Displaced, Family-Run Grocery Cafe Back in Business Downtown
April 13,2018
From behind the counter of his recently reopened tiny grocery and cafe Origin Market in downtown Atlanta, Luke Reid is ready to answer the question, “What’s sweet today?” Maybe it’s the blackberries, two packs for $5, or the green apples, more on the tart and juicy side.
What’s sweet today all depends on his recent haul from the State Farmers Market in Forest Park. Each morning, Luke and his wife, Leti, make the trek from their Fayette County home to the sprawling market to source bargain-priced, organic produce they then transport to the small business they’ve owned and operated in downtown Atlanta since 1993.
But that all changed last fall.
Formerly known as R & R Produce, the Reid’s business was once tucked away in the Georgia Building Authority’s massive 2 Peachtree Street building. The couple had throngs of loyal customers — from office workers to longtime residents to hotel housekeeping staff — who had been devoted to their produce, soups, sandwiches, and friendly service for nearly 25 years.
However, when 2 Peachtree’s ownership — and thus the building’s relationship with the small business — changed in the fall of 2017, the Reids found themselves out of work and in need of a new place for their market to call home.
“Most of my customers are like family, like true neighbors — I know some of them better than my own neighbors,” Luke laughs. “Over half of my life has been here. I love downtown [Atlanta], and I didn’t want to rebuild somewhere else.”
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