In East Atlanta, the Signs of Chic Are Emerging (excerpted from New York Times)

In the sprawling, 6,000-square-mile metropolis of Atlanta, where public transportation is limited and neighborhood hopping is best done by car, it's nice to know where to go for what. Sleek boutiques? Virginia-Highlands. Faux-bohemian cafés? Little Five Points. Glitzy shopping malls? Buckhead, of course.

And now Atlantans are quickly adding another cultural hub to their list: East Atlanta, home to a lively sprinkling of quirky shops, restaurants and nightspots that's reaching the crest in what has been a steadily rising wave of cool.

"New people are coming to this neighborhood every day," said Wondwesson Sadik, who opened his East Atlanta Arts & Antiques Bazaar in November in a former grocery store, a property he bought in 1997, when most surrounding shops were boarded up. "Just yesterday, someone came in and asked if they could lease the space for a new restaurant. But I said, 'not yet.' "

For now, Mr. Sadik is enjoying his shop's strategic position, just a short stroll away from East Atlanta's nexus - the intersection of Flat Shoals and Glenwood Avenues - where in the last year, new businesses have blossomed like peach trees in spring:

Sugar Britches is a shop that sells youthful dresses and bikinis, (404) 522-9098. Rare Footage sells very stylish sneakers, (404) 215-2188. Ventige Soul is filled with racks of urban-chic dresses and funky jeans made in house, (478) 335-9568. And Cantina La Casita, a Mexican restaurant on a side street, serves authentic tamales, enchiladas and fine tequilas, (404) 622-8081.

"Something is definitely happening around here," said Jerrald Goodloe, the owner of Rare Footage. "It's all finally coming together."