Today we’d like to introduce you to Alphonzo Cross.
Hi Alphonzo, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In 2011, my sister and I moved to Atlanta to open a healthy corner store called The Boxcar Grocer. We thought we could change the conversation and the landscape concerning food deserts in cities like Atlanta… and we did, but with little funding, we ended up closing the doors in 2015. For the following 2 years, I worked on putting my new company, Quintessential, together and focused my efforts on us concepting, branding, and executing boutique hospitality, retail, & wellness business units in emerging markets. Our first brand, Parlor [Cocktail Den], was brought to life in the winter of 2018, and we are proud to say that after 3 years we are still in business.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Getting Quintessential, and then Parlor, up and running has not been easy in the least. It’s a tricky thing trying to look into the future to anticipate what the market will want and be responsive to. Also, putting together the right team to get you there is full of its own challenges, while raising capital is always a heavy lift for African-Americans.
We’ve been impressed with Quintessential, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Quintessential is a brand development company that focuses on concepting, branding, & executing integrated hospitality, retail, and wellness business units in emerging markets. We classify emerging markets as cities that are newly urbanizing (i.e. Atlanta, Nashville, San Antonio, Birmingham, Charlotte, etc.) with low residential density & an eye on the future. Our long-term goal is to be an ecosystem development company that cities would call upon to fill vacant or developing commercial real estate spaces. By executing integrated brands, we are able to leverage human capital, financial capital, and strategic marketing efforts to ensure the operational and financial solvency of said brands. In simple terms, we can come up with viable brands, bring them to market and then scale the operations for larger citywide development.
Our first brand to market is Parlor, which is an 800 sq ft cocktail den situated in a small community in downtown Atlanta called Castlebery Hill.
Parlor specializes in craft cocktails and was the first to bring craft cocktail culture to the forefront for middle class – upwardly mobile African-Americans here in Atlanta. We are MORE THAN proud of what we have accomplished with this brand and in 3 years we have gone from generating $175K in gross revenue over the course of a year to $400K+ in 2021.
We work hard every day to make sure that our brands speak directly to the people and are engaging and of high quality.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something people may not know about Quintessential is that we plan to have our brands in 1000’s of locations across the US.
Contact Info:
- Email: a.cross@quintlife.com
- Website: www.parlorden.com
- Instagram: parlorden
- Facebook: parlorden
