An online petition has gathered hundreds of signatures in hopes of sparing what its creators call a crucial downtown retailer that’s on the brink of closing.
Launched last week, the Change.org petition claims the Walgreens store in the remade Olympia Building at 25 Peachtree Street is permanently closing sometime within the next month, though Walgreens officials have not confirmed that’s the case.
The petition paints the Walgreens as an important asset for Georgia State University’s thousands of students and downtown residents overall, adding: “Everyone that lives in the community understands how convenient and crucial this store is.” The petition had notched 483 signatures as of this writing.
“I live downtown, and with no grocery store, this store is crucial,” wrote one signee. “Closing this would be a step [in] the wrong direction for the type of downtown residents want.”
“As a GSU student,” wrote another, “we need this.”
The Olympia Building's remade Art Deco facade on Woodruff Park. Google Maps
When and why the downtown retailer might shutter—if those are indeed Walgreens’ plans—isn’t clear. Inquiries sent to Walgreens’ media relations personnel have not been returned. (The company announced plans in 2019 to close some 200 stores across the U.S., shrinking its 10,000-store footprint as customers increasingly shop online.)
Robyn Jackson, Atlanta Downtown Neighborhood Association president and a Central Atlanta Progress board member, says he’s also heard rumors that Walgreens could be departing Peachtree Street downtown. “We’re also trying to confirm,” Jackson wrote via email today.
Walgreens operates in a distinctive location and has become a bright spot of retail activity on the fringes of Woodruff Park, as Underground Atlanta slowly gains redevelopment momentum just to the south.
The iconic, illuminated Coca-Cola sign overlooking Woodruff Park from atop the Walgreens was also rehabbed a few years ago. Google Maps
Topped with an iconic, circular Coca-Cola sign, Walgreens’ two-story Olympia Building underwent a total renovation six years ago to restore its Art Deco appeal—marking a considerable investment by Walgreens.
The complex project cleaved out the building’s full interior—leaving only the stone walls, braced by steel beams—and revealed clues that while the façade dates to the 1930s, the building’s bones are actually much older, dating to the 1800s.
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