The outside of Krog Street Market still has old signs painted on the brick that have been covered by windows

View of the front of the market from the parking lot

View of the front of the market and eating area from parking lot entrance

These are pictures of the outside of the market. There is a giant sign that is placed over the building that, as seen in the pictures, is easily seen because of its brightness and size. The lights underneath the sign light up the outdoor seating section of the market, the only outdoor seating section the market has that doesn’t belong to individual restaurants. Cars pack the parking lot making parking at the market a difficulty. This is why a lot of people valet their cars.

Sign for Krog Street Market tenant painted on the side of the building

Krog Street Market official sign on top of building

Krog Street Market sign artwork painted on a wall inside the market

Krog Street Market likes to put its name around the market a lot and these pictures prove that. They have their name written in unique font and cool signage so people will take pictures of it. When I was there, multiple people took pictures of the Krog Street Market sign that is inside the market. When they do this, they post these pictures online and Krog Street Market gets free publicity. Also, by placing their signs around the market and the market’s building, this gives it an identity.

Because of the construction, there are now less seats and tables for people to eat in the market.

Curtain covering construction of new shop

Renovations at Krog Street Market

These pictures show a store that is currently under construction. But what is interesting about the construction is that Krog Street Market got rid of seating in order to add this additional stall. This space used to be filled with about 8-10 tables with four chairs each, thereby seating approximately 30-40 people. Now there are only four tables in that section of the market. This means it can only sit 16 people at maximum capacity! The number of people who can sit here has decreased by more than half. So, while its great Krog Street is adding new stores to its market, the cost of that will be the number of people who can actually sit and stay to eat in the market.

People eating and socializing inside Krog Street Market

Inside of Krog Street Market

People eat at family-style tables in Krog Street Market

Crowded walkway in Krog Street Market

People eating and socializing inside Krog Street Market with view of exposed ceiling and pipes

These are pictures of the inside of Krog Street Market, both of the seating arrangements and the walkways. As shown by the pictures, it can get very crowded inside Krog Street Market. Also shown in the pictures, are the family style tables that Krog Street Market provides. This promotes socialization and encourages people who don’t know each other to sit together. In the ceilings, too, are exposed pipe. This makes the feeling of the market more antiquated and rustic.

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipP9NKlB1whF2gLg50EdcteMrAbNg5EQTzQ1a-sz

This is a recording of the noises and sounds at Krog Street Market. I recorded this standing in the walkway between stores as people walked past me. As evidenced by the recording, it is very loud in Krog Street Market and the noise of everyone talking at once creates a cacophony in the market. Krog Street Market is very small and that is why it gets so loud. But if they added more windows, perhaps, and opened up these windows, some sound might be able to escape and thus make it quieter in the market.

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.