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.

The Diner or Something Like It

The picture to the left is of a Zesto’s on Peidmont Road, across the street from the Lindbergh Center MARTA station/multi-use development. I am not sure of the exact date of construction, but I would guess the 1950s. The building shape itself is rather plain; it more or less resembles a decorated shed. It is a rectangular shape with lots of embellishment. There are several elements of the Exaggerated Modern style present in the design. The roof has the shape of an elongated V and although there are not lots of flashing lights, there is an abundance of flashy materials. The metal on the roof and the decorative brick-work are very visible from the road. There is also a neon sign (not visible in this picture) that incorporates the ice cream cone motif that continues onto the posts on the patio. The tropical/desert landscaping out front also draws attention to the restaurant, as it does not correspond to the somewhat industrial and metropolitan appearance of everything else around it. On the inside, the diner feel continues, with rows of booths lining the walls and stools at the counter. The shiny metal is also present on the interior decorations.

The Waffle House, pictured on the right, is another example of a diner-esque restaurant. This particular Waffle House is on Mountain Industrial Boulevard in Tucker, just outside a Sam’s Club. I believe this restaurant was constructed sometime in the 1980s or 1990s, but it may be newer than that, being constructed sometime in the early 2000s at about the same time as the strip development to the right. The design of this diner is simpler than the Zesto’s, with less flash and color, but with just as much if not more appeal. The large sign, half of which appears in the upper-right hand corner of the photograph, is tall and large enough to be seen from far away (and from the highway less than half a mile away), while the large yellow roof catches the eye of people passing by at shorter distances. The large windows on the front and side of the building allow passers-by to see all the people inside enjoying their waffles (available any time of the day as any good Waffle House fan would know) and listening to the juke box. The inside has much more of a diner appearance than the Zesto’s, at least in terms of how the later diners were described by Liebs. There are booths along all the exterior walls (and a few along the counter); there are also some stools/chairs that run along the remainder of the counter, so you can watch the cooks make your scattered, smothered and covered hashbrowns on the griddle that runs along the fourth exterior wall. The colors are rather drab, but the customers don’t seem to mind.

This Waffle House has the major design elements of every other Waffle House, and it fits with the location (note the cinder block façade on the rear of the building that fits in with many of the nearby industrial buildings). The design of the Zesto’s more than likely fit with what was originally nearby, but with the new development that lines Peidmont in this area, the restaurant seems a little out of place; this does however make it more noticeable when driving down the road. Both of these restaurants are also located on well traveled roads so they serve their purpose of being a quick and easy place to grab a bite to eat.

Lenox Square Mall

Lenox Square mall has seen a lot of changes over its 49 years. It originated as an open-air mall anchored by Rich's, Davison's, and Colonial grocery store. Although you no longer see those names in the mall, two of the original anchors still remain a part of Lenox under Federated Department Stores . The current anchor stores, Macy's, Bloomingdales, and Neiman Marcus, sit in an enclosed structure which has seen many additions and remodels. Most recently, a second floor was added onto the Neiman Marcus luxury wing (as seen in the photo below) allowing Lenox to continue to reach its high class clientele and further compete with Phipps Plaza and the up and coming Streets of Buckhead (Atlanta's own "Rodeo Drive").
Posh stores such as Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes still remain on the lower level of the luxury wing, but Lenox has ensured it's hierarchy of shops by moving vendors around and filling the new space with high-end brands such as Nicole Miller and Ralph Lauren. This addition has secured the malls role of appealing to outer-directed achievers (Crawford 9). Near the back of the addition, you can see the glass roof panels that can be seen throughout the rest of the mall. This design has been implemented in malls since their start to "encourage social intercourse and foster communal emotions" (Crawford 6).

Be sure to take note of the materials used in this wing addition (especially the ceiling composition) and compare them with the materials shown in the following photographs!

In keeping with the mall's hierarchy of shops, this high-end department store is placed near one of the few escalators located within the main body of the mall. There are only four pairs of escalators connecting the two main levels of Lenox, however, more do exist in the individual department stores and in the plaza and market levels of the mall. Two pairs flank the entrance to Bloomingdales (one shown in the photo above), another pair is located at the center of the mall, where the luxury Neiman Marcus wing meets the main nave of Lenox, and the fourth escalator is located at the main entrance to the mall where patrons can enter from the valet. Stairs and wayward finding maps are also far and few between, encouraging individuals to wonder throughout the mall. The limited escalators and limited entrances create an imposed route for Lenox shoppers, creating diversions on their shopping course. This often leads the consumer to glazed eyes and impulse buys. This photo shows the lower three levels of Lenox (Market, Plaza, and Mall level).

Although Lenox does not offer a movie complex or indoor pool, it does offer the famous Rich's Pink Pig during the holiday season. A staple in the eyes of Atlanta residents, this ride provides a greater sense of recreation for shoppers while allowing Macy's to make an extra buck.

