The Walmart on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Vine City has been closed since mid-December. Photo: Crystal Dixon/Axios.
Walmart will reopen one Atlanta store that has been critical to providing residents with access to fresh produce, while closing another location.
News promotion: Walmart said late Monday it will reopen its Vine City store at 835 Martin Luther King Dr. Drive as part of its Neighborhood Market concept, small stores offering fresh produce, pharmacies, health and beauty products, and household items. Announced.
- However, Walmart also said it would permanently close its store at 1801 Howell Mill Road in Berkeley Park.
- Both locations have been closed since mid-December after fires broke out at both locations.
Important reasons: By reopening our Vine City locations, we’re making sure our neighborhood doesn’t become a food desert.
- Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement that food security “is a moral right for our communities.”
- “The intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and Joseph E. Rowley Boulevard serves as a hub for multiple communities in northwest and southwest Atlanta, providing fresh, affordable food options. There are thousands of individuals and households, including seniors, children, students, who are already without access,” he said.
What they say: Walmart spokesman Charles Clawson said in an email that both stores were hit by “various economic headwinds” before closing last month.
- Crowson said Walmart cares about its employees “whose lives were affected by the fire and subsequent business decisions” and wants them to stay with the company.
Yes, but: Speaking to Axios about the store’s situation last week, Vine City resident Makeda Johnson said she was grateful that the location was reopening, but that having a full Walmart store would be “beneficial to the community.” said it is. Pants along with groceries.
- “I think we deserve a superstore,” she said.
conspiracy: Walmart has said it cannot repurpose the Howell Mill store, which is hidden under the parking deck of The District at Howell Mill Shopping Center adjacent to Interstate 75.
- Dustin Hillis, a city council member who includes Howell Mill Walmart, told Axios that it’s a shame the stores are closing because “it’s one less place people have to get their groceries.”
- Crowson said the company is working with the city to find new uses for the site.
What we see: The Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department has asked the public to help identify persons of interest in the fires at both locations.
