Snellville reaches major milestone with opening of Towne Center Market at The Grove

SNELLVILLE, Ga. — After years of planning and anticipation, downtown Snellville took a significant step forward this month with the opening of Towne Center Market, a key anchor of The Grove at Towne Center, the city’s long-awaited mixed-use downtown development.

City officials, developers and residents gathered Jan. 15 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of the Market building and Crooked Can Brewing Co., one of its flagship tenants. The event represents one of the first major activations of The Grove, a project designed to create a walkable city center where one did not previously exist.

Snellville leaders have long described The Grove as filling a gap in the city’s built environment by providing a centralized hub for shopping, dining, housing and community activity — a departure from the fragmented commercial corridors that previously defined much of the city.

The Towne Center Market is designed as a communal gathering space, combining dining, social areas and opportunities for local businesses under one roof. Crooked Can Brewing, a Florida-based craft brewery known for its food hall-style concept, anchors the Market and is expected to draw both residents and visitors to downtown.

Additional food vendors and businesses are expected to open inside the Market in the coming months as the space continues to fill out.

The opening marks a visible milestone in The Grove at Towne Center, an approximately 18-acre, $140 million public-private partnership intended to blend residential units, retail, office space, civic uses and green space into a centralized downtown district.

Several components of The Grove are already open, including The Tomlin apartments, the Gwinnett County Elizabeth H. Williams Library, Thrive Coworking, medical offices and nearby restaurants. Future phases are expected to add more housing, retail and public gathering spaces.

City officials say the opening of Towne Center Market signals a shift from planning to placemaking — turning years of vision into a functioning downtown that reflects Snellville’s continued growth.

As residents filled the Market during its opening celebration, the atmosphere reflected more than a new business launch. For many, it marked the long-anticipated arrival of a true downtown heart for Snellville.