On McLendon Avenue, the Old Flying Biscuit Block Is Filling In, One Storefront at a Time

"[Clay and Mike] are really dedicated to revitalizing Candler Park," Kristen Eber told Rough Draft Atlanta in July. Eber is the owner of Lucille's, the new shop on the corner of McLendon Avenue and Clifton Road. She said owners Clay Harper and Mike Nelson "made me a really good offer to take this space because they believed in my vision."

Rough Draft reported that the commercial block has been changing slowly since Flying Biscuit moved to DeKalb Avenue in 2024 after 30 years. Lucille's is one sign of that change. By mid-October 2026, most of the south side of the 1600 block has new tenants. Their hours, though, have changed what time of day the block is open. Among the new tenants, every storefront open to the public now opens at 11 a.m. or later. The morning business will come back only when Little Tart Bakeshop and its sister café, Midi, open their doors.

One old café space, now three tenants

Urbanize Atlanta laid out the changes in April. Three longtime tenants had left their storefronts: Flying Biscuit Café, Kelly's Closet, and Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party, which is now in Grant Park. Urbanize later clarified that Kelly's Closet stayed in the building. It closed its old shop and reopened toward the building's eastern corner. All of the leasing and build-out has been on the south side of the street, across from Candler Park Market and Gigi's Italian Kitchen & Restaurant.

Here is where each storefront stands as of October 12, 2026:

Lostintheletters gives its address as 1653 McLendon Ave. NE, Unit C. The Candler Park Neighborhood Organization lists Lucille's at 1653E McLendon. Both businesses now share the address that once belonged to a single café.

The open doors start at 11

The open tenants keep similar hours. Lucille's is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The Lostintheletters bookstore and reading lounge is open to the public on Friday and Saturday from noon to 7 p.m.

Lostintheletters does open earlier, but not to the public. The site describes the group as an Atlanta-based 501(c)(3) creative-writing organization. Its writing studio runs member sessions on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 3 to 7 p.m. The site lists no public drop-in writing time. The homepage gives slightly different member hours, Sunday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Both pages agree on the bookstore hours.

Here is the public schedule for the block's newest storefronts, day by day:

• Monday: neither new storefront lists public hours.
• Tuesday–Thursday: Lucille's, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
• Friday–Saturday: Lucille's, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Lostintheletters bookstore, noon–7 p.m.
• Sunday: Lucille's, noon–5 p.m.

Friday and Saturday afternoons are the only times both new storefronts are open to the public at once.

The dated calendar runs through November 8

Both open tenants also host events, and the dates they've posted fill the gap between now and the expected café openings.

Lucille's describes itself as an inclusive gift shop. Rough Draft listed its stock as gifts, size- and gender-inclusive lingerie, books, jewelry, and personal-care products. The CPNO profile notes it also has a curated adult-products section. Its fall calendar has a book club and a series of classes on intimacy and relationships. Sam Herman, the shop's resident sex educator, leads some of them. Rough Draft previewed the series in July.

1. Saturday, October 17, 6–9 p.m.: TOAST in the Poets Garden, a ticketed Lostintheletters event. Tickets are $35, $50, or $75, and the location is shared when you RSVP. It is the last 2026 event on the group's upcoming list.
2. Sunday, October 18, 5–6:30 p.m.: Kink for the Curious, a Lucille's class whose listing links to Herman's profile.
3. Sunday, October 25, 11 a.m.–noon: Come As You Are, a free book club with Kitty Baena.
4. Sunday, October 25, 5–7 p.m.: Sunday School: Ethical Non-Monogamy, a discussion followed by an optional meet-and-mingle.
5. Thursday, November 5, 6:30–8 p.m.: Twirl, Baby!
6. Sunday, November 8, 5–6 p.m.: Pleasure With(out) a Purpose.

Neither calendar has any December dates yet. Lucille's says it updates its events page regularly. For the wider neighborhood, CPNO's 2026 Halloween decorating contest is open to home and business addresses in Candler Park and Lake Claire. Registration closes October 22, and winners will be announced November 2. CPNO's events calendar for October through December lists only its regular board, zoning, and neighborhood meetings. There's no holiday shopping night on it so far.

Little Tart and Midi will bring back the morning trade

The next two tenants are the ones that will change the block's hours. What Now Atlanta reported in May that Little Tart Bakeshop would put its fourth location at 1643 McLendon Ave. NE, in the old Kelly's Closet space. The same team is also taking the unit next door for a sister concept called Midi. Founder Sarah O'Brien started Little Tart as a farmers market stand in 2010. Its current shops in Grant Park, Krog Street, and Summerhill serve a full espresso menu, baked goods, and pastries.

Midi is the newer idea. What Now reported that the team came up with it on a trip to Paris. It will sell sandwiches on house-made bread with local ingredients, plus salads, small bites, wine, and cocktails. It will also serve soft serve, borrowing from O'Brien's other concept, Big Softie. In July 2025, a CPNO post called the planned dessert concept Big Softie. The 2026 coverage uses the name Midi.

Here is the paper trail so far:

• May 28, 2026: Rough Draft and What Now both reported that the two shops were expected to open this fall.
• August 2026: CPNO's zoning agenda listed a Little Tart application for a malt-beverage, wine, and spirits license.
• October 8, 2026: Rough Draft's Quick Bites reported that Midi was hiring front-of-house staff and was expected to open "later this fall." No date was given.

The Little Tart website's locations page still lists only its three existing shops. The page isn't dated, so it doesn't settle whether the Candler Park shop is open. No public source gives an opening date for either shop, so for now both are coming later this fall.

The north side of the street hasn't changed

All of this activity sits across the street from businesses that have stayed put. Candler Park Market is still at 1642 McLendon Ave. NE. Gigi's Italian Kitchen & Restaurant is on the north side of the street too, and Urbanize places La Fonda Latina next to the storefronts that Little Tart and Midi are taking over. The businesses that left haven't gone far. Flying Biscuit is on DeKalb Avenue, and Dr. Bombay's is in Grant Park.

The new tenants have ties to the neighborhood, too. Eber grew up intown and worked in Candler Park at Flying Biscuit, at the boutique Mooncake, and at Salon Red before opening Lucille's. Two of her colleagues from Rosefinch Spa work at the new shop as well.

Earlier this month, the neighborhood celebrated the 25th anniversary of Candler Park Fall Fest on October 3 and 4 at 1500 McLendon Ave. NE. The festival had an artist market, food vendors, Kidlandia, live music, and a Sunday 5K. Little Tart and Midi, the 1600 block's last two openings, are expected later this fall.

If you live near this stretch of McLendon and are weighing how changes like these affect a home's appeal, we follow the block closely. Werner Homes Collective is glad to talk through what we're seeing on McLendon. Schedule a Free Consultation whenever it suits you.