Show Me Christmas

The city of downtown Decatur Ga. is preparing for Christmas 2008, city workers started today on the annual event of hanging the Holiday Wreaths on the downtown lamp-posts.

Ride MARTA to downtown events this weekend

Ride MARTA to downtown events this weekend

By ARIEL HART

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday, November 07, 2008

MARTA suggests itself as Atlanta’s ride of choice to a raft of downtown events this weekend to avoid traffic congestion. But it suggests buying a round-trip ticket at the outset, because returning home the ticket lines downtown could be long.

According to MARTA, music and sports fans this weekend can get to the events listed below by taking the east-west MARTA line to the Georgia Dome/GWCC/Philips arena/CNN Center station. For events at the Georgia Dome, riders could also use the Vine City station.

The weekend events:

Philips Arena

* Friday: Atlanta Hawks vs. Toronto Raptors

* Saturday: How Sweet the Sound gospel choir competition

* Sunday and Monday: Tina Turner Concerts

Georgia Dome

* Sunday: Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints

Friday Night Decatur Bulldogs vs Lovett Lions @ Lovett

This will be the last game of the season for Decatur
let's hope they win.
Game time 7:30 pm @ Lovett

Two iconic small businesses shut their doors

Two iconic small businesses shut their doors

By CHANDLER BROWN
Photo : Dennis Whitefield

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Thursday, November 06, 2008

It looks like the nation’s economic crisis has claimed two of Atlanta’s most iconic small businesses.
On Thursday, Bob Carroll Appliance Co., a fixture in Decatur for decades, sat empty. And Happy Herman’s, a gourmet take-out joint and quick-serve lunch counter that had been on Cheshire Bridge Road since 1948, also was dark.

The phone at Bob Carroll, located in a strip shopping center at the corner of North Decatur and Clairmont roads, was disconnected. Multiple attempts to reach the owners this week were not successful.

“I hate to see another locally owned place go under,” said Lesley Harris, a 32-year-old television commercial producer who lives in Oakhurst. “It was really a good alternative to the big-box stores, where you don’t get that same personal care.”

Across town, Happy Herman’s on Cheshire Bridge closed July 31, owner Borz Zolali confirmed Thursday. Herman’s was best known as a deli and sandwich shop. But there was also a small market and a glass case filled with Joseph Schmidt chocolates, including the signature egg-shaped truffle. Herman’s also did a big business in made-to-order gift baskets.

“People just weren’t interested in spending money on gourmet items anymore,” said Zolali, who immigrated to the United States from Iran and bought the store nine years ago. “I guess it’s just a sign of the economy.”

Two independent Happy Herman’s locations — one on Johnson Ferry Road and one in Alpharetta — closed several years ago, Zolali said.

Experts say small businesses — no matter how long they’ve been around or how beloved they are — often operate on tiny profit margins. When times get tough, they often don’t have the capital to sustain themselves like a larger company might.

Further, with the nation in a credit and mortgage crisis, “customers are taking a hard look at what they really need and deciding the things they don’t really need, they’re not buying,” said Gregory Henley, director of the Russell Center for Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University.

Eating out and other expendable purchases are often the first to get cut out of the family budget, Henley said.

“People may not be going out to eat as frequently,” he said. “They may not be shopping. If they do go out to eat, they may not order the glass of wine or the second glass of wine like they used to.”

The slowdown in the housing market hit Atlanta-based Home Depot hard as well as Charlotte-based Lowe’s, both of which have reported lower-than-expected sales and layoffs. Some smaller appliance stores like Bob Carroll simply couldn’t hang on, Henley said.

“People are saying, ‘You know, I’m going to stick with the old refrigerator a little longer’ or ‘I’m going to try to fix the old dishwasher instead of buying a new one.’”

Henley has long touted metro Atlanta — with its booming population, good weather and the world’s busiest airport — as a great place to start a small business.

“That has not changed, even though we’re in a bad economy,” Henley said. “Over time, I think there’s a bright future for small businesses here and across the United States.”

Here's a little more info on the park & pay by your cell phone

Decatur goes to high-tech parking meters

Drivers can use their cell phones to pay for metered parking

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Hey brother can you spare a dime?

You won’t have to ask that question in Decatur anymore, at least not if you’re trying to park and lack the coins
The city has adopted new technology that allows drivers to pay for metered parking using a cell phone. The hi-tech meters are operating at the E. Court Square and N. McDonough Street lots at the heart of the city, adjacent to the downtown MARTA plaza and restaurant row.

