In East Atlanta, the Signs of Chic Are Emerging

By BETH GREENFIELD

In the sprawling, 6,000-square-mile metropolis of Atlanta, where public transportation is limited and neighborhood hopping is best done by car, it's nice to know where to go for what. Sleek boutiques? Virginia-Highlands. Faux-bohemian cafés? Little Five Points. Glitzy shopping malls? Buckhead, of course.

And now Atlantans are quickly adding another cultural hub to their list: East Atlanta, home to a lively sprinkling of quirky shops, restaurants and nightspots that's reaching the crest in what has been a steadily rising wave of cool.

"New people are coming to this neighborhood every day," said Wondwesson Sadik, who opened his East Atlanta Arts & Antiques Bazaar in November in a former grocery store, a property he bought in 1997, when most surrounding shops were boarded up. "Just yesterday, someone came in and asked if they could lease the space for a new restaurant. But I said, 'not yet.' "

For now, Mr. Sadik is enjoying his shop's strategic position, just a short stroll away from East Atlanta's nexus - the intersection of Flat Shoals and Glenwood Avenues - where in the last year, new businesses have blossomed like peach trees in spring:

Sugar Britches is a shop that sells youthful dresses and bikinis, (404) 522-9098. Rare Footage sells very stylish sneakers, (404) 215-2188. Ventige Soul is filled with racks of urban-chic dresses and funky jeans made in house, (478) 335-9568. And Cantina La Casita, a Mexican restaurant on a side street, serves authentic tamales, enchiladas and fine tequilas, (404) 622-8081.

"Something is definitely happening around here," said Jerrald Goodloe, the owner of Rare Footage. "It's all finally coming together."

While declarations of a neighborhood renaissance have been made since the late 90's, growth came in fits and starts. It turned out that East Atlanta had many kinks to work out before it could draw a wide audience.

"There was a lot of turnover with businesses at first," said Cantina's co-owner, Alan Raines, who also helped to open the neighborhood's sleekest restaurant, Iris, in 2003. "Now there's a good base of people with experience who have figured out what niches need to be filled."

It's indeed an exciting time in East Atlanta, whose past demons include major integration conflicts, white flight and a nasty crime wave that began a slow reversal in the early 80's. Then in the late 90's, came major angst over gentrification - led by whites in this mostly black neighborhood - and perceptions among many that Sherry Dorsey, then the councilwoman, did not respond to the concerns of many constituents.

In 2001, Natalyn Archibong, who pledged to represent more diverse interests, defeated Ms. Dorsey. Now, some of the issues that Ms. Archibong emphasized in her campaign have become realities, including the allocation of just under $1 million for new streets with wider sidewalks. Other shops, nightspots and a new branch library are on their way, and chatter has been rising about both the long-awaited renovation of the Madison Theater on Flat Shoals Avenue and plans to build a light-rail system to connect the area with downtown.

And still, despite all the changes, people here still count diversity and a friendly, communal feel among East Atlanta's best assets.

"I compare the neighborhood to an early Greenwich Village," Mr. Raines said. "There's a good group of people who are very invested in the community."