 At the time, it was located in the exact geographic center of Atlanta and quickly became "the place to shop" for every Atlantan.The market building was owned by the City of Atlanta and operated by a lessor under a 50-year agreement.The Municipal Market quickly earned the affectionate nickname Sweet Auburn Curb Market, partly for the neighborhood that formed around it due to prevailing Jim Crow laws, and partly because blacks were only permitted to sell from stalls lining the curb.