September 2nd 2023.
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LaRayia Gaston is passionate about her mission with her popular Atlanta-based vegan bodega-- LaRayia's Bodega. Located in the Ponce City Market, a food hall in downtown Atlanta, this micro-market is a combination of a community hangout and wellness one-stop shop, but it is also a space of soul. It is the first plant-based, grab & go market designed to address food access and justice issues, and the first vegan, organic 99-cent store.
Gaston, a former fashion designer and documentary filmmaker, is the only Afro-Latina woman to own a vegan bodega in the city. In an interview with ESSENCE, she talked about her unexpected journey to this venture. "I honestly didn't ever see myself doing something like this," she said. "I never thought I would have pivoted in this way, but honestly, it all played an integral part in everything that we do because I always liked to give food away. I became vegan at 19 before it was a buzzword. I'm 35 now, so I went plant-based because it really did help with my health, especially growing up, not having access to healthy food and things like that in the neighborhood I was in as a kid."
LaRayia's Bodega has become a hub for the city's arts community, receiving 150 to 300 customers daily. What has set it apart from other plant-based eateries is Gaston's heart. She is a relentless advocate for her people and loves the way people make a seat anywhere and stay for hours. She sees success as a business owner as secondary to honoring her life's purpose. "If it's only about money, God leaves the room," Gaston said.
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