Two Metro Atlanta Publix stores shutting down for good at 7 p.m.

ATLANTA — Shoppers stopped by the Publix on Shallowford Road one last time, grabbing essentials and reflecting on what the store’s closure means for the neighborhood.

Val Bruce has been shopping at the Shallowford Road Publix for the past decade.

“I’m pretty bummed about it,” Bruce said. “I’m concerned about the other stores in the mall too. The coffee shop just did a recent upgrade, so I don’t know how it’s going to impact their customers.”

Bruce wasn’t alone. Other neighbors also made final grocery runs before the doors close for good.

“I have to reup on some milk. I have to get some oat milk,” Naomi Mack said with a laugh.

Mack lives just down the street and worries the closure will hit hardest for people who rely on walking to get their groceries.

“Instead of just walking or maybe just taking a two-minute drive, now it’s going to be, ‘Oh, let me go 15 minutes, 20 minutes down the street to get a glass of milk or some eggs,’” Mack said. “So yeah, it’s very inconvenient.”

Some customers also wondered what will happen to the food remaining inside the store once it closes. 

A manager told 11Alive’s Chase Houle the items will be transferred to other Publix locations.

For others, the closure creates more than just an inconvenience.

“We have to drive much further just to go get groceries, to send money to our hometown, and this Publix is the nearest one to everyone here,” Julian Maradiaga said as he translated for his dad, Dan.

According to Google Maps, the closest major grocery store is an Aldi on Buford Highway — about a seven-minute drive or a 43-minute walk from the Shallowford Road Publix.

Publix says for those shoppers who frequent the Atlantic Station location, there are more locations within a two mile radius of the store.