The Store

Pictured below are different variations on the grocery store; they all resemble in some way or another one of the types described by Liebs.

This picture is of a roadside stand (possibly an early general store, but I am leaning more towards it was designed to look older than it is) I saw while driving down Lavista Road in Tucker. There are signs, not only on the larger road sign, but also all over the building advertising the various products for sale in this quaint little store. David apparently sells everything from potted plants to “p-nuts”. The sign calls it a produce and specialty store, and from all the signs it appears that this is just the case. They sell cakes, produce, hot sauce, and I am willing to bet they also have a small assortment of country-store style gifts. From the looks of it, I would say that this is very much like an early general store, possibly with more food products than anything else.

This picture is of one of my favorite stores, Trader Joes. This particular one is on Monroe across from the Grady High School stadium. I think this one is rather small compared to other Trader Joes, but I have not frequented many of them, so I am not sure if it is really that small. In terms of appearance, this grocery store is rather plain, but I suppose that is part of its appeal; the majority of the customers seem to shop there for the no frills aspect, and the fact that the food is not that expensive. I would consider Trader Joes one of the smaller-scale super markets, although it doesn’t have nearly the same feel as chain stores like Kroger and Publix. The sign for the shopping center hints that Trader Joes is not the most important store in the center (all the signs are the same size, except for the movie theater sign which includes a list of the current features). There are less than 10 aisles in the store and there are small freezer and cooler sections, nothing compared to those found at true supermarkets. (The picture to the right is just a picture of some of the other businesses in the shopping center.)

The last pictures are of a well known staple in the supermarket arena, Kroger. This store is located on Lavista Road as well, but much closer to Northlake Mall and Tucker than the general store. Just from the outside you can tell that there will pretty much be anything you need in this store. They sell produce, cereal, meat, cheese, crackers, books, greeting cards, beer, ice cream, dog food, pastries, and so much more that this list could go on forever. Not only is the list of things in the store long, but the store itself is large enough to hold not just what is on the shelves, but some extra in case they run out of what is on the shelves. This Kroger is much larger than the Trader Joes and certainly larger than David’s Produce & Specialties. The picture of the sign (although it is a little crooked) shows that Kroger is the largest store in the shopping center. The design of the store is very similar to every other Kroger across the country; the big, white and blue sign across the front, the brick and glass entrance and the funny little shed roof that hangs off the front and possibly harkens back to the good ‘ol days when the produce used to be displayed outside the store, are all staples of the Kroger design. We have definitely come a long way since the general store on Main Streeet.