To donate money to keep Little's Food Store open, visit http://bit.ly/1bgB4qh
George Bailey doesn’t have anything on Brad Cunard.
Twice in a decade, Cunard’s Atlanta neighbors have banded together around him. The first time followed the loss of his family. The second — this Christmas — Cunard’s neighbors are trying to save his beloved Carroll Street store.
The Cabbagetown community rallied around the 47-year-old this season, raising more than $16,000 online in a week to help him keep Little’s Food Store in business.
The walk-up grocery that first closed in 2006 had been in the neighborhood since the 1920s. Cunard reopened it in 2011, and has struggled to make it profitable ever since.
Two weeks ago, he announced Little’s would close after New Year’s Eve. But the community wouldn’t have it.
“Is there anything we can do to change this?” asked one person on the announcement’s Facebook post. “Please don’t leave us. Cabbagetown needs you,” wrote another.
It’s the second time an Atlanta neighborhood has embraced Cunard, like Bedford Falls did for Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
A decade ago, Cunard’s wife and two young sons were killed when a tree fell on the back seat of the SUV he was driving. He was unharmed. The shocking deaths of Lisa, 38, Max, 3, and 5-month-old Owen were felt around Atlanta.
Virginia-Highland neighbors, devastated by the extent of the tragedy, raised thousands of dollars to build a playground in the family’s memory.
Ten years ago, Cunard told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he had “fallen in love with Atlanta in a way I had never before” following the city’s reaction.
“I went from feeling like the most alone person on the face of the earth to feeling like I have a large extended family,” he said in 2003.
But this effort, from this community, means even more to him, Cunard said.
“When they were doing the playground in Virginia-Highland, I was out of my gourd” with shock, he said. “This feels more personal. I really feel like they don’t want us to leave Little’s.”
The tiny store sells cage-free eggs and Miller High Life; organic salsa and boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese. There are six red vinyl stools at a long counter, and until Monday, the Little’s grill was busy making 2 oz. burgers with onions that Cunard sold for $1.75 apiece.
Cunard knows who smokes Camel Blues and who prefers Parliaments. He knows who to tease when Auburn loses.
That’s why shoppers like Mason Ehlers donated $50 to the store. Ehlers came in Friday to buy beer for a Christmas party. He’s usually in on a daily basis.
“It’s like having a bodega right behind the house,” he said. “It’s really an important part of the neighborhood. …We know the owners; the owners know us.”
The building, though, is in need of repair. Bricks have fallen through the ceiling, Cunard said, and a back wall is bowed in. Water leaks through.
Little’s landlord has promised to fix those issues, while the money raised by customers and fans will go to pay for a liquor license, and to decrease debts, like the $1,200 Cunard owes Holeman & Finch Bread Co. for baguettes and croissants.
With the extra money, Cunard pledged to keep the grocery open. The repairs will close the grill for several months. Some workers will lose their jobs. Employees did shots of Jameson Irish Whiskey Friday, knowing the end was near for many of them.
Sales had been picking up since Little’s first opened, but rainy weather this summer and fall devastated the business. Low margins mean money is always tight. It’s hard to find parking in the neighborhood. And the shelves are increasingly bare, as Cunard has trouble keeping his small store stocked with everything a customer might come in for.
Cunard is the first to admit he violated every business school rule for running his store. He simply wanted the space to be a happy place, he said. In the past 10 years, Cunard has become a kinder person. He’s less driven to make a fortune in his business. He wanted a laid-back store that would let him spend time with his wife, Nina, and their 5-year-old daughter, Fiona.
Even with all the support, it hurts that he has to lay off some employees just before Christmas. Cunard is still stressed about whether the neighborhood will be able support Little’s as it repairs. He worries about having enough time to spend with his family. The money raised is a band-aid, not a cure-all.
But he’s determined to move forward.
“When people say, ‘Please don’t go out of business, please keep fighting, please let us help you,’ how do you turn your back on that?” he said. “It feels like I’m living ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’”
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