Briefs

Kanga (getkanga.com), an on-demand crowdsourced delivery platform, has launched in Atlanta and is hiring drivers. The app-based service connects individuals, drivers and retailers for local shipping needs. Users place an order with a retailer and then a network of approved drivers bid to make the delivery. Kanga will be available on all iOS and Android devices. Routing status and shipment tracking will also available via web interface. Following launch, the company plans to expand throughout the Southeast during 2014, based on consumer demand. Kanga’s headquarters is on West Peachtree Street in Midtown. The startup, jointly led by entrepreneurs Scott Miller of Payleap and Everett Steele of Baby Robot Industries, received $1 million in funding. If you’d like to be a driver for Kanga, apply online at getkanga.com/jobs.

Raw Denim (rawdenimatlanta.com) has closed its physical location in the 12th & Midtown development and become an online only store after a brazen armed robbery last month. Thieves held up the store and took an estimated $10,000 worth of clothing and cash. This was the second robbery for the boutique, which was also the victim of a smash and grab when it was located in Buckhead last year. Owner Emily Lipman, who was featured on Bravo’s reality show e New Atlanta, said “I have made a very tough but I think best decision I can make. We are unfortunately closing our store front business in Midtown, but we will continue to carry our fabulous styles on our online boutique.”

The Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) has announced that Brian P. McGowan will join the organization’s leadership team as executive vice president and chief operating officer. McGowan most recently served as President and CEO of Invest Atlanta, where he led economic development and job growth initiatives for the City of Atlanta. McGowan will focus on strategic transformation and building new regional economic development initiatives collaborating across all Chamber functions. Additionally, he will oversee the administration of human resources, IT, finance and building operations.

The Atlanta Streetcar has announced that 17 businesses that will open pop-up shops along the route this summer. Although the opening date for the 2.7-mile loop has been delayed, all the pop-ups shops are expected to be open by June 7. Some of the shops will include vintage home furnishings from City Issue, music and comics from Criminal Records, pop-up experts The Indie Craft Experience, Just Add Honey Tea Company, jewelry and gifts from Modern Tribe and interior decorating from Nandina Designs

Downtown Atlanta’s first skyscraper, the historic Flatiron Building, could be redeveloped into an incubator to foster entrepreneurship in the city’s core. According to a report in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Arun Nijhawan managing principal with Lucror Resources, plans to buy and renovate the 40,000 square foot building into a “collaborative place” for Atlanta’s “makers, thinkers, and doers,” according to a document filed with Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development arm.

The new owners of Downtown’s landmark Olympia Building are in the process of finalizing redevelopment plans for the two-story structure. Based on new renderings, the building located at the intersection of Peachtree, Decatur and Edgewood will keep its historic look and a Walgreens pharmacy will open on the ground floor.

Jewelry store Cerese D. (ceresed. com) has opened in The Lumberyard complex at 1425 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd., Suite 40. Owned by Cerese Dolman and her mother, Deborah, the store sells handcrafted jewelry – necklaces, earrings, bracelets and statement jewelry – made in its onsite studio. Also inside the store is Sassafrass, a women’s boutique with clothing, hats, bags and other accessories.

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

Spring is here and so are a slate of festivals happening around Intown this month. From arts and crafts to food and beer, there is something for everyone’s taste. After a long winter, heading out to one of the weekend events is sure to put the spring in your step.