It’s not as if Corner Market on Greenville and McCommas is empty every time I eat there, and perhaps I’ve just visited at odd hours, but I’ve never had to deal with lines or a lack of parking spaces — until lunchtime today. And I’m thrilled about it.

The little shop on the corner with its wall-o-bottled-drinks (my favorite is the Izze pear), fresh salads, and sandwiches so generous with meat that ordering chips is almost pointless, has obviously become a hot spot among neighbors. I ran into owner Chuck Cole while waiting in line, and he was just as kind as ever. When we featured the restaurant a few months ago, I asked him about his decision to open a cafe that closes before 9 p.m. on Lower Greenville, known for its nightlife and notorious for its high rent. It turns out he’s a commercial real estate broker and owns the place (along with the flower shop that’s now in the back and the space next door he rents to Society Bakery), so that made more sense. But it’s risky to open a restaurant these days, no matter whether you own or rent, and when I pointed that out, he told me that he lives in the neighborhood and knew the neighborhood needed something like Corner Market.

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Good answer. And yet another reason to be happy for his success — besides the fact that I really love the food.