Pearson's Wine, which has been selling beer, wine and liquor in the heart of Buckhead for more than 40 years, is facing last call this weekend.
The store, which opened in 1969, will close for good Saturday night -- one day before Sunday sales of package goods become legal in the city of Atlanta.
The store's owner, Walter Eisenberg, told Channel 2 Action News, "I'm 76 years old, and I've had it. My wife and I are going to travel and have a good time for the rest of our lives, and the only thing I'm going to miss are the people that come in here that I love so much."
Former Atlanta Mayor Sam Massell, president of the Buckhead Coalition, noted that liquor has been sold on the site -- on West Paces Ferry Road just west of Peachtree Road -- since the mid-1800s, when Buckhead pioneer Henry Irby owned a store there.
"Time marches on," Massell told the AJC. "Another page in history is turned."
He said Eisenberg has "run a reputable business there that had some loyal clientele over the years, and I'm sure he'll be missed."
Massell said he was unsure what would become of the site, but speculated that it would be "something bigger and better, I'm sure."
Massell noted the renaissance of the commercial real estate market in Buckhead has brought an influx of new businesses. Whenever a property in the area changes hands, Massell said, five years later, "you'll find something better."
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