By Jeff Delp
Think of a restaurant that holds a special memory for you. For many of us, sit-down eateries have hosted first dates, sports celebrations, good times with friends and family. We want our neighbors to have a place for those memories, too! South Atlanta doesn’t currently have a sit-down restaurant complete with wait-staff and a back of house kitchen. It once did, back when the Brownsville Community flourished. At that time, a local eatery boomed next to the movie theater.
Our neighbors have told us they love the grocery store and the coffee shop, and they see a restaurant as a next step for the neighborhood. As with our other businesses, we see a restaurant as a “third space,” a social space outside work and the home for neighbors to overlap and gather.
As we look to the upcoming year, we want to listen to this next vision. We want bring back such a place, a place to gather around a table and establish warm memories. FCS has acquired J’s Gas Station, which sits at that entrance of the neighborhood and hasn’t pumped gas for twenty years. This building is clearly visible from Carver Market and Community Grounds, and it is often one of the first places visitors to the community see when they arrive in South Atlanta.
I am excited to begin renovations on this space! Once we’ve revitalized the structure, we will attract a local restaurateur (maybe a neighbor!) to lease the space. Eventually, we imagine a bright and lively main street in South Atlanta. It’s an exciting vision to establish together as we close out 2018 and walk expectantly into 2019.
Will you give to FCS as we undertake this project? Consider yourself an up-front investor in delicious food and cherished memories as we transform this important space together!
