In need of some serious inspiration, I ran out to Northeast Plaza, a massive strip mall on Buford Highway. In many ways, this spot was the genesis of this project. It's the strip mall I had in mind when I decided to take this direction for my project.
My first trip there was for dinner with some friends from Athens and it struck me as, well, amazing. I noticed the center featured a wealth of restaurants: two Ethiopian, one Bangladeshi, one El Salvadorian, one Peruvian, two Panaderias (Mexican-style bakeries), a Ray's Buffet, a Pizzeria, three "Rey de..." restaurants and a pollo-joint. I'd been back a few times to hit up the Good Will and Super Mercado. There's also an exceptional tacqueria across the street (in the shadow of a Taco Bell).
On this return I noticed one of the Ethiopian spots had closed, but everything else was pretty much as I'd remembered. It's a remarkable kind of place. Lots going on, several night spots – one music club, a pool hall and a bowling alley. It also looks like Rey de Todos (king of everything), could be a great place to throw down on weekends. This place really does have everything: many clothing stores, two health clinics, a dentist. Not to mention, the grocery store is like a strip mall unto itself, with a restaurant, insurance sales, a bank, a jeweler, a few swag/clothing booths all within it's big box structure. So much seems to happen here on several levels. It's a place where people come to work and play, to purchase the goods that they need from day-to-day and over the long-term.
And it's all about 4 or 5 miles from Midtown Atlanta. The commercial heft and dining options available in this one massive strip led me to question what the differences and similarities are between this spot on Buford Highway and Little Five Points. Can a strip mall be considered a district? Or would this full under the umbrella of Buford Highway's cosmopolitan identity? Can the Buford Highway corridor be considered a district? All things to consider.
