Vine City Walmart set to reopen next week

ATLANTA - Eighteen months after arson caused the Walmart in Vine City to shut its doors, the location will be back in business next week.

The Walmart Neighborhood Market is set to reopen on Wednesday, May 22 on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive & Joseph E. Lowery Blvd.

Formerly a Walmart Supercenter, the new 75,000-square-foot market will offer fresh groceries and other household supplies.

While the space will be a little smaller compared to the previous Supercenter, the store will still offer pharmacy services. It will also have a mini police precinct inside to deter crime.

Last year, Vine City residents were relieved to learn that the store would reopen in 2024.

Vine City NPU Vice Chair Linda Adams told FOX 5 in 2023 that it’s been difficult for her and many others who have had to get by without access to a grocery store nearby.

"I had to go to the Walmart off of Cascade to get my prescription or to go to the grocery store on Cleveland Avenue or Thornton Road," she recalled.

The next closest Walmart is about eight miles away - turning the neighborhood in the heart of Atlanta’s West End into a food desert.

The closing also meant the absence of a pharmacy in the neighborhood, which created another obstacle for some of Vine City’s oldest community members.

"Some of us had to take them, or they had to get the share rides," said Adams. "It was very challenging for the seniors." 

The grand re-opening ceremony will take place on the morning of May 22 and will include a live DJ, photo opportunities with the Coca-Cola polar bears and Tony the Tiger, and giveaways.