The much-anticipated, long-delayed Atlanta Streetcar won’t be cranking to life until August—at the earliest. But fourteen pop-up shops along the route are launching into gear tomorrow. The opening event, from 4 to 9 p.m., is billed as a shop “crawl,” but we like to imagine one day you will be able to quietly glide down the tracks visiting the new stores that stretch along Edgewood and Auburn avenues from Woodruff Park to Boulevard (which is a few blocks beyond the end of the route). Booze, music, and giveaways will liven up tomorrow’s stroll.
Central Atlanta Progress received more than a hundred applications to fill fourteen vacant storefronts with pop-ups that will be open through August, when the merchants have the option to vacate or sign longer leases. Hopefully there will be some overlap between the time the streetcar is actually running and the shops—most of which were previewed at an event back in late March—are still operating.
Many of the pop-ups are local companies we’ve seen around town before. Goods and services range from the quirky (see: Modern Tribe and its hip Judaica or Brixtix and its fancy dog goodies) to the recreational (Civil Bikes and its city tours) and the stylish (Sock Fancy—men, need we say more?).
Click here to download a map of the streetcar route and the shop locations and here for a complete schedule of Saturday’s events and giveaway.
Arbitrary Living: home goods like textured pillows, sculptures, and vintage finds
Sock Fancy: hip, fun, colorful socks—awesomely, by subscription
Modern Tribe: gifts and stuff for young, modern Jews
Just Add Honey: a tea shop (we hear they’re mixing it with vodka for the event)
The Byrd’s Box: arty, local, handmade goods
Brixtix: because dogs like cookies too
Criminal Records: our Atlanta music institution
Indie Craft Experience: not your grandmother’s crafts
Fresh.i.am: apparel taking cues from art, street style, and music
Civil Bikes: city cycle tours focusing on the civil rights movement
Rob Simmons Photography: lots of local scenes, often captured at night
Connections: a technology exchange to keep up with the latest gadgets
Bliss in Me: meditation studio
Fallen Arrows: possibly the coolest custom printing company in town. Note: We’re told they will have a baby kangaroo named Hank on site in conjunction with the delivery service app, Kanga, which is new to Atlanta. If that’s not reason enough .. .
