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Reviving DeKalb Avenue
By Collin Kelley, Managing Editor
 Radial Cafe on DeKalb Avenue is packed every weekend for its famous brunch. Business has been so good, that owner Phil Palmer has expanded the dining room and patio. (Photo by Brent Sturgis)
DeKalb Avenue crosses through some of Intown’s hottest – and up and coming – neighborhoods as it winds its way along the southeastern edge of Downtown. The roughly five-mile stretch begins as Decatur Street in Downtown and becomes Howard Avenue in Decatur. It’s a main point of entry for Cabbagetown, Inman Park, Reynoldstown, Little Five Points, Edgewood, Candler Park, Kirkwood, Lake Claire and East Lake.
Once known as the Decatur Road (part of Scarlett O’Hara’s escape route back to Tara in Gone With the Wind), DeKalb Avenue became a booming industrial area thanks to the CSX Intermodal Terminal and tracks that run its length. Elevated above those tracks is the east-west MARTA rail line, with trains calling at Inman Park/Reynoldstown, Edgewood/Candler Park and East Lake stations.
In the 1980s and ’90s, the neighborhoods off DeKalb Avenue went to seed, and only the heartiest of businesses – like Hayes Auto Service, which opened in 1950, but was recently closed and demolished to make way for townhomes – survived the decades.
Like much of Intown’s forgotten industrial areas, DeKalb Avenue is making a comeback in a big way. It was – and still is – a quick link from Downtown to Decatur (on a Sunday afternoon you can leave Inman Park and be on the square in about 10 minutes). The three-lane road (it has reversible lanes to help the morning and evening flow of traffic) is now lined with funky townhouses, lofts, businesses and restaurants. And more are on the way.
Why DeKalb Avenue and why now?
Dwellings Real Estate co-founder Mark Jones said he believes the Edgewood Retail District – located just off DeKalb Avenue with Target, Lowe’s, Kroger and specialty stores – helped spur much of the new growth along the corridor.
"Before Edgewood, there was nowhere to shop, no viable services south of Ponce de Leon Avenue," Jones said. He also said Inman Park, Candler Park and Lake Claire had become "destination neighborhoods" with their eclectic mix of restaurants, galleries, shopping and restaurants.
"There’s no doubt DeKalb Avenue and the neighborhoods around it are one of the hottest places to live in Atlanta right now," Jones said. "People want that urban experience and to be able to walk or jump on MARTA."
Less than a decade ago, living next to MARTA tracks would have been unheard of, but the new breed of urban dwellers loves the funky industrial and historical aspect of the area, Jones said. "It’s sort of like living in New York. You get that same feeling."
Jim Goodman, who lives at the Townhomes at Candler Park, recently moved back to the city after five years of living in Denver. He had lived in Atlanta for 30 years before the move and said he would have never considered living on DeKalb Avenue five years go.
"The clean-up along DeKalb Avenue and in Candler Park is unbelievable," Goodman said. "When I was moving back, I was looking more at Virginia-Highland, but then I came to Candler Park and knew I wanted to live here."
Uri Vaknin, an agent and business manager for the Condo Store, lives on DeKalb Avenue. His townhouse, built in 2000, overlooks the Krog Street tunnel, famous for its graffiti and nifty echo and a favorite location for music videos. Vaknin said the growth along DeKalb Avenue is phenomenal – from Downtown to Decatur.
Vaknin said getting used to living across from the MARTA and CSX tracks took some time. "The rumbling and noise sometimes makes you think an earthquake is happening, but I love it," Vaknin said. "I used to live in the Mattress Factory Lofts and knew I wanted to stay in this area. I love the mix of historic and urban, and I love to to walk to Rathbun’s for dinner."
Radial Cafe, which opened in an old warehouse space in 1999 on the edge of Candler Park, is also reaping the benefits of DeKalb Avenue’s new status. Owner Phil Palmer said the first few years were "iffy" because it was still considered an out-of-the-way location for a restaurant. However, that has changed, and crowds now pack Radial, especially for the Saturday and Sunday brunches.
Business has been so good that Palmer expanded the restaurant from 60 seats to 150 over the summer. "We were having 40-minute waits on the weekend, now it’s only about 10," he said.
Palmer said the new condos and lofts, not to mention the redevelopment of Kirkwood, Edgewood and Candler Park, have been a boon to Radial and other businesses along DeKalb Avenue. "There’s a whole change in attitude on this side of town and it’s very exciting," he said.
For more about DeKalb Avenue and the new developments, pick up a copy of the November edition of Atlanta INtown.
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