They work with a phone call to 678-791-4116. An automated message will guide parkers through their first use, which is free. The transaction will yield a personal ID and password via text message. To use it again, the information will have to be logged into a Web site, www.goparknow.com, where a paid account will be established.

— Ty Tagami AJC

Renewal Construstion Inc has started a blog for the Decatur Community

Just wanted to let you know that Renewal has its own blog now! The content is going to focus on green topics and the Decatur community. I will add the link to my Decatur blogs.

Thanks Kelly for the info and adding me to your blog roll.

Terrific Thursdays Starts this Thursday at Participating Stores

Starting this Thursday Terrific Thursdays Returns to Decatur

Remember to make Decatur your shopping and dining “mallternative” this holiday shopping season, especially on Terrific Thursdays in November and December. You’ll find cool deals at Decatur's hottest shops, galleries and restaurants, from the west end of Ponce to the east, along Church Street and College Avenue, downtown and in Oakhurst village. Participating businesses will stay open late, offering beverages, snacks and special offers.

Art gallery to open in downtown Decatur

Art gallery to open in downtown Decatur

A new cooperative art and artisan gallery in downtown Decatur will be feted in a grand opening ceremony tonight from 5 to 10 p.m. The emerging artists whose work is on display share space and take turns working in the Decatur Market & Gallery, located in the former Boswell Gallery at 153 Ponce de Leon Place.

The gallery will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. A small art and handcraft market will operate in front of the gallery on Friday and Saturday evenings from 5 to 10 p.m.

The gallery is the first to be opened by the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces, a business group that puts on “Market Day,” weekly and monthly outdoor markets for artists and artisans in Atlanta, Decatur and Stone Mountain.

—- Donna Williams Lewis ..AJC

Election Night Party at Downtown Decatur Holiday Inn

•Tuesday 7 p.m. — Democratic Party of DeKalb County will hold an election night party at the Holiday Inn Downtown Decatur, 130 Clairemont Ave., Decatur. This is a free, ticketed event. For on-line tickets, electionnighttickets08@gmail.com . AJC.

THE PINK PIG IS BACK

2008 Priscilla the Pink Pig. A train ride through a life-size storybook that includes the original Pink Pig and her friends. Under the big tent in the Lenox Road upper-level parking deck. Benefits Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays, Nov. 1-Dec. 30; noon-6 p.m. Sundays, Nov. 1-30 and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays, Dec. 7-28. Plus, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Jan. 1-3 and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Jan. 4 (except 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Nov. 28; and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 24 and Dec. 31). Closed Nov. 27 and Dec. 25. $3; on Nov. 1, Macy’s at Lenox Square, 3393 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta. 770-913-5639, www.macys.com/pinkpig.

Three or four years ago I made a comment on the AJC when they were asking about memories of The Original RICH'S Pink Pig. And they took my comment from hundreds and
published it in The Atlanta Journal here is the comment I said :

Pink Pig' Rides Again at Atlanta Department Store.

Byline: Renee Degross

Oct. 31--Dennis Whitefield's parents used to let him skip school to ride the Pink Pig at Rich's old downtown store. The next day, the note for teachers would say, "Please excuse Dennis ... as he was sick of school."

Starting Saturday, Whitefield and other Atlantans with fond memories of the ride -- along with those too young to remember it -- will have a chance to see the new version at the Rich's-Macy's at Lenox Square.

WHAT ARE YOUR MEMORIES ?
If you have a picture of yourself riding the Original Pink Pig please share with us.
give us the link or send it to me to post.


**********************************************************************************
Two holiday traditions associated with Rich's were the Great Tree and the Pink Pig.


Two holiday traditions associated with Rich's were the Great Tree and the Pink Pig. Starting in 1947, the Great Tree, conceptualized by executive Frank Pallotta, was a massive real evergreen that was set up on top of the multi-level glass skybridge connecting the main downtown Atlanta store with the Store For Homes across Forsyth Street. After the closure of the downtown store in 1991, the Great Tree, and the annual Thankgsiving evening tree-lighting festivities, moved to nearby Underground Atlanta. After several years of poor attendance, the Tree was moved to the top of the Men's Store at the Lenox Square location. This placed the tree on the corner of the mall closest to the prominent intersection of Peachtree and Lenox Roads. The tree lighting ceremony traditionally features country and pop music performers from Georgia, such as Kenny Rogers, several choirs from local churches, and a rendition of "O Holy Night" with the tree being lit by a child during the high note of the line "O light divine."

