Kingdom Corners | First Black-Owned Shopping Plaza · Fayetteville, GA

Fayetteville’s First Black-Owned Shopping Plaza, Built on Faith, Family, and Forty Rejections

In 2020, Winchel and Felicia Elibert were running their Smoothie King franchise and Cleansing Waters Med Spa locations in Fayetteville, Georgia, when they noticed a sign across the street: Land for Sale. They made a phone call. Their realtor told them it was a good investment. And something in both of them knew this was bigger than a real estate transaction.

Four years later, they cut the ribbon on Kingdom Corners — Fayetteville’s first Black-owned shopping plaza. The mayor of the city was there to tell them, over dinner, that they had made history.

The journey between that sign and that ribbon was not easy. Winchel and Felicia bought the four-acre property just before the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Construction costs soared. Banks said no — repeatedly. The Eliberts believe lending discrimination played a direct role in the financing obstacles they faced. “Even with just financing, dealing with developers and contractors, prices changed… banks said ‘no,’ banks said ‘no’ and banks continued to say ‘no,’” Felicia recalled. They pressed forward anyway, learning as they went, financing what they could, and building what would eventually become one of the most significant milestones in Fayetteville’s Black business history.

Winchel Elibert, the son of Haitian immigrants, had already built a track record as an entrepreneur — multiple barbershops, franchise ownership, community roots. Felicia, a registered nurse from LaGrange, Georgia, had founded several Cleansing Waters Wellness Center locations focused on holistic health. Between them, they had the experience, the community credibility, and the conviction to see the project through. The name they chose reflects where both of them anchor their faith: Kingdom Corners, inspired by Matthew 5:5 — “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Today, Kingdom Corners is a thriving, fully leased commercial hub on New Hope Road in Fayetteville — home to Cleansing Waters Med Spa, Frida’s Mexican Grill and Bar, Tanzer Nail Bar, Smoothie King, Salata Salad Kitchen, Southern Fire Kitchen, and Doughboy Pizza. Every space leased within three months of opening. The community responded exactly the way the Eliberts believed it would.

Only 3% of Black households own commercial real estate in the United States, compared to 8% of white households. The Eliberts walked into that gap, built through it, and came out the other side with something that will outlast them. “You’re not really thinking about what this could mean to your community,” Felicia said, “but that’s what happened — and now it’s really important for us to understand that and grasp onto that and know that we are on a platform where we’re able to uplift and inspire.”

Kingdom Corners is not just a shopping plaza. It is proof.

📍 New Hope Road, Fayetteville, GA