The storefront row on the south side of McLendon Avenue looks much as it always has. Same brick, same awnings, and the same tight stretch of sidewalk.
Read the names on the glass, though, and most of them are new.
Buildouts are nearly finished for the fourth Little Tart Bakeshop and a sister concept called Midi, a Paris-inspired spot serving sandwiches, salads, small bites, cocktails and wine. A takeout window has been installed along McLendon for soft serve.
The businesses are taking the former Kelly’s Closet bridal boutique and Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Partyspaces beside La Fonda Latina. Across the street, Candler Park Market and Gigi’s Italian Kitchen remain open.
Nothing is being demolished. This is an old commercial row being refilled through new tenants, interior construction, and one sidewalk window.
What changes for people who walk this block
The biggest change is the hours.
At the Candler Park Neighborhood Organization’s Aug. 17 meeting, owner Sarah O’Brien said Little Tart expected to open at 7 a.m. and close between 4 and 6 p.m. Midi would operate from roughly 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. The businesses will share a kitchen and restrooms while maintaining separate menus.
That gives the block a morning bakery and a later evening restaurant in two adjoining storefronts. For someone who lives nearby, the same row begins operating differently without changing its physical scale.
Midi’s evening service still depends on the alcohol licensing process. O’Brien presented an application covering beer, wine, and a limited cocktail menu modeled on Little Tart After Dark in Grant Park. Alcohol would be ordered from the Midi side.
The neighborhood organization sent a motion supporting the application to an online vote. That support is only one step. It does not replace the required city and state approvals.
The opening date also remains unsettled. O’Brien told neighbors she was targeting Nov. 1. More recent public messaging says only that Little Tart and Midi are expected later this fall. As of Oct. 22, neither business had announced a firm opening date.
How much the block changed in two years
The original Flying Biscuit Cafe opened at 1655 McLendon in 1993. It relocated to DeKalb Avenue in 2024 after more than 30 years in Candler Park.
Lucille’s, owned by Kristen Eber, renovated part of the former Flying Biscuit space and opened this summer. When ATL Vibes & Views visited, we found a thoughtfully curated shop filled with nightwear, books, jewelry, fragrances, and personal-care products. Eber has created something that feels specific to her point of view rather than a generic retail concept. It also broadens the block beyond food, giving neighbors another locally operated business to visit during the day.
Dr. Bombay’s served its final Candler Park high teas in March 2025 before moving to Grant Park. Kelly’s Closet also left its storefront.
Three familiar names disappeared from the row in roughly two years.
New businesses have been filling the spaces behind them. Atlanta writing nonprofit Lostintheletters opened a bookstore. Kristen Eber renovated part of the former Flying Biscuit space and opened Lucille's this summer. When ATL Vibes & Views visited, we found a thoughtfully curated shop filled with nightwear, books, jewelry, fragrances, and personal-care products. Eber has created something that feels specific to her point of view rather than a generic retail concept. It also broadens the block beyond food, giving neighbors another locally operated business to visit during the day.
Little Tart and Midi are expected to complete the current round of turnover.
The ownership story goes back further. A 2014 edition of the Candler Park Messenger reported that Blue Chip Pizza Products, the company associated with Fellini’s Pizza, bought the commercial block. At the time, the businesses named there included Donna Van Gogh’s Artists’ Market, La Fonda Latina and The Flying Biscuit.
Of those three, La Fonda remains.
What this says about small-business opportunity
This is not a block full of vacancies waiting for first-time owners. Most of the visible spaces are now occupied or committed.
What is new here is the concentration. One local operator will run the bakery, restaurant, and soft-serve window. That brings an established customer base and fills more hours, but it also places multiple uses on the block under one business group.
I do not think preserving a neighborhood means preserving every tenant forever. Flying Biscuit and Dr. Bombay’s relocated rather than disappearing, and empty storefronts do not serve residents simply because people remember what used to be inside them. But the names replacing them tell us something about who can take on older commercial space. Little Tart is an Atlanta-grown business, but it is also an experienced operator with several locations. A first-time owner facing the same construction, licensing and opening delays would need substantial capital before making the first sale. The real test begins when the doors open. If a 7 a.m. bakery and a 9 p.m. sandwich-and-cocktail room keep more people walking the block throughout the day, the row will have changed without losing the physical character that made it valuable.
