COSTCO Comes To Midtown Atlanta…Well Almost at TOWN Brookhaven!

In today’s economy, I don’t know WHO would NOT be looking to save a dollar or two. Ok, I suppose there are a couple out there somewhere.

It is no secret that buying in volume saves you money. And grocery shopping is no execption. The warehouse grocery is not a new concept by any means, but when you suddenly don’t have to drive 8-10 miles to get to one, but can get there in 4 miles…well that’s worth writing about.

When I say COSTCO Comes To Midtown Atlanta it got pretty darn close. On October 28th, COSTCO opened its first store inside the Perimeter of Atlanta. (Ok, wait, yes the store at Cumberland Mall is physically inside I-285, but barely…but it’s a good 8 miles from Midtown!)

TOWN Brookhaven is a multi-use community that had great plans that kinda skidded to a halt with the economy. But some of the plans are now moving forward, and the first “big guy” to open was COSTCO. And what a delight this store is. Located at 500 Brookhaven Avenue, you can access the store from either Peachtree Road, or you can enter from Hermance Drive, adjacent to Oglethore University. She’s a whopper of a store at 146,000 square feet! The largest store in the Atlanta area prior to this was 123,000 sq ft on Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Sandy Springs.

The day that I made a quick visit, the line at the Membership Counter was longer than the checkout lines! But their checkout system moves you out quickly! Like the other COSTCO stores in the Atlanta area, this location will have speciality departments featuring fresh meat, produce and deli, bakery, one-hour photo, pharmacy, tire center, hearing aid center and a food court.

If you have ever shopped in a warehouse grocery, you know NOTHING comes in small packages! It’s always quanity AND quality. So for us us condo dwellers that might have limited storage space, or freezer space, this presents a problem. Where do you put all this stuff so it doesn’t spoil before you can use it. Well, how about “friendship shopping” or “neighbor networking.”  Talk with your friends that live in your building or around you and compare what your likes are. Maybe YOU can’t consume a package of 20 freshly baked crossiants, but you could use 10, and your friend could use 10. Such a deal!

TOWN Brookhaven is starting to come to life, altho she’s got a ways to go! I noticed a new Moe’s is under construction and a couple other businesses are starting to open in the VAST amount of retail space available here.

The other big arrivals will be a Publix Supermarket and LA Fitness that are scheduled to open in 2011. This picture would be that building, and I’m going to guess that we will have covered parking on the lower level, and the LA Fitness will occupy the lower space, and Publix the upper space. I’ll bring you an update as things develop.

Yes, TOWN Brookhaven is not in Midtown Atlanta, but then, not all the services we need are in Midtown Atlanta. It’s great to know that something like COSTCO is now closer and more convenient to Midtown Atlanta!

If you are NOT familiar with shopping at COSTCO, you might want to check it out on a Saturday. They have sampling stations all over the food section and you get to taste some great products. As a side note, some of these people have been nicknamed “Costco grazers” since you can probably make a meal out of sampling.

I’m justsayin’!