By: Wood Alter
Change is coming to the stretch of Candler Park shops on McLendon near the Clifton intersection after The Flying Biscuit Cafe’s relocation last year, with rumors of newcomer Little Tart baking up excitement.
Since The Flying Biscuit moved last year, the space at 1655 McLendon Ave NE has remained unoccupied. Passersby may have noticed renovations being done over the past year, at the time of this writing, with what appears to be new floors and walls transforming the once-continuous space into three separate establishments. An employee of Kelly’s Closet shared plans to move into one of the spaces with an estimated opening in October, vacating their current storefront.
Sarah O’Brien, founder of The Little Tart Bakeshop and its soft serve-serving sister establishment Big Softie, confirms plans to open The Little Tart Bakeshop in the former Kelly’s Closet space and Big Softie in the adjacent storefront (the former Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party). The Little Tart location will be the fourth since Ms. O’Brien opened the first permanent location in Grant Park in 2011, and Big Softie will be the third since its Summerhill opening in 2019. Ms. O’Brien shared she has “loved Candler Park ever since [she] moved to Atlanta over 15 years ago” and has wanted to open a business on the stretch of McLendon in question for just as long.
While the specific opening date is “up to the construction gods” according to Ms. O’Brien, she hopes to begin serving Candler Park next spring. Candler Park residents and visitors can expect The Little Tart Bakeshop to offer similar delicious wares as its other locations, and when it comes to Big Softie they can look forward to “something else [they’re] cooking up” in addition to the frozen treats Big Softie is known for. When pressed on the exciting development, Ms. O’Brien kept mum, only saying “Stay tuned…”