Atlanta businesswoman bets on Greenbriar Mall dream while helping fire victim rebuild

An Atlanta woman is turning a lifelong dream of owning a business into reality thanks to a new program at an embattled local mall.

Karen Patten recently opened Bourgeois Bohemian Boutique at Greenbriar Mall in April. Inside the mall, where many storefronts sit empty, Patten opened her store and turned a 20-year dream into reality.

Patten said she wants to restore hope in herself, in her community, and in a mall many people have written off.

"I wanted to create a space women can come in to experience the clothing, and create a sense of community," she said.

Patten grew up in southwest Atlanta's Ben Hill neighborhood and remembers spending time at Greenbriar Mall as a teenager. Years later, she's now investing in the same mall that helped shape some of her childhood memories.

"When I lived in West End, I had a little store in the front of my house, and my friends would come shop," she said.

Patten officially opened her boutique through a leasing initiative designed to help small businesses move into vacant storefronts while bringing life back to the struggling shopping center.

"What we are trying to do here is repurpose a lot of the vacant spaces," said Monica, the mall's specialty leasing manager. "That means looking for activation and unique concepts. It also means giving businesses that normally would not be able to afford shopping center rents a chance to start and grow their businesses here."

Owning a business inside a struggling mall comes with uncertainty.

"Some days we do well, and some days we make no money," Patten said.

Despite those challenges, Patten said giving back to the community remains one of her top priorities. That commitment recently led her to help Denise Gibson, a Suwanee woman whose home was destroyed after lightning sparked a devastating fire. Patten said she did not have extra money to give, but she knew she could still help.

"I thought, what I would even do if my house just disappeared"? Patten said. "She left the house, and within 10 minutes lightning had destroyed her house."

On social media, Patten learned about Gibson and her husband's work serving others through clothing drives and food distribution. She felt compelled to step in. She donated clothing and allowed Gibson to pick out items from the store herself.

At a mall many see as struggling, Patten said she sees opportunity, not just for herself, but for the community. She said she's already hired two employees.