As Atlanta’s lone grocery store cooperative, and one of only a handful of vegetarian ones in the nation, Sevananda has endured nearly 45 years of change and some occasional conflict, both in the neighborhood and among the co-op’s member-owners and leadership. But the challenge these days is different than those Sevananda has faced in the past. Though sales have risen in recent years, the store’s predominantly black board members, shoppers, and employees say they need to connect more with the residents of nearby, and predominantly white, Inman Park and Candler Park—particularly the newcomers who might be more familiar with the Publix on Ponce or the “Hipster Kroger” down Moreland. “We have all this great stuff here, and the community doesn’t even know,” says general manager, Ahzjah Netjer Simons. “Or people might have felt they weren’t welcome.”
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