Meet Willow Goldstein | Executive Director & Entrepreneur

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

Hi Willow, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Self-determination has long been my goal. I have always been passionate about the arts, but I needed to find my niche. Eventually, I realized I was best suited closer to underground culture, to where people’s first artistic endeavors generate. This is the scene I discovered when I moved back to Atlanta in 2016.

My desire to start a business was driven by the urge to be my own boss. I had seen many small businesses and arts organizations run poorly, and I thought possibly I could do better. Maybe if I took on the burden of administrative work, artists could have more opportunities to create. I feel the weight of building a space for artists with my new project, The Supermarket.

Two Tree Studios, LLC, the business I started in 2017, was known to most people as a DIY (do-it-yourself) space called The Bakery. When people asked me what exactly “The Bakery” was, I was often at a loss for words. After all, a DIY space is essentially multiple businesses all rolled into one. Our main income streams were space and studio rentals, as well as donations and concession sales. Our team grew from two people to many. In 2023, The Bakery officially incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Both The Bakery and The Supermarket are big ventures and, when they succeed, it will be the best outcome: a for-profit space that fuels nonprofit services and employs artists. That is my biggest dream, and I hope that Atlanta will step up to help make it all a reality.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My small business, Two Tree Studios, runs “The Supermarket” and previously operated “The Bakery,” which started as a brand before evolving into its own nonprofit, The Bakery Atlanta, in 2023. With The Supermarket, I’m most excited about the opportunities that our new, in-town location offers, including a walkable, kid-friendly neighborhood, an expanded local audience from Decatur to Midtown, from Grant Park to Morningside. The space is funky and well over 100 years old, and I’m thrilled to have such an incredible canvas to create a new kind of experience for Atlantans.

My mom told me that if I wanted to study art, I had to study business, too. So here I am – a right-brained neurodivergent artist running a small business and a nonprofit. The path that led me here is too long for this article, but it’s thanks to many people and a supportive community. This new space has been the biggest undertaking of my entrepreneurial career thus far, and I’m sure I’ll be thanking even more people in the coming years for helping bring this one to life.

At the end of the day, “The Bakery” or “The Supermarket” are all just ideas – make-believe worlds where people can be themselves without judgement, where creativity reigns, and where everyone feels safe. People often ask me, “How do you do it?” While there are countless answers to that question, the simple response is: I just dream it up. My journey has been one of scrappy means and supportive family, big ideas with inventive execution. It’s my way to try everything. At the end of the day, it is those with a shared vision that make the magic happen.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Now that I work in one of the best parts of Atlanta, I have all the spots right at my doorstep. We’d start with oven-fresh pastries at Colette’s Bread and Bakeshop, Little Tart Bakeshop, or Tiendita. Since Atlanta’s too hot to spend much time outside, I’d opt for a classic museum and thrift combination. I’d recommend Echo Contemporary on the west side, along with the Salvation Army nearby. We’d check out Cat Eye Creative and catch up with some friends down at Underground Atlanta. Personally, I find shopping exhausting so we’d stop by Jeni’s or Big Softee for an ice cream pick-me-up.

For dinner, we could head to Little Bear, Talat Market, or a long-time favorite, La Fonda on Ponce, followed by sunset views at the Clermont Rooftop Hotel or a movie at The Plaza. For more adventure, we might walk Dolls Head Trail or drive up to Tokyo Kuma on Buford Highway.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The list of people who helped form The Bakery is endless. From my real and chosen family to a team of strangers who gathered and became friends in Southwest Atlanta, the process has been anything but formulaic. The Bakery is an amalgamation of everything I’ve ever been curious about, from curation to running a small business. It follows my passion for live music, art, and activism, as well as my desire to provide alternative education across a range of topics. This journey has allowed me to meet so many gifted individuals who have shaped Bakery from the ground up. All of these connections have created an collaborative platform that uplifts the community.

Shoutout to Austin Peete, who recommended me for this article, and to the countless other individuals who have helped in so many ways along the way. Their creative contributions – whether through visual media, performance or advice – have given me purpose. What makes it all worthwhile is the people who say that The Bakery makes them feel at home, feel seen, and feel safer.

Website: www.thesupermarketatl.com // www.thebakeryatlanta.com

Instagram: @kittybunny

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willowhgoldstein/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_oOix8w3qv8pLyYEw3Gp_w

Image Credits
Willow H Goldstein
Lev Omelchenko
Blake Pipes