The Pink Pig was a child-scaled monorail that originally circled the toy department in the downtown Store for Homes. After several years, it was moved to the roof of the Store For Homes building. The front car of the train had a pig's face, and the last car had a curly tail. The original train featured Priscilla Pig, while a second train added to the track was named Percival. For many years after the closure of the downtown store, the Pink Pig was set up at the Festival of Trees at the Georgia World Congress Center. During the Rich's-Macy's era, in an effort to show respect for the traditions of Rich's, a redesigned Pink Pig, this time a child-sized train rather than a monorail, was set up on the top level of a parking deck at Lenox Square Mall under an enormous pink tent. The train ride takes children (and adults, who can now fit) through a storybook tale of Priscilla Pig. The original Pink Pig monorail cars are now at the Atlanta History Center where they are occasionally displayed.

PITCH & PUTT LIQUOR STORE

This Pitch & Putt has been around for as long as I can remember.
It's in the Decatur/Atlanta area.
They have a Drive-Thru window.
How many liquor stores have that.

Dairy Queen circa 1955

This Dairy Queen was located at 78 Avondale Rd. Decatur, Ga.

circa 1955

Blessed Trinity over Decatur Bulldogs 34-0

Decatur lost their Halloween Game to Blessed Trinity 0-34

Happy Halloween..... A Vincent Price Tribute

Decatur Bulldogs vs Blessed Trinity Friday Night

This will be the Bulldogs last home game this season in their new Stadium and it's Halloween night,
so it won't be that many people there.
Game time: 7:30

Halloween Friday at Brick Store Pub starts at 1:00 PM

Friday, October 31st 2008
One of Atlanta's best Halloween parties - Great parade of costumed contestants looking to bag big $$. Plenty of scares and laughs...and let's be honest, who knows what you'll see! No one under 18 please.

Crescent Moon to reopen as Thumbs Up Diner

Here is the news about Crescent Moon and Thumbs Up Diner

Crescent Moon to reopen as Thumbs Up Diner
Popular Decatur eatery to open doors in two or three weeks

By CHANDLER BROWN

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Thursday, October 30, 2008

When Amber Wiley met a friend for lunch last week at Crescent Moon in Decatur, she was surprised to find the doors locked. A note on the door said the popular diner would reopen soon.

Founder and former owner Rob Atherholt “will be taking it back ASAP,” the note reads. “We will remain closed for some repairs and maintenance and reopen shortly.”
But there’s a little more to the story. While the restaurant on West Ponce de Leon Avenue is tentatively set to reopen late next month, it will not be Crescent Moon. It will be Thumbs Up Diner, which currently has locations in downtown Atlanta, Edgewood Avenue and East Point. Thumbs Up founder Lou Locricchio confirmed the plans this week.

Locricchio and Atherholt recently bought the restaurant’s assets from Crescent Moon’s parent company, which filed for bankruptcy last summer. The Crescent Moon name remains tangled in a legal battle related to the bankruptcy filing, Atherholt said.

“It could be six months before that’s settled,” he said Thursday. “I just don’t have that kind of time.”

Thumbs Up features a menu similar to Crescent Moon’s — from omelets with quirky ingredients like squash and black olives to more traditional fare like biscuits and fried chicken — but there will be some changes. The restaurant will no longer serve alcohol, and it will no longer be open for dinner.

“We’re going to be more like the original Thumbs Up,” Locricchio said.

The restaurant will employ most of Crescent Moon’s servers and cooks from before Atherholt sold the businesses a year ago. Atherholt said he hopes to reopen in two to three weeks.

“Well, I’m sorry to see Crescent Moon gone,” said Wiley, 31, a mother of two from Lilburn. “But I’m glad it’s coming back in some form.”

A brief history lesson: In 1984, Locricchio opened the first Thumbs Up Diner on West Ponce de Leon Avenue in Decatur. In 1995, he sold the concept to Atherholt, who changed the name to Crescent Moon and moved it a block up the street. For more than a decade, the restaurant attracted families, professionals, judges and others from around metro Atlanta.

“It was always a great place to meet friends and have a good meal,” said Julie Duggins, 32, who has lived just off the square for eight years. “I hope Lou and the old gang are able to get the place back up and running very soon.”

In October 2007, Atherholt sold Crescent Moon to Global Restaurant Group LLC. In recent months, the menu was altered, mirrors were installed and the general feel of the place changed. Global Restaurant Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July and closed the doors of Crescent Moon on Oct. 19.

