Pros
The sweet members that are just trying to grow their business
Cons
I want to share my experience transparently for anyone considering working for, with, or franchising with Westside Market. He’s drowning, so you’re buying end is way too high. I not only worked for the company but also maintained a jewelry shelf as a vendor which I’ve seen very little if any ROI. I’ve built up my entire business through digital marketing and continue to do well online versus my product collecting dust in a location that looks like it’s in a rundown shopping center With homeless people outside.
Unfortunately, my experience revealed deep issues within the organization’s leadership if you can call it that. Abe, the owner, consistently demonstrated poor communication, unprofessional behavior, and a lack of integrity. From the start, there were red flags — including a written job offer that was changed without notice after I had already given my resignation to my previous employer. That moment alone spoke volumes about the company’s reliability. There was no on boarding and Blatant run arounds so that the role wouldn't succeed.
Communication breakdowns are a pattern here, and they severely impact both staff and vendors. The internal culture is driven by favoritism and nepotism, with family members holding special treatment and little accountability. This environment creates instability and frustration for others who are genuinely trying to contribute.
As a vendor, I also saw firsthand how weak marketing is in the unwillingness to approve and implement any kind of budget for the growth of the. The poor leadership affected store performance. Yet the sales team was constantly to blame setting unattainable goals for the people trying to work in store. Foot traffic is low, and there’s no real strategy in place to attract or retain shoppers They can’t even distribute an email campaign. Vendors succeed despite the system, not because of it — most must handle their own social media and promotion to see any growth. The advertised “plug-and-play” model is simply not true and he is worried about collecting his rent, not making you money.
I once dismissed negative Glassdoor reviews as typical online noise. I was wrong. Nearly every concern shared there proved accurate.
This is not written out of anger, but out of responsibility. If you’re considering partnering with or franchising under this business, please proceed with caution. There are far better-run marketplaces in Georgia — such as Queen of Hearts or Painted Tree — that value vendors and customers alike.
This is my honest experience and my hope is simply to help others make informed decisions before investing their time, money, or trust.