Atlanta, GA
Guilty Party’s selvedge denim is built for stylish utility
Photograph by Steve West
In an era of fast fashion, Guilty Party moves slow. Champ Hammett and Heath Ladnier launched the Grant Park boutique in 2023 based on a shared belief that clothes should get better with time. That guiding principle underscores every aspect of the store’s inventory, especially its cornerstone good: selvedge denim, the heavyweight jean fabric largely produced in Japan and long revered in denim cult circles.
Woven on vintage shuttle looms to create a dense weave and a clean “selv-edge,” or self-finished edge, which resists fraying, selvedge denim captures the ethos of Guilty Party. Here, you’ll find a rugged but refined selection of apparel inspired by traditional workwear, in a chummy, come-as-you-are atmosphere that reflects the punk rock world where Hammett and Ladnier came of age.
Guilty Party reads as menswear at first glance—and, yes, most customers are men—but the boutique welcomes all fashion-minded comers. “It really doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman; we don’t call ourselves a menswear store,” Ladnier says. “Our store is for anybody. But it’s not for everybody.” Whisk yourself inside while en route to nearby Ria’s Bluebird or Little Tart Bakeshop, and you’ll be welcomed with open arms. Learn a litany about premium fabrics and apparel construction, then leave feeling like one of the initiated.
Hammett, a Georgia native, discovered selvedge while touring the United States with hardcore punk band Foundation in the early aughts, then sought every specialty shop he could find. (The name Guilty Party nods to a 2017 song by The National, and to Hammett’s guilt over dragging bandmates—and, later, his wife—to denim shops from city to city.) He met Ladnier, a fellow punk rocker hailing from Mississippi, through their real-estate careers, and the two eventually turned a mutual obsession into the selvedge-centric shop they felt Atlanta was missing.
The store carries several popular Japanese selvedge brands, including Iron Heart, which draws denim heads from around the region; Guilty Party is the only brick-and-mortar shop selling them in a roughly nine-hour radius. Selvedge jeans, manufactured with methods the mainstream industry abandoned decades ago, soften with wear, developing creases and fades unique to each owner. “The more you live your life in them, the better they get, and the more they look like you,” Hammett says. The store’s fitting process is individualized, and hemming is completed in-house using a chain-stitch machine, an old-school tool—and the only one of its kind in Georgia—that preserves a puckered texture and leads to uneven fading, both signature characteristics of well-altered denim.
Beyond jeans, the selection leans classic utility: twill pants in earth tones, railroad-stripe chore coats, organic-cotton flannels, and knits from Germany and Peru. Guilty Party is also the spot for hard-to-find footwear, such as Red Wing and Alden, the Massachusetts shoemaker that made the boots Harrison Ford was famously shod in for Indiana Jones. The goods on offer, Ladnier says, are built for everyday use, even if the day gets rugged.
“We tell people not to baby these clothes,” he says. “You can wear these pieces out to eat on Saturday night, but you can also go fix a carburetor.”
This article appears in our January 2026 issue.
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Atlanta, GA
2 arrested in deadly drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Atlanta girl, police say
Two suspects in a shooting that left a 7-year-old Atlanta girl dead and her mother injured are now in custody nearly a week after the violence, police say.
The shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. on Feb. 24 at a home on the 2200 block of Tiger Flowers Drive NW.
Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute between one of the victim’s family members and the gunman over the phone. Thirty minutes after the argument, the suspect came back and fired shots into the home, police said.
Officers responding to the scene found a 44-year-old woman and her daughter, identified as 7-year-old Zoe Price, shot. Medics rushed the pair to a local hospital, but Price died from her injuries.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department’s homicide unit secured an arrest warrant for 19-year-old Preston Smith two days after the shooting. Smith turned himself in to the Fulton County Jail on March 2.
Schierbaum said officers executed a search warrant on Feb. 27 at a home on McDaniel Street. On that day, 17-year-old Steven Richardson, who police described as an “accomplice,” turned himself in to authorities.
Both men are charged with murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, three counts of aggravated assault, second-degree criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and four counts of third-degree cruelty to children. Richardson is also charged with possession of a Firearm by a Person Under 18.
At a press conference to announce the arrests, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens described Price as a bright and compassionate little girl who was “full of energy and full of joy.”
“Her life was cut short in an act of senseless violence, and that loss is not abstract. It is a chair that is going to be missing at the dinner table each night. It is an empty classroom seat next to her friends,” Dickens said.
The mayor called the arrests “a step forward towards justice” for Price’s family and families across the city.
Dickens said that violence, like the act that took Price’s life, would not be tolerated in Atlanta.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Braves News: Top 30 Prospects, Starting Pitching Depth, More
On Monday, the Braves were able to earn another Spring Training victory over the Detroit Tigers. It was a game where the starting pitching depth of the Braves was on full display, as Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, and Owen Murphy all threw multiple innings. While it is likely unwise to expect big things from any of these three arms this season, they are a part of the “next man up” group for the Braves if injury again impacts the rotation. Each had a solid effort today, a trend that will hopefully continue.
Atlanta, GA
Luke Kornet calls on Atlanta Hawks to cancel ‘Magic City Monday’ promo
2026 NBA All-Star Game marks major positive step forward
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game takes a major positive step forward with real competition led by Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards and rising stars.
An NBA player from an opposing team has called on the Atlanta Hawks to cancel their upcoming game promotion that revolves around celebrating a well-known local gentleman’s club.
San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet asked the Hawks to reconsider their “Magic City Monday” plans for a March 16 game against the Orlando Magic in a letter posted to Medium on Monday, March 2. Atlanta’s ownership group and front office recently touted the one-night collaboration as an ode to an “iconic cultural institution,” citing Magic City’s role and impact in Atlanta’s Black communities and hip-hop culture in the announcement.
But Kornet wrote that “the Hawks failed to acknowledge that this place is, as the business itself boasts, ‘Atlanta’s premier strip club.’ “
“The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world,” Kornet continued. “We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.
“Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”
Magic City Kitchen is also slated to serve two versions of its “world famous” lemon pepper wings – Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ – at the March 16 game. The flavor is named after three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year-winner, Lou Williams. Rapper T.I. is scheduled to perform at halftime and limited edition Magic City merchandise will be available to purchase at the game.
Magic City celebrated 40 years with a five-part STARZ docuseries, ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy,’ that was produced by Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz and Atlanta native Jermaine Dupri. Magic City founder Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney and T.I. are scheduled to record a live podcast from inside Atlanta’s State Farm Arena before the game.
Kornet, 30, hopes the Hawks and NBA officials listen to him instead.
“I’d like to encourage the league, its owners, employees and fans to hold the Atlanta Hawks to a higher standard of what they find worthy of promoting,” Kornet wrote. “I and others throughout the league were surprised by and object to the Hawks’ decision. We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision.”
Luke Kornet stats
Kornet is averaging a career-best 7.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in his first season with the Spurs. This is the sixth team he’s played for in his nine NBA seasons, with his previous four years spent on the Boston Celtics.
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