Krog Street Market is a relatively new mixed-use development (established in 2014) that is located just off the trail of the Beltline. The building that the market is in is very old, being built in the late 1800s. The building containing the market is made of brick. There are old signs printed on the brick that are still observable but windows now break up the full image (see “Signs at Krog Street Market”). The parking lot for Krog Street Market is relatively small. When I was there the lot was completely full leading many people to valet. Because of this, the valet is cheap (only $3) and is a popular option. The location of Krog Street Market is also optimal because it is located right next to the Beltline. People can easily walk off the Beltline and go the Market and vice versa. When I was there, I noticed sone people wearing exercise clothes, presumably having just come off the Beltline. It was nighttime, though, so this could be a wrong assumption.
Krog Street Market is laid out as a square with shops both on the inside and outside of the square. Most of the shops are restaurants, but there is also a dog store, a florist, and a full liquor store and bar. As soon as you walk into the Market, the first smell that hits you is the smell of alcohol from the bar. It is pretty strong but as you walk away from it, the smell dissipates because there are so many other smells in the building. There are long tables with benches located inside for family-style dining. I enjoyed that Krog Street Market does this because it encourages people to eat together and socialize. However, for those who don’t like the idea of that, the market also offers single tables and a wooden counter that is on a wall to the right of where you walk in.
Krog Street Market does not have that much space inside. When there are a lot of people visiting, this leads to heavy crowding, virtually no seating, and long lines at restaurants. As I walked around observing, I noticed that the chocolate store was forced to store their cocoa beans they had up in the rafters above their shop (see “Storage at Krog Street Market”). This is definitely a downside for Krog Street Market, the limited space. I’m sure many people come in, see how crowded it is, and leave. When walking around the square looking at shops, the space to walk is not that big either, so you have to be careful not to bump into others while walking. What I found interesting too, is Krog Street Market is actually adding a new vendor (there was not a sign explaining what is was going to be) but to build this spot for the new store, they took away seating, making there even less room to sit in the market (see “Renovations of Krog Street Market). Hopefully, they will add additional seating because that is definitely a weakness of the market.
Because of the limited space, it also gets very loud inside (see “Sounds of Krog Street Market”). All the walls in the market are wood and the ceiling is exposed showing all the running pipes, so sound easily bounces off the metal and projects (see “Inside of Krog Street Market”). What is interesting, though, is there is music playing in the market (not live, but through a speaker in the ceiling). When I got there the music was barely audible because of so many people talking. But as people left, and the market started closing, I could hear the music more and more. Finally, it was closing time, and the speaker began to play obnoxious rock music loudly. This was interesting to me because it seemed like the market’s way of telling the remaining patrons it was time to go home so the market could close and prepare for the next day. This shows that an environment can shape people’s behaviors by manipulating it. Krog Street Market played annoying music loudly to cause people to subconsciously want to leave.
When walking around the square, each restaurant and store you pass had a distinctive smell. Walking past the noodle shop I could smell spicy ramen noodles. Walking past the fried chicken store I could smell the crisp chicken frying in the kitchen, and as I kept walking that smell transitioned into the smell of flowers from the florist. You can smell pork in front of the BBQ restaurant, spices from the Mediterranean shop, vegetables from the vegan store, and deli meat from Fred’s Meat and Bread.
Overall, Krog Street Market has an “at home” and community feel to it. It is a high-energy market, one that serves great food, has great shops, and has a great atmosphere.
