Since opening in early February as one of Underground Atlanta’s newest tenants, retail store Hommewrk has become a community hub for artists, musicians, sneakerheads and those looking to connect with like-minded individuals.
The shop is one of the latest attempts to add much-desired color to Underground, a downtown property that’s had multiple face lifts in the last 20 years.
Deriving from the French fashion term “homme,” Hommewrk’s website states it is “an apparel and design brand that is structured on a learning and informative aspect in our designs.”
During the day, a range of people — from Georgia State University students to celebrities like comedian DC Young Fly — stop by to check out goods and gear inside. At night, visitors might find DJ Sean Falyon spinning records at a party hosted inside the space. There’s also a weekly meetup called “Reflection Sundayz,” where various creative entrepreneurs congregate to share ideas and experiences.
At the center of it all is the store’s owner, the rapper, songwriter and fashion entrepreneur Trinidad James.
Trinidad James was introduced to the world by his 2012 hit single “All Gold Everything,” but fashionable Atlantans already knew the South Atlanta High School alumnus as Nicholas “Nich” Williams from his days as a retail associate and manager at Ginza, a former streetwear boutique inside Underground Atlanta.
The store became a go-to shopping destination for teens and young adults, stocked with clothing selected by James, based on his personal fashion sense. As manager, he ordered brands many other stores did not carry.
He worked at the store all the way up until “All Gold Everything” landed him a recording contract with Def Jam Records. Now, more than a decade later, that same space is home to his own store.
“I got into music with dreams to open up my own store, not to be famous,” says James, who originally eyed the space for a December 2024 pop-up shop to promote the release of his latest collaborations with footwear brand Saucony. Scheduling conflicts pushed him to open the shop during this year’s Black History Month.
James noted that his familiarity with the space remains, pointing to a mural painted while he was employed at Ginza by Atlanta artist Paper Frank, still visible near the entrance.
“But God had a different plan and journey for me.”
While his time at Def Jam was short-lived, James kept his career going, moving to Los Angeles in 2015, and continuing to tour and release music independently through his Gold Gang recording imprint. He also cowrote songs for other artists like Kehlani and City Girls, cohosted a popular sneaker collector show called “Full Size Run” and founded The 567 Agency, where he handled creative direction for recording acts Sexxy Red, Muni Long and Flo Milli.
In 2020, when the COVID pandemic hit, James’ career came to a screeching halt. An unexpected phone call from Saucony got the wheels turning again.
In 2018, James pitched the footwear company an idea for a shoe, but they declined. Two years later, at a time when James said he was depressed and living in Miami, Saucony’s head of collaborations Jason Faustino reached out to gauge James’ interest in collaborating.
Seizing the opportunity to make a new lane for himself, James created the Hommewrk brand to create the eventual shoes. In 2021 he released his first sneaker, a “sorrell red” model of Saucony’s Jazz 81 lifestyle shoe, paying homage to his Trinidadian roots.
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
The shoe was an instant hit, selling out online and at longtime Atlanta sneaker staples Walter’s and Wish. It was followed by two more colorways the following year.
“I used that opportunity to do my first sneaker and to start my brand. Five years later, I have a store where I bring it back to my home base where it all started.”
James is intentionally bringing a hometown feel to the store. The left side of the shop features branded gear from his company and a wall of his own shoes, including two pairs of basketball sneakers inspired by women in basketball: Lucia “Lucy” Harris, the first woman drafted by an NBA team, and her college coach Margaret Wade.
The store’s right side is occupied by local brands. Among them are RGB Freight, a brand widely known for colorful trucker hats worn by local superstars 2 Chainz, Future and Druski. The brand’s founder “RGBTwon” Joyner has been a longtime collaborative partner with James and codesigned the featured Hommewrk clothing in the store.
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
“I’ve always told people, ‘How could there ever be a Black fashion house if nobody’s gonna be the one to create it?” said Joyner. “Those are the conversations that me and Trinidad always have. How do we build the next LVMH and get to that level? I think he’s starting that with not only understanding the community that’s around in the Underground, but also his fan base.”
In addition to shopping, visitors can grab a cup of coffee from beverage and clothing brand Coffee Was Black. They can also get customized manicures from an in-house nail technician. James says there will soon be studio space for music and video recording.
“There’s a lot of creative talent that is voiceless right now, and I’m giving them leverage,” said James, insisting that he’s seeking connections beyond transitions and that no one will be pressured to buy anything.
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
“I’m just bringing back real community vibes, man. The way that it used to be, when Underground had the allure that it had in the ’90s and early 2000s that I was a part of, and got to see and witness with my own two eyes.”
The community appreciates the effort.
“This store is something that’s most definitely needed as the city of Atlanta grows and the gentrification of Atlanta continues,” says Kordale “KO” Toomer, founder of ATATF (Addicted To All Things Fresh), an Atlanta-based sneaker community that boasts nearly 200,000 members and followers online.
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
He said because Atlanta doesn’t have a district like SoHo in New York City or Fairfax in Los Angeles, many brands overlook the city when it comes to product deals and other business initiatives.
KO also suggested the boom and convenience of online sneaker shopping that rose particularly in 2020 has all but killed the thrill of going to a store and connecting with fellow sneakerheads.
“There is a lack of culture-led spaces that are actually owned by cultural leaders. Someone like Trinidad James having a brick-and-mortar space, where people can hang out, cook up, create, do whatever, is key.”
“What Trinidad is attempting to do there is dope, because it’s not the ideal space for foot traffic,” says Malcolm Volitare, founder of Coffee Was Black, which in February sold its apparel and coffee beverages in the space. “You really have to plant a flag and attract people there.”
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Adrienne Archuleta is a student at SCAD’s Atlanta campus, studying illustration with a minor in sneaker design. James granted her an opportunity to work inside the store after she introduced herself at an ATATF event in December. She is now Hommewrk’s in-house nail technician and designed the store’s grand-opening promo materials.
“It’s very community based. I feel very comfortable there,” Archuleta said. “It’s almost like just this family vibe that is reminiscent of the Southern hospitality that people growing up in Atlanta are used to having.”
Hommewrk’s opening comes on the heels of recent good news for the long-struggling Underground Atlanta complex. In September 2024, Invest Atlanta authorized financing for a $40 Million affordable housing apartment tower, hoping to lure more people to live, work and play at Underground when it is projected to finish construction in 2027.
2025 started off with the reintroduction of the famed “Peach Drop” New Year’s Eve celebration headlined by Big Boi. In January, Atlanta nightlife staple MJQ Concourse relocated to the former Dante’s Down the Hatch space, which laid dormant since 2013.
As Underground Atlanta strives to brand itself as an arts and entertainment district, James hopes to fit into that vision for years to come. He plans to keep the store open through 2026 when Atlanta hosts FIFA World Cup games, or however long the retail center will have him. James wants Hommewrk to be a place where visitors, and especially natives, can find a good time.
“Everybody’s gotten into luxury and everything has got so high-fashion that there is just no place for real people from Atlanta,” said James, who also offers customers free slices of homemade banana bread — his grandmother’s recipe — when checking out.
“Atlanta is one of the most welcoming places, but I feel like it has welcomed so many people into it that it is now catering to people that are not from here. I’m just here to bring balance to both sides of it.”
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