Taco Mac expanding in town and out of state

Taco Mac, which began in 1979 as a dive bar and wings restaurant, has expanded over the years to become a serious contender in the metro Atlanta casual dining market. Here, bartender Rachel Kelly, 21, pours a Bass for a customer at Taco Mac on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. ELISSA EUBANKS / eeubanks@ajc.com

Taco Mac expanding in town and out of state
Metro Atlanta-based restaurant chain has gotten more sophisticated as it has grown

By JOE GUY COLLIER

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Monday, November 17, 2008

Bob Campbell, president of Atlanta-based Tappan Street Restaurant Group, has learned to be careful with the changes his company makes to its Taco Mac restaurants.

Taco Mac managers decided a few years ago to fix the storefront clock at the original Virginia-Highland location. It had been stuck at 7 for years.
“We got all kinds of phone calls and e-mails from people saying, ‘As long as I’ve been going to Taco Mac in Virginia-Highland, it’s always been 7 o’clock’,” Campbell said. “We fixed it for like a day.”

As Taco Mac grows, Campbell and Tappan walk a line between preserving an Atlanta fixture and opening some of the area’s most modern sports restaurants and bars.

Started in 1979 as a dive bar and wings restaurant, Taco Mac has expanded to become a major player in the Atlanta casual dining market. Taco Mac has added sites this year in Cumming, Midtown and Philips Arena to bring the chain to 22 restaurants overall.

It has three more restaurants planned in 2009. Taco Macs are expected to open in Canton, The Prado in Sandy Springs and Charlotte. The parent company also will open a new concept in Brookhaven called Deckard’s, a slightly more upscale restaurant.

In many ways, Taco Mac has grown up and out with Atlanta, said Harold Shumacher, a local restaurant real-estate broker and president of the Shumacher Group.

College-age residents became familiar with the original site in the 1980s, Shumacher said. As this first wave of customers got older, they moved to the suburbs and Taco Mac followed them, he said.

Taco Mac is becoming more polished as it opens new restaurants, Shumacher said. The Midtown location has a modern interior design inspired by a cascading glass of Guinness beer.

“They have taken their stores up not just a notch but several notches,” Shumacher said. “These are slick, state-of-the-art, very contemporary, thoughtfully built-out facilities. They don’t have a grubby pub look.”

Taco Mac, though, could soon run out of room to grow in Atlanta, Shumacher said. The challenge is transferring its brand to new markets, he said.

Taco Mac’s only location outside of metro Atlanta is in Chattanooga. People in places such as Nashville, Charlotte and Orlando might mistake it for a Mexican restaurant at first glance, Shumacher said. “The challenge there is name-brand recognition,” he said.

Taco Mac has dealt with a misunderstood identity since it was started in 1979, said Campbell, president of Taco Mac’s parent company.

The chain goes by Taco Mac, even though Buffalo wings are the main attraction, because the founders started the restaurant at the site of a former taco shack. They decided to spend money to renovate the kitchen instead of buying a new sign.

Customers wouldn’t stand for a different name now, Campbell said. “We’ll never change the name,” he said.

Taco Mac, though, has altered its strategy in some key areas, Campbell said.

It added draft beer after managers visited a tavern in California in the early 1990s that featured a wide selection of beer on tap. The move also coincided with the rise in popularity of craft beer.

It added more TVs after noticing big crowds during the Braves’ worst-to-first playoff run in 1991.

Taco Mac is now expanding with a clearer vision of the brand, Campbell said. Every new restaurant has about 100 beer taps and a dizzying array of flat-panel televisions.

The chain also is using its size in metro Atlanta to increase its credibility with beer geeks, said Fred Crudder, Tappan Street’s beverage director.

Taco Mac has negotiated exclusive releases of some craft beers as they enter the Atlanta market. The events have drawn traffic on normally slow nights, Crudder said.

