For thirty years Jasmine Jamil has worked the counter at the small takeout shop at 66 Forsyth Street SW, next to a parking garage, greeting regulars by name. Her son Shafi Jamil had barely started school when his parents opened it. He became a mechanical engineer at Porsche, then took over the business in 2015 after his father Sal died.
The shop closed in November and reopened on January 23 under a new name — the Junction — after a full renovation.
"It's a legacy business that was in dire need of an uplift," Shafi Jamil told Atlanta Magazine. "It was dark and dirty from age; now it's bright and inviting with a cool, modern look."
Who paid for it
Invest Atlanta and South Downtown backed the work and gave the family a set of design options to choose from. New countertops, flooring, wall panels and signage; a divider wall removed to open the room up.
"It brought tears to my mom's eyes when she saw it," Jamil said. "We thought we'd have to close up shop — we didn't want to leave. It's uplifting and makes us feel like we have a fighting chance now."
Most downtown development news is about what is arriving. This is about what stayed — and what it costs to keep it. The shop has been busy since it reopened.
Reported by Atlanta Magazine.
