"My goal is to keep it Parker's and to keep it thriving," co-owner J.T. Scott told Decaturish after he put the steakhouse on Decatur Square up for sale. He made the comment this fall, when three familiar downtown Decatur addresses all entered some form of ownership change. Kelly's Market on East Howard Avenue has a new owner. Parker's on Ponce is for sale. The space at 129 Church Street, closed since Revival shut down, is about to get a new restaurant.
Each sale moves a different bundle of things from one owner to the next, and that bundle is the best guide to how much of the place you know will still be there in the spring.
Kelly's Market Sold the Whole Operation
Sean Crotty opened Kelly's Market at 308 E. Howard Ave., next to Smiley's Burgers, in 2019, and listed it for sale earlier this year. The buyer is Terminus Market & Provisions Company, a group made up of William Atchison, Cian Holmes, Jude Holmes and Stephen Manguno, according to a city memo Decaturish reported on.
What the group bought matters more than who they are. Per that memo, the new co-owners took over "ownership and all business operations from the previous owner, Sean Crotty, including the deli that the community has come to enjoy since this grocer opened in 2019." The Decatur City Commission approved transferring the market's alcohol license, on the condition that the sale close by Oct. 30. On Oct. 18, What Now Atlanta reported that the group had bought the market that month and that Crotty is looking to retire.
That means the 4,000 square feet of sandwiches, deli classics, groceries and wine and beer, from Old World bottles to local craft cans, changed hands as a working store. The new owners haven't announced any changes, and What Now couldn't get details on their plans when it confirmed the sale. Of the three handovers, this one has the most continuity built into the deal itself.
Parker's on Ponce Is Selling a Name, a Lease and a Kitchen Team
Parker's, at 116 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., is a different kind of sale. On Oct. 6, ATL Vibes & Views reported that the steakhouse is listed at $495,000, with owner financing available. Earlier coverage put the price at about $500,000. The buyer gets the operating business and its leasehold assets. The building and the land aren't part of the sale. The package is the Parker's name, the existing business, the equipment, the buildout, and the right to stay in the space under a transferred or renewed lease.
The listing's own label is "Keep or Convert." A buyer could keep Parker's going or put a different concept into the 5,000-square-foot room, which has 150 seats, a full bar and a patio. That one phrase is the main difference between Parker's and Kelly's. At Kelly's, the deal was for the operation itself. At Parker's, the deal is for a space that comes with an operation, and keeping that operation is up to the buyer.
Scott has said which outcome he hopes for. After nearly 18 years, he told Decaturish he is stepping back from running the restaurant and would consider staying on for a while to help a new owner get started.
"It's difficult when you love something as much as I've loved this restaurant," Scott told Decaturish. "It's difficult because it's part of your identity."
The listing also says the executive chef, general manager, bar manager and two sous chefs are prepared to stay under new ownership. ATL Vibes & Views points out that this is a statement in a sales listing, and it doesn't guarantee who will still be there when a deal closes. For now, nothing has changed for diners. Parker's is still serving dinner and taking reservations. The same outlet describes it as the room people book "when somebody turns forty or a rehearsal dinner needs to be walkable from the courthouse lawn." As long as the sale is pending, holiday reservations go through the current operation.
At 129 Church Street, Nothing Carries Over
Chef Kevin Gillespie's Revival closed at 129 Church St. in early 2023 after eight years. The next tenant is Muchacho, an all-day taco shop with a West Coast feel that already has locations on Memorial Drive along the Beltline and in West Midtown. Decatur will be its third.
This is the third kind of handover. No business is changing owners and no name is being kept. An established brand is moving into a dark room. The paperwork is mostly finished: the city has issued the certificate allowing the restaurant to open to the public, police reviewed and approved the application, and the City Commission approved Muchacho's alcohol license. A city memo says the restaurant will have live entertainment.
There's still no opening date. On Oct. 1, What Now Atlanta reported that none had been announced, and in late October the Muchacho Decatur page still said "coming soon." The restaurant's Instagram post put it simply: "Oh, hey Decatur. Looks like we're gonna be neighbors."
What Each Deal Moves From One Owner to the Next
Side by side, the three addresses show how much a regular can expect to carry over:
| Address | What changed hands | What the deal keeps | Status this week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly's Market, 308 E. Howard Ave. | The business and all its operations | The deli and the market as a working store | Sold in October; no changes announced |
| Parker's on Ponce, 116 E. Ponce de Leon Ave. | Name, equipment, buildout and lease rights | Whatever the buyer chooses, under "Keep or Convert" | Open, taking reservations, listed for sale |
| 129 Church St. | An empty space that was formerly Revival | Nothing from the prior restaurant | Muchacho licensed; opening date not announced |
Moving down the table, each deal locks in less of what came before. Kelly's had its continuity written into the sale. At Parker's, continuity is offered but not promised. The Church Street space is starting over. For diners, the time to go to Parker's under its current team is clearly while the listing is still open, and that window overlaps with the busiest stretch of the downtown calendar.
The Holiday Calendar Runs Through the Same Blocks
Downtown's events from early November through mid-December are held on the same streets where these changes are happening. The Church Street events take place on the same street as the future Muchacho, and the Wine Festival takes over the square Parker's sits on.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. The Decatur Wine Festival fills downtown at 101 E. Court Square. It is 21 and up and happens rain or shine. Parker's is on East Ponce, right on the square.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The city's Small Business Saturday takes place at Decatur MARTA Plaza, 400 Church St.
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 6 to 8 p.m. The Decatur Tree Lighting is at the same MARTA Plaza.
- Thursday, Dec. 17, 6 to 7 p.m. For Terrific Thursdays, participating shops and restaurants stay open late with discounts, holiday open houses and receptions.
Kelly's, over on East Howard Avenue, will be under its new owners for the whole season. It's also the one stop on this list that comes with a full deli, if you need sandwiches for a crowd before the tree lighting.
When a building in Decatur changes hands, the same question comes up as with these restaurants: what actually transfers with it. That includes the finishes, the improvements, and the story buyers attach to the address. If you're thinking about what your own home would carry into a sale, Molly Carter Gaines can walk you through it, starting with a home value estimate grounded in what's happening on your streets this fall.