The futures of Crescent Moon’s satellite locations at Northlake Mall and the Mall of Georgia are uncertain, Atherholt and Locricchio said. The Northlake restaurant remained open Thursday, but Mall of Georgia was not. Phones at both locations were disconnected, and the Crescent Moon Web site (crescentmooneatery.com), which was functional Wednesday, was down Thursday afternoon. A message on the home page read: “We’re out to lunch! Check back often to see what we’re doing next.”

The attorney representing Global Restaurant Group, Paul Reece Marr, did not respond to phone calls and e-mails seeking comment.

Locricchio insists the restaurant — despite a new name and slightly different menu — will restore the funky, friendly atmosphere that made Crescent Moon Decatur a favorite for years.

“Crescent Moon just wasn’t Crescent Moon anymore,” he said. “People wanted a good, well-run breakfast and lunch place in that area, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Vintage Halloween Costumes and Trick or Treat Bags.

wordcraft.net These images are copyrighted and appear and belong to. : http://www.wordcraft.net/

Park Now Pay By Cell

New for Downtown Decatur / Pay-By-Cell Phone Parking Option.
It's quick , easy and your first session is free.
Read all about this cool feature over at The Decatur Minute.

KING TUT & CHINA'S TERRACOTTA ARMY

Buy Tickets Now.

Downtown Avondale makeover

Vote likely on downtown Avondale makeover

By APRIL HUNT

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


Avondale Estates commissioners could decide on the plan that will remake a large chunk of downtown Avondale Estates.

A developer wants to bring in condos, shops and a Publix grocery store to a four-block area just west of the central DeKalb County city’s Tudor-esque downtown.
The project has been in negotiations since March. City officials and Century Retail said a development agreement that will move the plan forward is finally ready.

“It has been give and take, but it’s done,” said City Manager Clai Brown.

Century, which plans to demolish buildings between Franklin Street and North Avondale Road, has agreed to additional landscaping and even a trellis to keep the leafy feel of the small town.

For its part, the city won’t charge the developer for Lake Street, which must be abandoned and turned into a private roadway, according to designs of the project.

City officials hope the project will inject cash into city coffers. Fees from building permits on the 28,800-square-foot Publix, which is to be built above first-floor shops, could bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Because of the downturn in the economy and the delays in getting the development agreement, though, the Publix will not open in summer 2009, as had been planned.

Instead, Century officials said they expect the store to open in the last quarter of 2009.

The agreement has performance bonds to make sure the project continues, or else Century must pay the city.

Century plans to begin interior demolition as soon as the city commission approves the deal. It could take another 90 days for DeKalb County to issue demolition permits to level the buildings.

Crescent Moon will now be Thumbs Up Diner

Everyone has been waiting to see what happens with Crescent Moon, and now we know Thumbs Up Diner is moving in. Read all about it over at Decatur Metro.

h/t to Decatur Metro

HAUNTED PIRATES IN DECATUR

This is a cool Halloween decorated front yard. Haunted Pirate Ship and all.
Located on Adair St. in Decatur
Check out Nancywilkson.com
she has a short video.

Who remembers Plaza Drugs?

Great drawing of Plaza Drugs on Ponce.
visit : Linn Print Works

Plaza Drugs was located in the same shopping strip where the Plaza Theatre is.

Another Great Halloween House

Location:
Kings Hwy
Decatur, GA.

This week at TWAIN'S

Tuesday, October 28
8:30pm
Joe Gransden Jazz Night
Thursday, October 30
8:00pm
Christabel and the Jons

Fright Night @ Fernbank's Martinis & IMAX

2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off -- Sunday, November 16th @ Steinbeck’s

* 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off -- Sunday, November 16th in the Steinbeck’s Back Parking Lot. Setup at 9:30AM. Cooking from 10:30AM till 12:30PM. Judging from 12:30PM till4:00 PM. 25 entries with a $10 entry fee. 5 restaurant contestants with a $50 entry fee, see Marc.
Rules... Must sign up at Steinbeck’s prior to event; Must cook MEAT on Site; All other prep may be done ahead of time; NO ROADKILL; Must be willing to eat your own chili upon demand; Supply all of your own cooking equipment (Burner, Propane, Utensils, Rags, Cooler with ice for your food ingredients to maintain food safety, etc.). We supply cooking tables, serving cups, napkins, spoons (for customers), crackers and napkins. Must prepare 3 to 5 gallons of Chili for patrons and judging (remember, there is a people’s choice cash prize so you don’t want to run out). City ordinance (and our entrepreneur spirit) forbid you from brining your own beer, wine or alcohol). However, you may purchase alcohol from Steinbecks (we have a license, you don’t, ha!).
Three Chef Judges: Kevin Rathbun- Chef owner of Rathbun’s, Rathbun Steak, and Krog Bar; Michael Deihl- Chef of the East Lake Country Club, President of the American Culinary Federation, Certified Executive Chef; Kit Kiefer- Corporate Chef for SWAN foods, Certified Executive Chef. 1-10 scoring scale based on: Aroma, Appearance, Texture, Taste and Creativity. Total Score=Total points from above.
Winners... First place: $300 cash and your name on the eternal chili trophy to be housed at Steinbeck’s for all eternity. Second Place: TBD. Third Place: TBD. People’s Choice: Each patron of the event will receive ONE voter ballot to pick their favorite and their least favorite chili. The contestant with the most votes will win the people’s choice award, prize, and spot on the eternal trophy.
For more information or to enter call 404-373-1116.

