white provisions, perhaps unironically, is all white, upper class. will PCM be the same? (Atlanta: appointed, neighborhoods)

[bryantm3]

i'm a bit concerned now— i've been super-excited about ponce city market opening this coming year, imagining a sort of sweet auburn curb market times 1000. so far, everyone has been saying you should go over and check out white provisions if you want to see what PCM is going to be like, since they're both jamestown projects.

well, i headed over there yesterday with my dad and brother. i knew that a lot of the stuff was going to be high end, since bacchanalia is located there, but seeing as how there's a yeah! burger out front, i didn't think it would be all high end. we went in and checked out several spots, the first of which was JCT kitchen and bar. we went in the bar area to check out the prices; it seemed to be a sort of tapas style place, where the majority of things on the menu are small side dishes and you kind of make your meal out of that. the prices were pretty outrageous. the beer was not really all that cheap, but it wasn't too bad. the biggest thing i noticed, though, was the crowd. i hang out on the east side all the time, and over there you've got a more culturally diverse crowd, even though it might be majority white sometimes, there are always hispanics, blacks, asians, etc. all hanging out together. this was weird because it was all white— there weren't even any jews or italians hanging out.

afterwards we went over and checked out the ice cream place, and then star provisions— i was impressed by star provisions, i thought it was pretty cool. it reminded me of the basement of the biltmore estate in asheville, or the way grocery stores were in the 18th and 19th centuries. that being said, a lot of the stuff was simply out of my price range, and instead of a focus on healthier local foods for good prices, like you see in sweet auburn, there were a lot of expensive trendy foods that weren't necessarily healthy; for example there were a lot of expensive cured pork products, they even had smoked bull penis, a lot of cheeses, but nothing was very affordable and it wasn't particularly healthy— just super expensive trendy stuff.

still, in star provisions and the other places we visited, the crowd was all white. i've never seen such a white crowd in atlanta, not even in buckhead. we decided to leave— some of the stuff was neat but it was way too expensive and we were disappointed at the segregated crowd. the closest thing i can think of was vickery village in forsyth county, it was that white.

what i'm concerned about is ponce city market. will this be the same sort of thing? super expensive trendy foods for rich white people? i was really hoping for a real marketplace, a place where locals can go to get cheap, environmentally friendly local foods sold by local people, so they can walk there and back, to get something to cook at home. white provision is fine, but it really does a disservice to urbanism; people need shops and stores in walkable distance that offer affordable foods. i'm okay with a little of the ritzy stuff, fancy restaurants and so on, but if this is only going to serve the super rich, that's not a service to the mixed-income community intown atlanta is. people are still going to have to drive to kroger, dekalb farmer's market, etc. to get food.

i know this is a little jumbled, but i think most of you guys get my point. what do y'all think?

[gerrythesnake]

Why are so many WHITE people at WHITE Provisions?

J/K


It will be similar to Chelsea Market. I think it will be a nice balance since PCM is larger than WP


Btw they targeted a demographic that was not in that area and a demographic that will keep the trashy people away

[Gulch]

I think you're overreacting, but that's just me.

[Bobcat2012]

If someone went to the 7/11 in East Point and said it was all black people, they'd be racist. Unbelievable.

[Newsboy]

This is one of those posts that if you replace all the references to "white" with "black," people would be screaming "RACISM!" and the mods would shut it down.

Why do people think these discussions are OK? I went shopping at Fayette Pavilion today and was keenly aware of the fact that I was overwhelmingly outnumbered by black people in every store -- despite the fact that Fayette County is 70 percent white. Am I gonna post irrational fears and insecurities about it on CD? No, because I know Fayetteville is a shopping Mecca for the entire Southside, which is predominantly AA. Seeing lots of (well dressed upper-middle class) black people shopping in Fayetteville does not mean the town has gone ghetto.

White Provisions just happens to appeal to WHITE PEOPLE and it's in an area of the city that has seen MASSIVE gentrification by ... WHITE PEOPLE! The city of Atlanta as everybody knows, is increasingly dominated by WHITE PEOPLE.

Why is this a problem?

[cabasse]

Swpl

[bryantm3]

it's a problem because just 10 years ago the area was almost 100% black. now it's multicultural, along with the rest of intown, and this development is built and it is a venue for the ultrarich, which in the US is white. there are no stores, restaurants, shops, etc. for anyone except the very rich. how does this help out anyone in town except for them? midtown is very different in that there are multiple income levels and stores and restaurants that appeal to multiple income levels.

ponce city market is the largest warehouse in the southeast, one of the largest in america, and its development should serve all the residents of the local area, not just the ultrarich. fancy restaurants are fine, but it would be nice to have a real marketplace for people of all incomes and races rather than just one demographic.

to look at it the other way, imagine if ponce city market was going to be redeveloped into a huge rap music resort. how many people would be pissed?

and i'm having a lot of trouble keeping a straight face about all you guys getting "offended" at my "racist" comments.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

it's a problem because just 10 years ago the area was almost 100% black.

That area has been mostly white as long as I remember. We had some hippie type friends who lived in White Provisions back in the 90s who were white and that sort of seemed to be their stomping grounds.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

and i'm having a lot of trouble keeping a straight face about all you guys getting "offended" at my "racist" comments.

Yet everything the others said have merit too Bryant.

I think the main problem I have with your statement is that every place, store, restaurant, etc.. should only appeal to people in a multicultural way.

If that is the case then then types of restaurants, goods, etc... would not be present in Atlanta's overall diverse types of shopping/eating options.

If you want to foster diversity, you also have to realize different social and socioeconomic groups will sometimes demand things others don't. This means in a big city there will always be spots dominated by specific groups.

Just like some places are dominated by black people, Koreans, Hispanics, etc...

White Americans, including affluent white Americans, are a social group too. They have their own demands that might differ from other groups and there is nothing wrong from a business catering to that. That is a part of the diversity of the whole city as well.

Now if the place was doing something to actively prevent other social groups from going there, I'd be all up in arms. If the city was devoid of multicultural places, I'd be up in arms. If the social differences were specifically about racism, I'd be up in arms.

However, just because white people were the historical majority, it doesn't mean they don't have cultural uniqueness/demands that are bad and must be dropped so everything can be multicultural and/or cheaper.


So yes, the others are sort of right. If that was a post written by a white person, the historical majority, about another minority group, then we would justifiably be facing many offended people.

I'd also point out that White Provision is in the middle of an industrial district. It wasn't all white or black for any matter. It was an area of business. If you go in different directions from that location different social groups were prominent in different neighborhoods.

[ATLTJL]

there weren't even any jews or italians hanging out.

What a bizarre comment.

You think all Jews and Italians are identifiable just by looking?

Let me tell you a secret....if it was white, expensive, and trendy, I guarantee you there were a few Jews there!

I think this is what makes your post seem judgmental. You might as well say, "There wasn't a single person there that voted for Obama!"