The Corner Shop is owned by Tina Barnes, and was opened in April 2009. Tina is an ex-pat who finally decided to take a chance and combine her dreams of owning her own business with her longing for the foods of "home".

Tina, on being an ex-pat:

I was born and raised on the small island of Holyhead, off the coast of North Wales. As a teenager, I moved with my family to Derbyshire in England and stayed there until, at 21, my ambition to travel to the USA became a reality. I joined the Au Pair in America program and came to Marietta to live with an American family as their Au Pair for 12 months. It was one of the best years of my life and I absolutely fell in love with America and her many beautiful places!

Although Derbyshire is a beautiful part of Britain, and there are many happy memories there for me, my heart never really left Holyhead. When I think of "home", it's always thoughts of growing up in a small port town in Wales that come to mind - walking to Porthdafarch Beach to go swimming when the temperatures got anywhere close to 70 F, going blackberry picking, collecting tadpoles from the brook.

I can gaze for hours at photos of the North Wales coastline and it's beautiful beaches and peaceful places, and sometimes imagine myself there. There is a word the Welsh use for this longing for Wales, it's called "hiraeth" - there is no direct English translation, but it is used to describe the longing or yearning sensation one feels for a very loved place.

My hope is that by opening The Corner Shop, I will be able to live my American Dream and at the same time bring some of "home" home. I hope you enjoy the shop as much as I do!

Tina

The Corner Shop
114 S Park Square
Marietta, GA 30060

770-794-8747

tinabarnes@thecornershopga.com
tinabarnes@thecornershopga.com