The Southern Shmooze helps Atlanta homeowners find trusted contractors through their neighbors

A grassroots effort to connect Atlanta homeowners with reliable service providers is growing. The Southern Shmooze is a community-led online platform where people can get recommendations on contractors, repair companies, and more directly from their neighbors.

Since launching in 2020, its community has grown to more than 17,000 members.

For one woman, its impact goes further.

Natalie Rogovin learned about The Southern Shmooze as a client first, and then she says it changed her life.

Rogovin's home is full of work done by Shmooze-recommended businesses, from custom bookshelves and fence repair to power washing and staining. She's also used The Southern Shmooze to find a pest control prevention business, and one to deliver firewood.

The connections she made while having work done in her home gave her confidence to make a change, pivoting her career from years in education to interior design.

"I felt that because of the Shmooze, I could do it." Rogovin said, adding, "Because I knew if I had a client who needed 'fill in the blank,' I was going to be able to deliver a really, really solid person to take care of what needed to get taken care of." 

Community is the cornerstone of making The Southern Shmooze work.

It's something founder Grant Wallace built in to build trust.

"We're all in this to help out neighbors at the end of the day," Wallace said. 

While he recommends homeowners still do their own research into businesses, he hopes this group makes it easier for people to find options.

Wallace says, "You can always ask questions like 'what do you all think about so and so' and 'who do you like working with?'"

Before finding the group, Rogovin says her research on home maintenance companies had mixed results, with some working out better than others.

Now she has a process and a community, giving her confidence in her own home and in herself.

"It's not just about making money; it's not just about making it look nice or being right," Rogovin said. "It's about connecting a person to a place, and that I think is the work that is the most important that The Shmooze does the absolute best."

The Southern Shmooze is free for clients and businesses to use. In addition to asking neighbors for recommendations, you can also search its online directory or use its website's 'Find My Pro' feature.