Having examined its origin and lived through 100-years of its ups and downs, in episode three of our series on the Municipal Market of Atlanta we contemplate the next century for the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. Having dodged the bullets and defied the odds, we ask “What’s Next?” on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
Lance Russell is an Atlanta-based filmmaker and media communicator who, for over three decades, has been entrusted by clients to tell their stories. A seasoned producer with an innate ability to cut to... More by Lance Russell
7 Comments
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Bravo, Lance, for this wonderful series about this 100-year-old asset that serves our city and its patrons. I had the chance to visit Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Marketplace this past year for lunch and the place was absolutely packed. (Pronounced “Red-ing” for the railroad company whose old footprint it occupies.) Having the city’s convention center adjacent didn’t hurt its popularity. I enjoyed very much Mr Bennett’s commentary about the Market, and sensed that the place was not just a place of employment for him, but something he believes is a vital part of the lives of many Atlantans from all walks of life, and that it should continue to be just that. The old photos that were part of the story took me back many years to my childhood when, Colonial, A&P, Winn Dixie, and yes, Piggly Wiggly, were part of Atlanta’s grocery landscape.
Thank you.
Thanks Greg, I’ll pass your comment along to David Bennett at the market.
Thank you for your historical assessment of the Municipal Market. I was interim manager of the Market from March, 2023 – August, 2023 after the former manager, Pamela Joiner was there for over 17years passed away. As the transition happened and David Bennett coming in, Chaos began. What Mr Bennett is saying in public, is not what really is going on. Many of the tenants are being threaten and intimated by him and his assistant, Dorthey Hurst, with his new policies such as raising parking fees for the customers who have been going to this historic market for years. The parking fees have caused customer support to dwindle, and tenants are unable to make a living wage or pay the rent per their lease. Also, Mr Bennett now has food trucks selling the same goods that eateries inside the Market are selling. Mr Bennett says that he is getting his instructions from the CoA who owns the market but operates with a Board of Directors which Josh Humphries is the chair and works with the mayor om Affordable Housing. Don’t know if the mayor is aware how Mr Humphries and Bennett are gentrifying the market to close it now with current tenants. Mr Bennett does not understand the history and culture that the Market stands for. He refers to it as a “a step above a flee market”
Thank you for your comments and the additional information you provided. I appreciate you taking the time to watch this video series, and I share your enthusiasm for the value that the Municipal Market has provided to the Sweet Auburn neighborhood for so many years. Thanks also to Maria Saporta for providing this public forum for people to express themselves on topics about which they are passionate. It’s good to know that so many engaged readers follow the Saporta Report.
I can see the integration of advanced technologies. Robotics, machine learning seems to lead to further digitalization.
io games
I also don’t buy Mr. Bennett’s failure to understand the history and culture that the Market represents. He calls it “a step beyond a flea market” and play smashy road.
Really enjoyed this story