Lotus blooms on Liberty Expressway: Storm-damaged Dougherty County store gets new birth

ALBANY – For years, Dougherty County Commissioner Anthony Jones took a “whipping” from constituents about an eyesore on the Liberty Expressway, a former convenience store that had been heavily damaged by a January 2017 tornado.

On Wednesday, the renovated building was back in business as a convenience store that has some extras, including a Krispy Krunchy Chicken franchise inside.

The process to make that happen has been a lengthy one, with some former owners declaring bankruptcy before the Patel family took ownership in 2021 and started moving forward with the project of repairing the property.

“We had to turn the whole place around,” said Rushabh Patel, the co-owner of the 1000 Liberty Expressway store with brother Nil Patel, which they branded “Lotus.” “We were planning to be here in February of ‘23. It’s taken a little time.”

In addition to the Krispy Krunchy Chicken, the store will bring in its own Lotus branded breakfast sandwiches and biscuit bowls in coming weeks.

“We’ll have lots of food, also some groceries,” Patel said. “We feel like this is a little bit of a food desert. This will help people who can’t drive into Albany. We like to have a wide base, a foundation to serve our customers.”

Although the renovation work hit some delays, the big day finally came on Wednesday, with the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce handling the ribbon-cutting ceremony and guests that included Jones and Dougherty County Commissioners Victor Edwards, Russell Gray and Ed Newsome.

“We felt like it was important to have the grand opening and the ribbon-cutting on the same day,” Patel said.

For Jones, there was a great deal of excitement surrounding the opening. During the time the building sat empty and in disrepair, he frequently fielded complaints from residents of District 6 about the appearance of the site.

“This thing has been a thorn in my side,” he said. “I’ve taken a lot of whippings from the constituents of District 6 and (from) the city of Albany and Dougherty County.

“I’m just as happy as I can be, just like I’m opening up a store myself. We’re excited. This is a good day for the residents of Dougherty County.”

The commissioner, who along with other guests signed the “first dollar” for the store, which will be framed for display, also had a message for some of those who have kept his phone ringing about the site.

“Those who whipped me, I want to invite them to be the first customers, and to be regular customers,” Jones said. “The Patels are here for this community.

“We’ve developed another dilapidated piece of Dougherty County.”

The damaged store also is at a location on a busy roadway leading into Albany, Jones said, so its condition gave those arriving into the county a negative impression. He estimated that renovating an existing building instead of razing it and building from scratch probably saved the new owners $1 million in demolition and construction costs.

Helping to make final preparations and set up promotions for Krispy Krunchy Chicken, company training consultant David Hannan said the food is known for its Cajun flair. Although it is not made to be as spicy as the stereotypical Cajun dishes, it is full of flavor, he said.

“We call it perfectly Cajun,” Hannan said. “It’s very well-seasoned.”

The company has about 3,000 locations across the country, he said.

The menu includes chicken tenders and biscuits, fried chicken, wings and a number of side dishes, including macaroni and cheese, chicken and sausage jambalaya and red beans and rice. The company has meals priced at affordable prices and family deals.

“Right now, we’re featuring our new sandwich, our Cajun sandwich,” he said.

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]
Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]