Black Atlanta Change-Makers | News Center

Archel Bernard

Science, Technology, and Culture 2011 – Founder, Bombchel

Archel Bernard opened Bombchel, a store located in Atlanta’s Ponce City Market, in 2020. Her own grandmother had been unable to shop in the segregated building as a university student in Atlanta decades earlier, so it was especially meaningful to Bernard to open her first store in this same location.  

“My grandmother is still alive, so it’s important that everyone knows we must actively be the change we wish to see. My presence at Ponce City Market is a result of gentrification, but also economic opportunity for Black female business owners like myself. Atlanta is growing, and it has to remain inclusive.”  

Bernard earned her B.S. in science, technology, and culture in 2011 but moved to her family home in Monrovia, Liberia, after graduation. She opened a store there named Mango Rags, but an Ebola outbreak forced her to close it.  

Over the next five months, Bernard spent time figuring out her next move and developing Bombchel, an ethical fashion brand offering contemporary West African clothing, accessories, and more, with many items being made by hand by women in Liberia.  

“I’m so grateful to have a career where I can creatively express myself through bold, colorful, unifying fashion, but it’s truly special that I have created economic opportunities for amazing Liberian women, and that every day I get to show the world some of the beauty that can only be found in Africa. Every part of Bombchel is purposeful, intentional, and meaningful,” Bernard says.  

She credits the Georgia Tech community and the people she met during her time on campus for their support along every step of her entrepreneurial journey.  

Bernard plans to continue pushing Bombchel to new heights while continuing to bring bold and beautiful fashion to the people of Atlanta.