When we were first introduced to Peter Thomas on “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” we were also introduced to his financial troubles. He was on the brink of losing his lounge, Uptown, but Peter argues that this had nothing to do with his skills as a businessman.
“When Cynthia and I joined the show, viewers all watched me lose Uptown. People acted like I lost it because I am somehow a bad businessman,” he explained during a recent interview with Uptown mag. “Uptown (Lounge) closed due to the recession. I wasn’t immune from that shit. No one was. Banks closed. Department stores went under. Real institutions, like General Motors, were about to shut their doors. But remember, they got bailout money. Who bailed the black businessman out? Nobody. Bailout money went to white CEOs.”
Despite that setback, Peter didn’t give up on his dream of providing his community with an “upscale place to have a drink, to socialize and to have intelligent conversation centered around quality lifestyle entertainment.” He recently opened a new venue in Atlanta, barOne. But unfortunately, this business venture came with its share of trouble as well. On the day of the interview, Peter was supposed to have a meeting about purchasing the building that houses the popular nightlife spot, but the building owners never showed up.
“See, this is that bullsh*t. They’re not coming,” he said. “They don’t want me to have this building. They want to play games. In the end though, barOne will survive whether it’s in this space or another.”
The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star’s commitment to being his own boss extends beyond owning nightlife venues. He’s also in the process of producing his own line of Jamaican gourmet coffee.
via Uptown.com
“Coffee is the number two commodity is the world behind oil and there are not many people of color in the business who are roasting their own beans and packaging their own coffee products,” Peter said. “It’s a lucrative business and one that can make a lot of money. We’ve done a very small soft launch online and sales of the Jamaican Rum flavored coffee have been steady. A much larger launch is coming and people are going to be quite impressed with the brand.”
While it seems like he’s doing the absolute most as far as business is concerned, Peter says he’s determined not to be broke once his reality TV ride comes to an end.
“Ninety-nine percent of the people who have been on a reality show have absolutely nothing once the show is over or their no longer on it,” he adds. “Peter Thomas and Cynthia Bailey are doing exactly what we were doing before this reality show and will be doing the same thing after, only bigger because we have bigger numbers and bigger ambitions.”
But it doesn’t look like Peter’s reign as Atlanta’s beloved reality TV husband will be coming to a close anytime soon. As previously reported, he’s pushing for a spin-off that will center around barOne and his new venture with former RHoA hubby Kordell Stewart, SportsOne.
“This last season of the show, the husbands were very vocal and very visible, and there is no doubt we helped to contribute to the enormous success of this season ok? We were as important to the show as our wives this season,” he continued. “If people want to call me a b*tch for creating this opportunity and giving America the chance to see four black men talking about our marriages, how to make them work and supporting each other through our own sh*t, then they really don’t get the big picture.”
Catch Peter’s full interview over at Uptown.
Follow Jazmine on Twitter @JazmineDenise
Source: IG
