Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Adler.
Samantha, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Creating a vision board when I first moved back to Atlanta and drawing what I was feeling and inspired by fleshed out as a store with fresh foods. Though these were just visions, drawings, and magazine clippings at the time a few years later the store became a reality after meeting with Allen Jones. We also had great mentors to start. Linton & Gina Hopkins were very supportive and with years of experience in restaurants and catering under our belts we opened in 2008.
Opening the day Lehman Brothers collapsed was quite the shock to us and to most consumers. Shortly after we found ourselves fighting for the ability to stay solvent in an economy that was floundering at best.
We had to change the way we operated and what our initial goals were quickly to keep up with what our community was asking for. We found that sandwiches and prepared foods kept people coming back. We expanded into catering and now we have a solid brand to work from.
Mostly our success comes from continuing to build relationships with our guests and providing them quality of our food and products. We’re now known for the unique sandwich choices and deli selections.
In 2016, I bought out my business partner and took over ownership of The Mercantile.
Today, Sabrina Adler and I run the store. She’s been a great resource for us and has really put an emphasis on customer service and driving the quality that we’ve been striving for. I’m proud of what we’ve become and grateful for all the people that have worked for us and with us over the years to get us here.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We opened with so many advisors telling us we had a clear path to selling beer and wine. We found out shortly before we opened that that was untrue.
We spent 8 months in a depressed economy changing city legislation to allow us the opportunity to sell beer and wine. We also set the classification of what a “specialty store” was in Atlanta.
Grateful for the help of our neighborhood coming to bat for us at City Hall that we weren’t another “C store” that would be selling malt liquor tall boys and cigars that would contribute to crime. Many politicians and commercial real estate people came out to show support as well. We couldn’t have done it without the aid and advice of Donna Foland, Max Hess, Mary Norwood, Kwanza Hall and Stacy Abrams.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are prepared foods to go!
We make amazing sandwiches, casseroles and noshes.
Our customer service and knowledge of food makes us unique.
We have a great staff that is kind and not pretentious.
What were you like growing up?
I was an outdoor kid growing up. Lots of imagination and playtime as well as hikes with my parents and spending time being active, I was a bit of a loner but with an extrovert lurking on my shoulder. You’d never know when an impromptu talent show would be held for the neighborhood or if I would invite friend over to bake cookies and eat ice cream. Quirky, funny and sometimes “ahead of my time” have been descriptors by family and friends most of my life. Even in the most dire of times I do my best to find joy and laughter in every situation.
I had a strong interest in and background in food since I can remember, but it wasn’t what I thought I’d be when I grew up. I thought for sure I’d be in New York or LA working as an actor. I trained in light opera and acting. It was a calling but later I found myself drawn to cooking more and more. A girl’s gotta eat…which you don’t do a lot of as an actor. And I loved to cook and eat!
Pricing:
- Sandwiches range from $7 and up
- Affordable wines starting at $10
- Cooking classes begin in 2018
Contact Info:
- Address: 1660 Dekalb Avenue, Suite 150
Atlanta, GA 30307 - Website:www.themercantileatl.com
- Phone:404-378-0096
- Email:samantha@themercantileatl.com
- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/TheMercantileAtl/
Image Credit:
Allison White Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
