When Azalea Fresh Market opened its doors in Atlanta’s historic Olympia Building last fall, downtown Atlanta residents could shop for groceries in their neighborhood for the first time in decades.
The whole city had come together to invest in food access, thanks in large part to America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI).
Jimmy Wright, the National Grocers Association Foundation’s retail expert, provided the Azalea Fresh Market team with hands-on support and technical assistance. It’s all part of our work helping independent grocers apply for HFFI investment and other funding opportunities.
A Team Effort
Named after Georgia’s state flower, Azalea Fresh Market is serving customers today because Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development authority, pursued the HFFI opportunity. The City of Atlanta provided an additional $8 million to bring the community’s dreams of the store to reality.
Azalea’s signature name came from 60 Savannah College of Art and Design students, who put their heads together to select it and to help design the store’s layout—making it easy to navigate and welcoming.
Organizations like Invest Atlanta, the Independent Grocers Association (IGA) and Savi Provisions handle operations and sourcing for the grocer, with an eye toward sustainability. The store prioritizes hiring community members, which gives residents a true stake in its success.
Azalea Fresh Market is built to serve its neighbors in ways that feel both practical and hopeful. It spans two stories, totaling 20,000 square feet. The first floor is stocked with essentials that one might expect from their local grocery store. Fresh produce accounts for 15 percent of the store’s products, which shows its commitment to healthy food access.
Upstairs, a commissary offers prepared foods, fresh sushi, and more, alongside daily coffee service from Dope Coffee, a local roaster. As part of Azalea’s commitment to sustainability and food waste reduction, their prepared food will use ingredients from the store downstairs, rotating their meat and vegetable options based on the food that is slow selling and might otherwise be wasted.
The true power of the store’s success is the way that local and national funding fits into the bigger picture of food access in Atlanta and other communities across the country. Another Azalea location is already planned for South Atlanta, and cities like Seattle are asking how they can bring a store like Azalea’s to their downtown areas that lack access to healthy food.
Timing is also important. Right across the street, two affordable housing buildings are under construction, and Azalea will be the go-to store for these families from day one. It’s a concrete reminder that food access works best when it’s built into the fabric of a community, not an afterthought.
Do You Need Funding for Your Food Access Project?
The National Grocers Association Foundation’s Grocers Solutions Center can assist independent grocers developing projects like Azalea Fresh Market in their own communities, when private investment is not enough.
HFFI’s FARE Fund (Food Access and Retail Expansion Fund) is one of the only federal funding resources available to retailers
Our team of industry experts can help with eligibility requirements, funding structures, and other essential aspects of the FARE Fund application.
Learn more about the HFFI FARE Fund, and get support for you