Steinbeck's Restaurant Hours:
Dinner served 7 Days a Week (5PM - 11PM)
Lunch served 7 Days a Week (11:30AM - 2PM)
Brunch served on Sunday (11:00AM - 3PM)
Bar open late. Call for details.

659 East Lake Drive, Suite B
Decatur, GA 30030
404.373.1116

Are you having computer problems... you need The Kim Komando Show

America's Digital Goddess
The Kim Komando Show

''She's that big!'' -- CBS News

Kim's weekly three-hour call-in talk radio show is heard (via her own national radio network called WestStar) on over 450 stations.in Atlanta Sunday night @ 9:00pm (WSB-AM 750 ) In addition, she does a Digital Minute radio feature five days a week; has written nine books about life in the digital age; sends out 5 million e-mail newsletters weekly; and authors a widely syndicated newspaper column, which also runs in USA Today.com. She does all of this, while raising a son and operating a growing media empire, with her husband and associate, Barry Young.

“I am relentless in my pursuits,” says Kim. “It’s a lot of hard work, but when you dig what you do, it makes it a lot more fun.”

A pioneer in marketing and training for home computers, recently won the 2007 Gracie Award, voted by Talker's Magazine "Woman of the Year" and the answer to a question in the game Trivial Pursuit, Kim has evolved into a national digital guru. “It’s not about techies and computer-troubleshooting anymore,” she says. “It’s now about a lifestyle – the lifestyle of a digital age.”

Kim's columns appear in over 100 newspapers, including USA Today and Microsoft's Small Business Web site.

Anything computer, camera's,printers,laptops...any problems she can help.
She can also tell you what's best for you.

WHIT'S END... We will be offering discounts, snacks, and free wine this Friday for the WePo (West Ponce) Fab Fridays.

Happy Halloween To All,

We will be closing early on the 31st at 6p.

We will be offering discounts, snacks, and free wine this Friday for the WePo (West Ponce) Fab Fridays. Then in November and December join us each Thursday evening for Terrific Thursdays when we will offer the same.

Patagonia shoes have gotten a great response! New in are Woolrich Slippers, belts and wallets from Columbia and Levi's/Dockers. Flyshacker is enroute and is very cool! Lots of comfortable flannel, and new this year....robes!

I've been reading some of the blog comments recently, and really want to urge everyone to please think of the local shops of Decatur first when shopping this holiday season. We really need and rely on your support, and for those of us that give to the community, it is the perfect time to show us how much you appreciate it. One of the main issues I read about is the perception that the shops are too expensive, and for those of you who have been in, please pass the word that Whit's End is a place for Decaturites to shop with merchandise and prices that cater to the local economy.

So, Greg and I will look forward to hopefully seeing you all in the next few weeks.

Best, Jeff
***********************

Go check out this store, it's cool. Tell them Next Stop...Decatur sent you.
"Shop Y'all...Y'all Shop" at Whit's End...

Upcoming events at Wordsmith's

Click here to see the upcoming events at Wordsmith's.

November 1 - New South Reading Series
November 3 - Raghaven Iyer
November 8 - Poetry Atlanta
November 9 - Second Sundays with Working Title Playwrights
November 21 - Sheila Lukins
November 22 - Amanda Petrusich
December 14 - Second Sundays with Working Title Playwrights

Check out the new 2009 calendar's at HELIOTROPE

Heliotrope
248 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, GA 30030
404.371.0100

Mon-Thu: 10am - 10pm
Fri-Sat: 10am - 11pm
Sun: 11am - 8pm

CLICK ON LOGO FOR WEBSITE FOR ALL YOUR HOLIDAY NEEDS, CHRISTMAS WILL BE HERE VERY SOON.