield. After lunch I would explore the shops and always make room for Butter & Cream’s ice cream shop on Church Street.  In the afternoon, we would park or uber to Ponce City Market to see an adaptive reuse of a former Sears catalog center that was transformed by Jamestown to a live/work/play site along the eastside Beltline and walk south to see the skate park who’s first skater was Tony Hawk.  After working up an appetite, we would cross Irwin Street and eat dinner Roti + dumplings @ Hawkers Asian Street food with a cocktail from their neighbor, The James Room. On the 2^nd day,  treat yourself to a southern breakfast @ Highland Bakery and then a leisurely stroll along the Beltline through Piedmont Park.  Past the water fountains to enjoy a neopolitan pizza at Varuni Napoli @ Monroe and Piedmont.  The afternoon would be spent in Midtown with a stroll through the High Museum.  Another adaptive reuse in the city is at Westside Provisions, a converted former slaughterhouse that was recreated into shops and restaurants.  Aziza in West Midtown is the stop to make for dinner, complete with late night drinks if you can get in….to a Little Trouble.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Emily Kozarek has been my business partner since May 2019. Her continued support and encouragement has been priceless. We speak multiple times a day about the deals and partners we share and her energy is always positive She responds with “Yes, and,” a trait that signals someone with a strong work ethic and drive to excel. She is detailed, organized and has a thirst for seeing the success of our partners in their growth throughout the Southeast. Emily is a delight to be with. She revels in learning from cultures throughout the world in her travels and brings these successes back to be reflected in her work.

Website: www.edieeverywhere.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edie.everywhere/
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/edieeverywhere
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIp6nYze6fiN1vW97qpROLw?view_as=subscriber