Asylee-owned Business Spotlight: The Legend of Design

In 2021, Fady Bishay started his business, The Legend of Design LLC, a mall kiosk retailer of Crocs shoe charms (jibbitz) with multiple locations in Georgia and Texas.

Photo: Courtesy of Fady Bishay

Fady Bishay, originally from Egypt, arrived to the U.S. in 2013 as a teenager seeking asylum. In search of safety and an opportunity to provide for himself and his loved ones, he knew he would have to work hard to forge his own version of the American dream. Since Fady was old enough to work, he has hustled from gig to gig, building up his resume with the needed skills and resourcefulness to make it as a businessman. Before long, he became a professional entrepreneur and in 2021 started his business, The Legend of Design LLC, a mall kiosk retailer of Crocs shoe charms (jibbitz) with multiple locations in Georgia and Texas.

Fady successfully expanded from one mall kiosk in Georgia to three more locations in Texas in under two years.

Photo: Courtesy of Fady Bishay

Fady wasted no time in growing his business once he got his feet off the ground—he successfully expanded from one mall kiosk in Georgia to three more locations in Texas in under two years. However, he faced challenges maintaining his Georgia location and was forced to shut down operation in his state of residence. 

Though proud of his expanded territory, only getting by with his Texas kiosks proved difficult for Fady, especially as he managed them from hundreds of miles away. He wanted to regain traction in Georgia but was struggling to find malls with available kiosks that he could lease. That’s why in 2023, Fady came to the IRC’s Microenterprise Development (MED) program, and our team worked with Fady to research malls in the greater Atlanta area that had kiosk leasing availability. “We identified many options for Fady to pursue,” shared, Francisco Pirela, a Business Counselor at the IRC in Atlanta. “After some time and hard work, Fady successfully secured leases at two different malls in the Atlanta area. This was just the boost he needed to get going again locally.” 

Fady hopes to continue to expand and open more kiosks at malls across the state.

Photo: Courtesy of Fady Bishay

Now blossomed from one to five locations, the IRC awarded Fady with a $1,000 microgrant from Wells Fargo to help offset the startup costs for his new kiosks at the Town Center at Cobb and North Point Mall in Alpharetta. Fady is grateful to the IRC for the support he received. “If it wasn’t for the IRC, I would not have been able to open these two locations. Their support directly resulted in new business opportunities for me.” He hopes to continue to expand and open more kiosks at malls across the state. 

Are you a business owner or aspiring entrepreneur in Georgia? To learn more about the IRC in Atlanta's MED program, or to access our MED services, please contact [email protected]. 

To learn more about the work of the IRC in Atlanta and for information on how you can get involved with the IRC as a donor or volunteer, please contact Development Director, Heloise Ahoure, at [email protected] or 678-636-8941.  

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