ATLANTA — For the thousands of people who live in Atlanta’s historic Vine City, getting to a store to buy fresh food has been a challenge. That is about to change very soon with Walmart set to reopen next week.
For more than a year, the store -- formerly a supercenter serving the neighborhood on the city's west side -- has been closed, after it was the site of arson back in December 2022, the second of two such incidents that year.
Now, a date for reopening has finally been set -- with some updates. The store will be reopened one as a "neighborhood market," which will mean a smaller footprint for the retail store with a focus on fresh produce, grocery and pharmacy services.
Bishop Dexter Johnson once headed up the Vine City Civic Association. He said aside from food access, the business will make a difference in many families’ bottom lines.
“Hopefully when they open back up they will be providing jobs to people here in the community," Johnson explained.
Right now, according to Johnson, people in the community had to travel to the next-closest stores: the Kroger on Cascade Road or the Publix off of Howell Mill Road.
"That’s a long way for people that don’t have cars or other transportation," Johnson explained.
Under the neighborhood market model, the focus will be more on grocery store needs versus Walmart's supercenter model, which offers a "one-stop shopping" experience with a combined grocery store, apparel, toys and home furnishing offerings.
Despite the new layout, Johnson said he’s hoping the community will pitch in to make the new market a success.
“You don’t miss something until its gone, and now that its back online, we can be assured that residents will be keeping a watchful eye," Johnson assured.
Jenny Jobson runs the Midtown Assistance Center. She said the reopening is welcome news for the area.
“A lot of the people living in that community are going to the grocery store on public transportation, so the fact that there will be a source for them to get groceries locally is wonderful," she said.
The 75,000-square-foot market will have its grand opening next Wednesday.