Live For Buzz

Once upon a time (that time ended about four years ago), East Atlanta had its own little grocery store - Best Buy Foodstore. Problem is, Best Buy was a pretty crappy store. It would do in a pinch for grabbing some half and half or other missing ingredients, but it just wasn’t in step with the revitalization of the neighborhood.

Then Best Buy went away and was replaced by the East Atlanta Arts & Antiques Bazaar (EAAAB, they call it), which has always been a so-so little rent-a-booth antiques / flea market place. A good place to kill a few minutes on a Village stroll, and on occasion you might find something interesting there. But on the whole, it was hard to see the pressing need EAAAB was filling in East Atlanta Village.

So word has come down now that EAAAB is closing up shop this month. That drew disappointment and concern from the Buzz crowd - stores moving out is rarely a good thing. But it also opened a glimmer of hope that what should have happened four years ago might happen now.

East Atlanta is begging for a small neighborhood grocery store (that doesn’t suck). With the fanaticism Buzzers show toward Trader Joe’s (there is finally one in Atlanta, and a lot of people are willing to drive to Midtown to do their shopping with TJs) and good food & drink in general, I think a quality little grocery would do just fine here in EAV.

We live in a neighborhood where we can walk our dogs to the vet and shop at a neighborhood hardware store. We’re a great market for a great market (as it were). In fact, though the EAAAB space is a bit small for a Trader Joe’s (8,520 square feet compared to about 10,000 to 12,000 square feet in a typical TJs), I think the company would be wise to at least check into the possibility.

We’re waiting.

On EAV Buzz: East Atlanta Antiques