High and Low Culture in the Grocery

Whole Foods Market is a grocery of high culture. Everything from its facade to its products, support that statement (especially the prices). It may be a far-cry from the original grocery, but stores like this are taking the nation by storm. People love to spurge at elite places such as Whole Foods, Fresh Market, and Earthfare as they feel they are treating themselves to finer goods and services. It is these types of self-service combination stores that create recreation for citizens with discretionary incomes (Liebs 133), much like the supermarket did for some in the 1960s. Although the allure of organic drives business for Whole Foods, the store has not always been a true modernistic grocery. Until recently, the store implemented a circuitous path-an interior one-way street (Liebs 119) on the left side of the market, leading from the front to the back of the fresh produce section. It was literally a maze forcing your throughout the entire section. This left hand side of the store is where the flowers, fruit, vegetable, etc items are located. The interior layout was recently reconfigured allowing customers to bypass certain parts of the section, if needed, in order to have a more efficient shopping experience. This way, if a customer just needs fruit, they can pick it up and cut out some of the vegetables (or vice versa) by using the cut-through paths shown in the pictures.



The introduction of high culture grocery stores has created a push for other grocery's, call them low end if you will, to redesign their stores, introduce organic items, and provided services such as hot bars in order to keep their clientele from shopping at places such as Whole Foods. The Kroger near the intersection of Peachtree and Piedmont is a perfect example of this. The store, a former disco, stood as a typical Kroger until this month when it reopened as Fresh Fare by Kroger. It now resembles a Whole Foods with the number of hot bars, salad bars, cheese bars, and sub stations, etc. Their produce section also resembles Whole Foods in that the produce is located in open wooden bins giving the feel that you are in a market. The only difference is that in Kroger, the pre-made items are located when you walk in the front door, with the fresh produce behind it. In Whole Foods, the produce is the first thing you see and the pre-made items are located closer to the check-out, where the novelty items are normally located. Kroger still stands as a "lower-end" store when compared to Whole Foods, but it is obvious that they are making strands to replicate the allure of high culture grocery's.






Although they have their differences, both stores contain two elements of the original grocery: big glass windows at the front of the store and the typically positioning of items throughout the store (with the exception of the hot bar- a new commodity in the grocery world)!

The Mall at West End

The Mall at West End

Situated at the corner of Ralph David Abernathy and Lee Street, the Mall at West End is a one story building composed of a long nave with two shorter halls that provide the only "official" entrances to this part of the mall.  The food court is located in a separate building.  The entrance fronting an historic section of the West End though set back from the street, had display windows and a presumable park-like area.  The rear entrance faces the very large parking lot.  The exterior of the mall otherwise is predictably generic.

The interior of the mall is spotless, full of shiny surfaces and almost unnaturally quiet, contrasting the street scene just outside it's "front" door.  Most of the shops cater to African American women, and include dress shops, particularly (and nearly unheard of in "white" malls) catering to women of more voluptuous proportions, nail, hair and wig establishments.  Other shops carried home items and were heavy on Africana.  Perhaps reflecting the perceived demographics of the area (and either in denial about or just ignoring the recent influx of white residents), none of the anchor stores were particularly expensive, no coffee shops were to be found and most of the kiosks featured items for personal street status wear.  Behind where I was standing to take the interior shots was a platform stage and podium.  

The size and limited commercial options speak to Crawford's economic/demographic categories, reflecting the developers perception of the area as a "neighborhood" or maybe even a community center.  However, that the mall is within a few miles of downtown Atlanta and serves a sector of the city that otherwise has been largely neglected suggests their recognition of a middle class consumer group that could be targeted.  I am still speculating as to why the Food Court would be in a separate building, but since I didn't go into it, speculation is all I can do.

Metropolitan Avenue Restaurants.

You Buy'em We Fry'em

Nicky's Seafood Restaurant on the corner of Whitehall and Metropolitan.  Nicky's represents that genre of roadside restaurant to which "greasy spoon" might be applied.  Note the clever combination of the "a" and the "u" in restaurant.  At first glance one might think this is a rest-0-rant.  Next we have the College Park Coney Island restaurant.  Mike and I think that at one time this was a family style restaurant, like a Lum's.  The exaggerated mansard roof suggest "environmental" influence.  The recession buster special (as advertised in a sign to the far left) is 25 cent wings.  The restaurant is festooned with colorful flags, and though it has a bar, it might still be used as a family restaurant.  Last of all is MoJo's, my example of a latter day lunch wagon.  You can see the "car" like portion of the building on the left.  A more permanent addition has been constructed on the right.  This restaurant operates pretty much the same way a lunch wagon would, where you go up to the window to pick up your wings, celery and rolls.