A&R Ironworks, currently located at 552 Decatur Street will relocate later this fall to Tucker. According to an official with the newly created City of Tucker, A&R is reportedly one of many new businesses with plans to relocate to Tucker in the near future.
The metal fabrication business has been in operation since 1979 and has occupied the Decatur Street facility for the past 35 years. According to their website, A&R specializes in "design, fabrication, and installation services for complex architectural metal and structural steel projects."
John Chesnutt, President of A&R says, "Business is booming" and thus their new location is 40,000 square feet, which is four times the size of their existing facility.
A&R's new home is on Montreal Station, just off Montreal Circle, where they will join the corporate offices of both Sweetwater Pool Service and Abbadabba's. The Atlanta School of Gymnastics and The Atlanta offices of Inland Seafood are also nearby.
With A&R on the move to Tucker, their existing home was sold to King of Pops. The locally made popsicle purveyor began as a single cart in 2010, making their pops at the Irwin Street Market in the Old Fourth Ward. With tremendous growth and an ever-increasing product variety, King of Pops later expanded to their current operations base on Elizabeth Street near the BeltLine.
The current King of Pops headquarters serves as a manufacturing facility, distribution center, corporate offices and features a walk-up window for pedestrians. In addition to King of Pops, the Carse brothers also own Perfect 10 Foods, a food distribution company they started to distribute King of Pops and other locally sourced products. Perfect 10 products currently include Banner Butter, a locally made butter, Honeysuckle Gelato, locally made gelato and sorbet, and a host of other regionally produced natural products.
Although A&R has already sold King of Pops their Decatur Street property, the ironworks firm still occupies the site. A&R plans to relocate "in the fall" but an exact time frame seems undetermined.
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I spoke to Steven Carse of King of Pops regarding the move, but he was unable to provide many details as there are still a number of variables involved. The current King of Pops facility provides direct BeltLine access but is only 4,000 square feet, a size the growing company has seemingly outgrown. Carse indicated the company would not be leaving the Elizabeth Street facility when they take possession of the Decatur Street property, but one has to wonder if they might reduce their presence there in the future.
The new King of Pops facility, while not as close to the BeltLine, is near Decatur Street's intersection with Boulevard, Oakland Cemetery, the King Memorial MARTA station and the Cotton Mill lofts.
What are your thoughts on this exciting news? Are you an A&R customer or a fan of King of Pops? What is your favorite King of Pops flavor?
Please share your thoughts below.