Backgrounder

Belly General Store is a modern take on the traditional general store that is anything but ordinary. Offering a combination of the freshest foods and the highest quality household and gift items, Belly General Store is a welcome addition to the already bustling Virginia Highlands neighborhood and shopping district in Atlanta . Owners Melanie Manning and DJ Freed have built their business around a philosophy that stresses quality, value and craftsmanship. Nothing carried at Belly is mass-produced, artificial or commonplace. Only the freshest ingredients with no preservatives or additives are used in Belly's foods. Only the most unique, artisan-made goods are on Belly's shelves.

Belly is located at 772 North Highland Avenue in the historic building once home to Fleeman's Pharmacy, a well-known and loved pharmacy and soda fountain that served as a community anchor for decades. Manning and Freed aim to establish Belly as a new community anchor where neighbors and visitors alike can meet, shop, eat, create community and pause for a moment to enjoy a taste of refined simplicity.

Belly General Store owners Melanie Manning and DJ Freed understand the importance of honoring and preserving the history of the former Fleeman's Pharmacy. Thorough research has revealed much about the space and the beloved place it holds in Atlanta's history.

Fleeman's Pharmacy and its famous soda fountain were a hot spot in the city for many years that attracted young and old alike, in search of chocolate, lime or even celery flavored Coca-Colas. The pharmacy was originally built in 1914 under the name Atkins Park Pharmacy and became Cox & Baucom in the 1930s; the era that some call “the golden age of soda fountains.” During this time there was a soda fountain on nearly every street corner, with ten pharmacies operating within a two-block radius along North Highland Avenue alone. Counter culture was at its height of popularity and provided a community space where neighbors, politicians and even teenagers networked, exchanged gossip and built community.

In the early 1900s a nine-mile trolley rail passed just outside of the pharmacy and made its way through Virginia Highlands, south to Ponce de Leon Avenue and north to Virginia Avenue. Homes and businesses prospered along the trolley line, making Virginia Highlands a bustling neighborhood and commercial district. The trolley rail was later dismantled as automobiles grew in popularity in the 1940s and ‘50s. Curbside service soon became a popular amenity at the pharmacy and Jack Fleeman himself got his start as a curb boy, bringing medicine, food and various other sundries out to waiting motorists. While working at the pharmacy, Fleeman learned the ins and outs of the business and grew close with the owners and loyal customers.

When Cox & Baucom were ready to retire, Fleeman was ready to take over. Cox & Baucom was renamed Fleeman's Pharmacy and remained Fleeman's until it's closing in the 1990s. Over the years, Fleeman grew close with his host of regular customers and was witness to any number of significant events in their lives. Countless sweethearts first met at his counter and it was the site of several marriage proposals. Jack Fleeman met his own future wife in the pharmacy. “She walked in wearing a purple dress and I said ‘That's the woman I'm going to marry,' ” Fleeman likes to tell with a smile.

The building with its renowned, vintage-style Coca-Cola mural remains an Atlanta landmark. Though, many Atlantans firmly believe that the Coca-Cola mural was originally painted in the early 1900s, it was actually created in 1982 in the style of an 1890s advertisement. The building's original old-world windows were once bricked over so that advertisements such as this one could adorn the wall. These beautiful windows are now uncovered and bring natural light into the Belly General Store, while still preserving the essence of the well-loved Coca-Cola mural.

Manning and Freed have truly strived to preserve the essence of the pharmacy as a whole by taking a community-based approach to their business. During lengthy discussions with Jack Fleeman, he bestowed his personal wisdom upon the owners of Belly General Store. “Being involved in the community was the key to my success,” Fleeman explained. “The community is truly what made me successful.” When Fleeman's closed, the original marble countertop from the soda fountain built in 1914 was preserved and now lines the new counter of Belly General Store. Here at the counter Manning and Freed hope to follow in Fleeman's footsteps and restore the counter culture that was once a mainstay of Fleeman's Pharmacy and the Virginia Highlands community.