An Atlanta investment firm that now owns Krog Street Market has quietly widened its footprint into Virginia-Highland, dropping $17.3 million on two key retail blocks that frame the neighborhood’s walkable shopping strip. The deal pulls both the Highland Avenue Market strip and the century-old VA-HI corner, home to Paolo’s Gelato, Pielands Subs & Slice and Kinship Butcher & Sundry, under a single landlord. Small business owners and neighborhood advocates say they are already eyeing what might happen next with leases, storefronts and basic upkeep.
According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta-based 26th Street Partners paid $17.3 million for the parcels, with brokers Gene Kansas and Ted Bradford representing seller Scott Stern. The AJC reports that the off-market deal closed Friday and that the transfer had not yet appeared in Fulton County property records.
The purchase covers the Highland Avenue Market at North Highland and Amsterdam and the “VA-HI” building at Virginia and North Highland, both long-running neighborhood fixtures. The Highland Avenue Market business directory lists San Francisco Coffee Roasting Co., Mali Restaurant and a U.S. Postal Service branch, while Gene Kansas details a VA-HI rehabilitation that preserved the building’s Craftsman touches and terra-cotta roof.
26th Street’s neighborhood playbook
26th Street Partners has been steadily collecting high-traffic, neighborhood retail across intown Atlanta, including last year’s $210 million purchase of the Krog District that put Krog Street Market and nearby warehouse buildings under one owner, as reported in a $210 million Krog District crown jewel deal. The firm’s website highlights a hands-on ownership style and calls high-traffic retail a core focus, a strategy that helps explain its appetite for busy, walkable corners.
What this means for Virginia-Highland
Outside money has already been reshaping the corridor in recent months. Developer Third & Urban announced roughly a $3 million facelift for portions of North Highland in March, a sign that more investors have their eye on the strip, according to Axios Atlanta. Broker Gene Kansas told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I believe people provide relevance to spaces and places through our actions and interactions there, through tradition, ritual and daily routine,” adding that tenants have helped define the neighborhood’s character. Neighbors say they are hoping the new owner leans into that legacy rather than chasing quick, speculative flips.
26th Street Partners has not shared specific plans for the Virginia-Highland properties, so tenants are likely to scrutinize upcoming lease renewals and any visible tweaks to signage or storefront design. For now, the deal stands as another sign that experienced local investors are betting hard on curated, walkable retail as a long-term play in Atlanta’s intown neighborhoods.
