"Individually, each intervention is modest." That line comes from Gentle Works, the Atlanta design studio leading the public-realm work at Morningside Village. You don't often see a designer call its own project modest. It fits here, though, because the owner of the shopping strip on North Highland Avenue NE has put its money into the spaces between the storefronts, a project Gentle Works says is meant to support "the restaurants, shops, and local businesses that give Morningside Village its character."
So this fall Morningside Village looks like a construction site. Paint, lighting and new crosswalks are going in around businesses, one of which has been there for almost 30 years. The only announced changes in who occupies the block are two dark storefronts with 2027 reopening dates. The rest of this post covers that work and what it means for an ordinary Saturday on the block.
An Owner Buying Up Intown Retail
Morningside Village belongs to 26th Street Partners, an Atlanta real estate investment firm. The AJC reported in July 2026 that the firm paid about $31.4 million for it in 2024, according to Fulton County property records. The property is a group of buildings totaling roughly 50,000 square feet on both sides of North Highland Avenue, inside the Morningside-Lenox Park neighborhood. Alon's Bakery & Market is on the same stretch but is not among the firm's parcels.
The firm owns other intown retail too. In a deal that closed September 25, 2025, 26th Street Partners bought the Krog District, which includes Krog Street Market, a food hall on the Eastside Trail. In May 2026 the AJC reported that the firm paid $17.3 million for two retail segments in Virginia-Highland, including the buildings that house Paolo's Gelato and San Francisco Coffee Roasting Co.
At Morningside Village, the announced plan is a refresh. The AJC's July 6 report listed the work as new lighting, landscaping, paint, awnings and artist murals, along with better wayfinding and "distinct crosswalks to clearly define the village as a cohesive district." The work described is all exterior and public-realm improvement.
What Is Going In, and Where It Stands
The Gentle Works project page lists the full scope of the work:
- Lighting
- Landscaping
- Paint
- Murals
- Signage
- Furnishings
- Awnings
- Pedestrian improvements
The design team has several firms. Good Company handles branding and marketing. Quenton Colby Studio handles paint and mural work. Gentle Works describes "a network of local artists, craftspeople, and fabricators" doing the fabrication and installation. The studio says it stayed involved through procurement and implementation, and that the project is meant to strengthen the district's identity "while preserving the qualities that have long made it a beloved neighborhood destination."
The AJC reported in July that work had started and was expected to finish in the fall. Gentle Works still lists the project as "Status: Under Construction." We haven't found any public update since July saying a specific piece is finished. That includes the murals, which have no individual artists named yet, and the crosswalks. If you walk the block this month, expect to see work in progress.
The Tenants Inside the New Paint
The AJC's July report named these tenants, and we found no public announcement since then of any of them leaving:
| Business | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| Doc Chey's Noodle House | A Morningside Village tenant for almost 30 years. Its storefront appears in the Gentle Works facelift renderings |
| Whiskey Bird | Named as a restaurant tenant in July 2026 |
| The Family Dog | Named as a restaurant tenant in July 2026 |
| Highland Fine Wine | Named as a tenant in July 2026 |
| Highland Runners | Named as a tenant in July 2026 |
| Intown Animal Hospital | Named as a tenant in July 2026 |
The Doc Chey's rendering is the clearest example of the approach. It shows planned upgrades to the storefront of a restaurant that has been on the block for nearly three decades. The money goes into the storefront and the space around it.
Where the Turnover Is: 1397 and 1402 North Highland
Morningside Village has two storefronts in transition this fall. Neither one has a 2026 opening date.
1397 North Highland Ave NE is the future home of Alere, a second restaurant from the team behind The Chastain in Buckhead, led by chef Christopher Grossman. According to the AJC's June 29 report, Alere is taking over the space most recently used by Nowak's Cantina. Before that, the space held Nowak's, prior to its change to the cantina concept, and earlier Morningside Kitchen.
What Now Atlanta reported that Alere will have a seasonal menu drawing on Southern European cooking, with locally sourced ingredients and classical technique. Summerour Architects and Smith Hanes Design are designing the space. Grossman described the restaurant as still in conceptual development and said menu and timing details will be announced closer to opening. The only public timeline is "2027." In its release, the team described the atmosphere as "shedding the constraints of classical fine dining" while keeping Grossman's "ingredient-driven philosophy."
1402 North Highland Ave NE, Suite 1 is Natural Body Spa + Med Spa Morningside, which is closed for a full renovation. The operator's location page says it expects to reopen in early 2027.
Neither business is new to the block. The spa is renovating its existing location, and Alere moves into a restaurant space that has turned over before. Both reopenings are scheduled for 2027. The one new business name announced for the block is Alere.
The Fixed Points Around the Construction
The construction is happening while the neighborhood's regular calendar continues around it.
The Morningside Farmers Market runs every Saturday from 8 to 11:30 a.m., year-round, at Morningside Presbyterian Church. The market's site doesn't announce any fall schedule changes.
The Morningside Lenox Park Association's Monster Dash 5K starts from the same church, 1411 N. Morningside Drive, on Saturday, October 24, at 8:30 a.m. The MLPA events page describes it as a 5K run/walk with costumes encouraged, plus a separate Kids Dash for children under 12. MLPA also lists a Morningside history walking tour on Saturday, November 14. Registration is required and the tour is limited to 20 people.
The market and the association both organize the neighborhood's weekends on their own schedules, apart from what happens on North Highland. Morningside Village is the commercial piece of that weekend, and right now it's mid-renovation, with two closed storefronts expected to reopen in 2027.
When a block's setting improves, that can show up later in how buyers see the streets around it. If you own nearby and want to understand what the Morningside Village work and Alere's 2027 opening could mean for your home's position, The Boyd Team is glad to talk it through with you. Request a Confidential Consultation and we'll go over the block with you.
