Synopsis:
In this interview with volunteer James Ottley, Buckhead native and Atlanta actor Andrew Isaac Benator (b. 1971) recalls a childhood on Mount Paran Parkway, schooling at First Montessori, Lovett, and Pace Academy, and a stage career that took him from Colgate and San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater to New York, and back to Atlanta in 2005, where his credits include the opening scene of Stranger Things and Scrooge in the Alliance Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. The heart of the interview is the history of West Paces Ferry Shopping Center, which his maternal grandfather, Edward Shetzen, developed from raw land in 1954-55. Benator traces the Shetzen family’s roots from Latvia and Lithuania to Atlanta, Edward’s work as an inventor and builder, and the financing of the center through the sale of his Biscayne Drive apartments and a loan from C&S Bank’s Mills B. Lane. He shares memories of early and beloved tenants, including A&P, Wender & Roberts, Gretchen’s, Panos and Paul’s, and Smith Ace Hardware, along with discoveries hidden in the walls during renovations. He also describes how the Shetzen family has owned and managed the center for generations, and its commitment to a mix of local, independent shops. The interview closes with community stories, including Officer David Mulkey’s role during the 2014 “Snowpocalypse.”
Biography:
Andrew Benator is a Buckhead native who grew up on Mount Paran Parkway, off Mount Paran Road near the country store, and attended The Lovett School and Pace Academy, where he acted in school plays. He is the grandson of Edward Shetzen, who developed the West Paces Ferry Shopping Center from raw land in the 1950s, and the great-grandson of Wolf Shetzen and Fannie Harris, Eastern European immigrants who settled in Atlanta and built a life in the grocery and real estate businesses. After working as a professional actor in San Francisco and New York, he returned to Atlanta, where he has become a fixture at the Alliance Theatre, including his long-running role as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, and at Theatrical Outfit. His film and television credits include The Founder, Game Night, and Stranger Things. He is a 2016 recipient of the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship.
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