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RETAIL | MONEY & FINANCE \ DEVELOPMENT
ART SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Binders finds success at Ponce City Market
By Isadora Pennington
Ponce City Market is one of
the biggest redevelopment projects
undertaken in recent Atlanta history.
The building, once Sears, Roebuck
& Company and later City Hall East,
has been redesigned into a mixed use
development with living spaces, retail
spaces, work spaces, and a large food
hall.
In September of 2014, Ponce City
Market invited local art supply store
Binders to open a shop on the property.
Howard Krinsky, owner of Binders, was
intrigued by the concept behind the
revitalization of this historic property.
We sat together for a while and talked
about the history of the business
and their choice to open this newest
eastside location.
Binders was started 60 years ago, in
1955, as a gift shop on Broad Street in
Downtown. The shop, originally called
Binders Gift and Frame, was started by
Howard’s father, Moe Krinsky. Moe and
his brother Joe moved to Atlanta from
New Jersey in 1946 and started a small
bar, Moe’s and Joe’s, which is still in
operation in the Virginia-Highland.The
two have since passed, but their legacy
lives on through their businesses.
Art supplies were not always on
the shelves of the shop, however. “A
travelling salesman suggested they sell
art supplies,” said Krinsky. The shop
began carrying Permanent Pigments
Paint, a brand that’s now known as
Liquitex, and is now one of the biggest
paint distributors in the art supply
market.
Binders once had 16 stores spread
from Cleveland to Arizona. In the late
‘90s, the company began experiencing
financial problems and many of those
stores were closed. In 2001, Krinsky
and his late business partner, Jay
Shapiro, purchased the assets of the
company. Something wasn’t working,
and it was time for a change.
Change came via a reorganization
of company priorities. Krinsky
wanted to get involved with the local
art community. He set out to build
a rapport with the neighborhood,
develop relationships with
organizations and “get out from behind
the counter.” The company aimed to
become more than just an art store.
The new location falls in line
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Howard Krinsky, owner of Binders, spoke of the benefits and drawbacks of being one of the first
businesses to take up residence in the Ponce City Market complex.
with the organization’s desire to
maintain high standards and take
the company to the next level
in the community. When Ponce
City Market approached Krinsky,
opening a new location was not
something that was on the table
for the company.
The financial investment and
effort that goes into opening a
new, fully-stocked art supply store
could have been a deterrent to the
project, but Krinsky saw that the
plans for this historic property
were different. “They really had a
vision, which I liked,” he said.
The building that houses
Binders was initially Sears’ auto
repair building, and it was later
used for police car maintenance
during the City Hall East days.
Past and present meld nicely in
the 10,000 square feet shop, which
includes a gallery and classroom
and stocks around 26,000 products.
Historical remnants can
be seen throughout the shop,
from original hardwoods in the
entrance and on the counter that
were donated from the main
building of the market, to a
small metal sign that reads “Auto
Center Compactor.” Steel beams
above the doorways, exposed
original brick, and cross-aisles
were incorporations that Krinsky
was able to negotiate in the initial
build-out of the space.
The grounds were once home
to the Ponce de Leon Amusement
Park in the early 1900s, and
before that the land was known
for the Ponce de Leon Springs, a
natural spring that was believed
to have healing properties.
Upon becoming involved with
the property, Krinsky feels that
Above, reclaimed wood from the main building was
incorporated into the design of the shop.
Below, aisle after aisle is filled to the brim with sup
plies and tools.
22 July 2015 I iNtown
AtlantalNtownPaper.com