A darling of Atlanta’s hip, youth-driven retailers is closing to the public.
Ponce City Market will close at 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, for an undetermined period.
A notice on the Ponce City Market website says: “After much deliberation and in response to concern over COVID-19, Ponce City Market will be temporarily closed... The health and safety of our visitors, tenants, employees, and residents continues to be our highest priority, and we will follow recommendations from local health authorities on a timeline for reopening. Please stay tuned to our web site for the latest information. We look forward to welcoming you again soon.”
The mix of retailers and multiple restaurants joins the growing list of closings across metro Atlanta. Many businesses have closed individually, such as all Apple stores in malls and Havertys furniture stores, which said they will close as of Thursday. But Ponce City Market is one of the first shopping centers to close. Malls in Atlanta remain open as of early afternoon Tuesday.
Ponce City Market is in the massive, repurposed former Sears warehouse and distribution center on Ponce De Leon Avenue which sat empty for years. A developer turned the brick behemoth into a modern mixed-use development of apartments, offices and retail spaces alongside the Atlanta Beltline that gained immense popularity.
Retailers are struggling, caught between closing to protect workers and the public and trying to remain open so they can continue to pay workers and stay afloat. The impact of the closings are yet to be felt in the broader economy, but President Donald Trump in a press conference today promised billions of dollars in aid to businesses and local governments to help get the country through the novel health crisis.
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