Bodega

Sep 2, 2023

Via pexels LaRayia Gaston is clear on the real mission behind her popular Atlanta-based vegan bodega. The micro-market named LaRayia’s Bodega  is equal parts community hangout and wellness one-stop shop. But it is 100% soul. Nestled in the Ponce City Market, a food hall in downtown Atlanta, LaRayia’s Bodega is the first plant-based, grab & go market designed to address food access and justice issues. Originally founded in Los Angeles, it is also the first vegan, organic 99-cent store. According to its website, the booming establishment receives 150 to 300 customers daily and has become a hub for the city’s arts community. Building on her dedication to the unhoused in LA’s famed Skid Row neighborhood, Gaston saw a need for healthy food options and nutritional education in the south’s Peach State. In an interview with ESSENCE , the former fashion designer turned documentary filmmaker shed light on her unexpected path to being the only Afro-Latina woman to own a vegan bodega in the city “I honestly didn’t ever see myself doing something like this,” she said. “I never thought I would have pivoted in this way, but honestly, it all played an integral part in everything that we do because I always liked to give food away. I became vegan at 19 before it was a buzzword. I’m 35 now, so I went plant-based because it really did help with my health, especially growing up, not having access to healthy food and things like that in the neighborhood I was in as a kid,” she continued. “It definitely played a part. So when I was able to give out free food, that was my form of tithing.” Perhaps what has set her business apart from other plant-based eateries is her heart. A relentless advocate for her people, Gaston gushes over the love the community has for the space. “People just make a seat anywhere and stay for hours,” she said. “They really come and don’t leave—I love it.” Success as a business owner is not paramount for the busy entrepreneur; honoring what she feels is her life’s purpose is at the forefront. “If it’s only about money, God leaves the room,” Gaston said.