Kennesaw strives for locally owned businesses and the community plays a significant role in helping businesses flourish. Although kids typically enjoy heading to the mall or Starbucks, shops around Kennesaw allow people to branch out and experience a different type of experience. Although the majority of cities construct their own hidden gems over the years, Kennesaw works tirelessly to ensure people continue to visit their favorite spots to eat, shop and develop memories.
Teenagers love finding spots to spend time with friends after school, opting for a less crowded place to head to on the weekends or a simple study session, instead of heading all the way north to Atlanta. Kennesaw chooses to build its amenities where people can enjoy themselves while supporting the local businesses.
Grabbing a quick coffee with friends and catching up allows for kids and even parents to come by for fun activities and spend time with loved ones. A cozy homegrown coffee shop run by Bob and Susan Milani called the Lazy Labrador brightens the community with a creative menu and custom drinks such as their St. Valentine’s menu for the upcoming holiday. The environment of the Lazy Labrador coffee shop strives to bring comfort and an embracing environment.
Local families enjoy the lovely dining place, The Melting Pot. Although the franchise did not start in Kennesaw, the well-known restaurant caters to celebrating the community. The Melting Pot’s delicious menu features a four-course meal, along with a unique dessert menu and their special fondue. They have brought families together for dinner for over twenty years, and aim to bring laughter and a full stomach to all their guests. Enjoying their specials such as the flaming turtle and their signature charcuterie boards. The Kennesaw community takes pride in its excellent food and creative style menu, along with its award-winning fondue.
Over the long weekends, planning a local and productive activity with friends or family can become difficult. The shopping market in Kennesaw consistently improves and homegrown shops continue to open along with current shops flourishing in the community. Shops like Blue Frog Imports allow the community to continue an open-minded opinion on new shops and spark interest in something new. They typically show off and sell hand-made tin sculptures along with investment and “hippy” style clothing. Created by Dave and Deirda Smith, their creative store borders downtown Woodstock, and draws in the Kennesaw community.
“I originally found Blue Frog by walking around the shops near Kennesaw. I really loved the atmosphere, the prices and the friendly staff. Blue Frog has probably been my go-to shop since I discovered them. Their handmade pieces are always super cool,” sophomore Leigh Pollack said.
The Turquoise Otter located near Kennesaw First Baptist Church sells cozy home decor items and country-style clothing. The eccentric location also strives to cater to each customer with a friendly and welcoming attitude. The homey store opened in 2014 with hopes of building a loving community through the store. The Turquoise Otter collects art by acting as a local art exhibit along with their extensive jewelry collection.
Kennesaw thrives on stress-relieving activities to plan for the day such as axe throwing or a rage room. The recent increase in teenagers wanting to head to a rage room provided the need for businesses that supply creative activities as such. The Outrage Rage Room provides a series of rooms that people can rent. They provide items such as glass and retired televisions for destruction. Outrage also caters to ax throwing, a section of their business specifically designated for an exciting ax-throwing competition.
Planning a trip to the local escape room Mindscape can turn into an eventful day with a group of friends. Mindscape offers a variety of different escape rooms to choose from such as the patient and the cabin of Mr. Smith. Each room generates a surreal storyline and leaves customers with 60 minutes to find a way to escape.
“I did an escape room with them for my birthday and it was super cool. I thought it would be a lot easier but it really was a challenge, me and my friends got out of the room at the very last second. The staff was super nice and gave us a few hints to help out, we also used some of their props for a photo after,” sophomore Thomas Albritten said
Kennesaw continues to support its community with lovely dinner places and exciting activities for friends and family to enjoy over the weekends. Local business owners feel positive and welcoming to all their customers, especially local families. As the community grows, businesses further their creativity and their menus to support the new customers.
