23Up Motor Club Opens on Zonolite
The upstart car enthusiasts have begun accepting early nominations and requests for membership to the club.
Chana Shapiro is an educator, writer, editor and illustrator whose work has appeared in journals, newspapers and magazines. She is a regular contributor to the AJT.
The Druid Hills neighborhood is known for its historic homes and parks, not ample garage spaces, but in 2021, Joel Fullerton met fellow car enthusiast Paul Faletti at an old warehouse on nearby Zonolite Road. The question on their minds was: Can we turn this 10,000 square-foot space into a club for auto enthusiasts?
Today, the 23Up Motor Club is housed in an old brick building newly painted charcoal grey, with a sleek wooden facade. The inside, however, is a vast open space built to showcase collectors’ cars and serve as a social club – the first and only space of its kind inside Atlanta’s perimeter.
Already open for car storage and detailing, 23Up has begun accepting early nominations and requests for membership – which will begin March 2023. Members will have access to the club lounges, exterior deck, and fire pit. They’ll get together for cruises, meets, and outings. They’ll gather to watch live races and get to practice in a SimCraft simulator on site, complete with a live professional instructor.
The business is a dream come true for Fullerton, whose passion for cars ignited before he could drive one. At 13, he was sweeping the floors at a classic car restoration shop. By his late teens, he was detailing at a Porsche dealership. And by his early twenties, he was modifying custom car parts out of his parents’ driveway—often at it in the middle of the night with a flashlight. Though his professional career led him into aviation, the love of the wheel in his hands never left him.
“When I was younger, even a parking lot could feel like home when I was talking cars with others who loved them. There was community sitting on that curb,” says Fullerton. It’s a community that he looks forward to rekindling here in Atlanta. He describes it as the true purpose of 23Up Motor Club. “This club is about bringing people together over a shared passion, over the love of the ride, and in lifting others along the way.”
Fullerton and his wife, Andra London, live in Druid Hills with their young family. To learn more and take a tour of the space email joel@23up.com.
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