There are lots of great things about living in Intown Atlanta (as opposed to the suburbs, where I grew up). If I had to choose the one best thing about living in Intown Atlanta, I would probably say it’s being able to load up on socks while riding MARTA to and from work. And if you happen to drive on Memorial Drive with any regularity, you don’t even have to ride MARTA to get your sock fix. You can buy 100 socks (50 pairs!) for the low, low price of $10 at one of the many parking-lot sock dealers that line the thoroughfare.
I always wondered who the Sock Mogul was behind those dealerships, and my curiosity was definitely piqued the day a man carrying a big box full of something entered my MARTA train car and announced, “I stopped smoking rocks and started selling socks!” How could I not buy some? And who was this guy?
The AJC solves the mystery.
September 12th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Uhm . . . there’s another guy who frequents the Poncey-Highlands area who’s known as “Sockman”; he doesn’t sell socks.
September 12th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
What an awesome story.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Shaft, I believe it.
There’s another guy in that area named Wolf who frequented a soup kitchen where I sometimes volunteered. Rae Rae and I were driving through Little 5 Points one day and saw Wolf hanging out. I said to her, “Hey, there’s Wolf. He used to sell porn out of his overcoat over on Ponce.” (He would literally open his overcoat up to show you the publications he was offering for purchase, like the guy selling fake watches in the cliche.)
Rae Rae said, “What?! That is disgusting!”
I was taken aback. Rae Rae is not a prude (and she normally hears perfectly well). “Why is that disgusting? Everyone has to make a living somehow,” I answered.
“Why would anyone buy corn that’s been in someone else’s overcoat? It’s gross.”
September 12th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Well, if Wolf was Sockman, she would have thought he had the corn in his pants, if you get my drift.
September 13th, 2007 at 12:43 am
Intersting story, and one of the very, very few articles you’ll ever read written in second person. Enjoy it for either reason.
September 13th, 2007 at 9:03 am
It’s good to see an FSU education being out to good use, too.