The Oldest Store in Norcross
Did you know that Zapata’s Restaurant is the oldest store in town?
Formerly, it was known as Martin & Johnson and opened shop in 1899. It was the local grocery store in town with shelves filled with almanacs, cola, and caged chickens.
Between the second and third buildings of The Martin & Johnson’s stores was a small alleyway where shopkeepers gathered around a stump of wood to play competitive games of checkers. They laughed, played, and shared the town gossip.
Martin & Johnson was the heart of norcross where everyone came to hangout. After school kids would trade their pennies for candy and picked up the canned goods that mom needed for dinner.
Today, this old building does not sell soap, dry goods, or almanacs, but it does sell the best tacos, tequila, and tortillas around! Even though many things have changed in our little town since the time the grocery operated and Zapata’s came to be, one of thing that had been preserved is the entrance of the building.
How neat is it that we have such rich history in Downtown Norcross? Next time you stop by Zapata’s for tacos, make sure to transport yourself back in time to the late 1800s and imagine you were shopping in Martin & Johnson.
[Facts provided by: Then & Now: Norcross book that you can buy in our welcome center!]
