Originally from Columbia, South Carolina, Keitra Bates has lived in Atlanta’s Westside for nearly a decade. As an entrepreneur and mother of five children, Bates used to own Westview Pizza Cafe, where she sold pizza and fries made from fresh potatoes. But one day, the building was sold and the […]

Keitra was one of eight fellows selected for the Center for Civic Innovation’s Westside Innovation Lab. Through the Fellowship, Keitra was able to receive business training, mentorship, and early stage capital. Now, six months later, with her building purchased and renovations and repairs underway, Keitra is edging closer to the […]

The westside innovation lab is a program run by the center for civic innovation to identify and support community-driven and community-built ideas and interventions within neighborhoods on the westside of Atlanta, primarily within the zip codes 30314 and 30318. These ventures will be supported with business training, partnerships, mentorship and […]