Inside Atlanta's First Government-Funded Supermarket

Goal is for the store to become profitable without any government subsidy within three years

When the Azalea Fresh Market opened this summer, it became the only supermarket to operate in this city’s downtown in two decades. To make that happen, the city contributed $8 million in cash, grants and loans.

Now, this 20,000-square-foot store is the beginning of what officials hope will be more publicly funded, but privately run supermarkets to come. The goal is for the store to become profitable without any government subsidy within three years. With the same funding, the city is already aiding the construction of a second planned store 6 miles away, expected to open next year.

Atlanta officials spent years trying to lure major chain grocery stores to neighborhoods that don’t offer residents big supermarkets with fresh, healthy food. City officials said the partnership was necessary because large private operators have been reluctant to open a store in poorer neighborhoods.

“That totally burned me up,” said Andre Dickens, Atlanta’s mayor. “And I was like, screw it. We’re gonna do it ourselves.”

Atlanta joins a growing number of cities testing publicly funded options for affordable fresh food, in areas where businesses are put off by the risks.

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