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October 27-28, 2023
Southern Foodways Symposium ⟶
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October 27-28, 2023
Southern Foodways Symposium ⟶

Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region. If you would like to contribute to SFA’s oral history collections, please send your ideas for oral history along with your CV or Resume and a portfolio of prior oral history work to info@southernfoodways.org.

< Back to Oral History project: Atlanta’s Buford Highway

ORAL HISTORY

Harold Shinn, owner, Buford Highway Farmers Market

Buford Highway Farmers Market

Born to Korean immigrants in the United States, Harold Shinn picked up where his father left off, infusing Atlanta with a vast array of international grocery options. In 1974, Harold’s father opened Atlanta’s first Asian food store. After Harold’s freshman year at Emory, he helped his father lay the groundwork for what is now the Buford Highway Farmers Market.  Initially, they worked to lure mainstream customers, but when Atlanta’s Hispanic community began to grow, they saw an opportunity, and their international-style market was born.

Encompassing more than 100,000 square feet of retail space, the Buford Highway Farmers Market specializes in fresh produce, meat, and seafood, as well as a wide variety of packaged food products, all neatly arranged in supermarket aisles by their country of origin. Whether you’re looking for fresh kimchi or cow pizzle, you’ll find it at the Buford Highway Farmers Market.

Date of interview:
2010-04-03

Interviewer:
Kate Medley

Photographer:
Kate Medley

Download Transcript

“

For us, the importance of having produce up front…it signifies the freshness. It’s probably the most important single category that we have because it’s also the one category that touches all ethnic groups. And regardless of what part of the world they’re from, it’s the one commonality that they always have. ~ Harold Shinn

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