The Sweet Auburn Curb Market

I needed a little breath of fresh air on my lunch break yesterday, so I decided to explore the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, a local open-space market in Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. According to their website, the market first opened under a tent back in 1918; then in 1924, the Women's Club of Atlanta raised money to construct the brick-and-mortar building and the market still stands in the original location today, owned by the city of Atlanta. The building may bear the sign Municipal Market, but it has operated under the name Sweet Auburn Curb Market for the past two decades.

Located at the corner of Edgewood Ave and Jesse Hill Jr Dr, in a rather nondescript building, I would not have guessed that a thriving, bubbly market was inside.

Can't judge a book by it's cover, huh?

My first feeling upon stepping inside was a buzzing kind of happiness. Maybe it was because I stepped away from the dismal weather, maybe it was the stacks of brightly colored kiwis and bananas and strawberries at the stall right in front of me, maybe it was the smile a woman gave me as I backtracked outside to hold the door open for her... but this urban farmers’ market definitely provided the change of pace that I sought in the middle of my hectic day. It casually brought people together and fostered a sense of community, no mean feat in a sprawling city like Atlanta.

The market houses a variety of vendors, restaurants, and food stands, and is open year-round for visitors and members of the community to get fresh meat, dairy, fish, produce, and sweets.

There were sights to delight the sweet tooth, like Miss D's New Orleans Style Candy Popcorn (the pralines were a knockout)...

Miss D, just as sweet as her confections

... and there were savory flavors, too...

Go ahead, get a whole pig here. Why not?

Doubt you can get hoof at Kroger.

Those sure are a pig's ears. Yup. And to the left of that is tripe. Idk what the hell is on the right.

At the burger joint Grindhouse, they project movies on the white tiled walls behind the counter for customers to enjoy while seated at the bar. Today's movie was Drunken Master with Jackie Chan.

Ok, time for me to find a bite to eat. The vendor that caught my eye was a gourmet hotdog joint called Yum Diggity. I rarely eat hotdogs, but these are handcrafted with no animal byproducts and no filler, so I decided to give it a whirl.

I ordered the beef polish sausage dog, Chicago style. It was flippin phenomenal.

Delish.

Oh, I'll be visiting this market again. As I was heading out, I saw a Venezuelan vendor that sells arepas. Now, I'm still not entirely sure what an arepa is, but it sounds delicious and my belly is always up for a new discovery.

Plus the shop has colorful friends hanging around.

I encourage you to check out the market for yourself, Monday through Saturday 8am - 6pm. (And guess what? Validated parking available, yessssss!)