The Kroger at 725 Ponce de Leon Ave. — known as Murder Kroger for its unfortunate crime connections — is closing Oct. 28 to make way for an office tower and a new building for the supermarket. A candlelight vigil, or “CandleLIT Vigil” as it’s being billed on Facebook, will be held in the parking lot form 7 p.m. to midnight on Oct. 27.
As of this morning, nearly 1,000 people have indicated on Facebook that they will attend the event. The organizers – Rowyn Hirsch, Hailey Mychal Stambek and Rachel Bowen – have turned the vigil into an opportunity to give back to the community and are encouraging those attending the event to bring a donation of food for the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
The store will be demolished to make way for the 725 Ponce development, a 12-story office building, which will feature a new 60,000-square-foot Kroger on the ground floor. The new Kroger is expected to open in early 2019.