It’s also landed special limited-run kegs. Taco Mac is working with three Atlanta brewers on special beers to celebrate its 30th anniversary next year.

Taco Mac still has the mainstream beers, but it wants to continue building a reputation with beer lovers, Crudder said.

“We don’t want to ever be exclusive of anyone,” Crudder said. “We have the space and capacity and the clientele to be very inclusive in our beer selection.”

In addition to the beer, Taco Mac has upgraded the menu to give customers better options outside of its wings, said Matthew Deckard, Tappan Street’s corporate chef. Wings are still the biggest item, accounting for about a quarter of food sales, he said.

But Taco Mac has added more healthy items, such as salads, and started seasonal changes to the menu, Deckard said. It’s also tried to bring a consistency to items across all restaurants.

“I think food, at the time when I came in, wasn’t at the forefront,” said Deckard, who joined Taco Mac in 2005. “Beer was the strong point. Now, food is starting to evolve more.”

Taco Mac’s new growth is coming as a U.S. slowdown and higher commodity costs threaten the overall restaurant industry. Taco Mac’s same-store sales, though, are still expected to be up this year, Campbell said. During the last major slowdown in 2000 and 2001, Taco Mac lagged the industry, Campbell said. Sales stayed strong through the downturn but slowed as the economy bounced back, he said.

Patrons may have turned to Taco Mac as an affordable option in the downturn and returned to some higher-end restaurants once the outlook improved, Campbell said.

Tappan Street is closely watching the Charlotte economy, Campbell said. Charlotte is a major hub for banking, which has been hit by financial crisis, he said.

Taco Mac, though, feels confident about its expansion plans, Campbell said. “Right now, nobody is putting a hold on us,” he said. “We’re dragging our feet a little bit on Charlotte just to see what happens up there with the banking.”

Decatur Taco-Mac is located at
240 W Ponce de Leon Ave.
404-378-4140

other locations
Alpharetta 4305 Old Milton Parkway, Alpharetta, GA 30022 770-754-9290

Athens 558 W. Broad Street, Athens, GA 3060 706-354-007

Austell 1025 East-West Connector, Austell, GA 30106 770-801-8773

Chattanooga 423 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402

Decatur 240 W. Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur, GA 30030 404-378-4140

Duluth 3545 Peachtree Ind. Blvd, Duluth, GA 30096 770-814-7388

Ellard Village 8440 Holcomb Bridge Road, Alpharetta, GA 30022 770-518-5565

Kennesaw 2615 George Busbee Parkway, Kennesaw, GA 30144 770-426-1515

Marietta 2650 Dallas Highway, Marietta, GA 30064 770-795-1144

Roswell 685 Crossville Road, Roswell, GA 30075 678-795-0080

Virginia Highland 1006 N. Highland Ave, Atlanta, GA 30306 404-846-6529

Windward 875 N. Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30004 770-346-9119

Woodstock 9020 Highway 92, Woodstock, GA 30189 770-517-0030

Will Decatur be adding neighborhoods to city

Decatur considers adding neighborhoods to city

By APRIL HUNT

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Monday, November 17, 2008

The Decatur City Council and Decatur School Board will hold a joint work session tonight to discuss the possibility of annexing two large neighborhoods and more commercial areas into the city’s borders.

A recently released study shows that the 4-square mile city relies mostly on property taxes for its revenue. Even with modest growth, the city projects it will need to raise those taxes if it does not add additional assessments, both residential and commercial.
However, the annexation of the Forrest Hills and Midway Woods neighborhoods would add about 450 students to the school district, requiring 7 to 10 new classrooms. Residents had opposed earlier talk of annexation because of the impact on the small school district.

The work session begins at 6:30 p.m. at Decatur City Hall.

Belle Isle Motors Inc. circa 1950

They sold Desoto's and Plymouth's

Belle Isle Motors Inc.
131 W Ponce de Leon Ave.
Decatur Ga.

Ghost hunters to explore Decatur courthouse

Ghost hunters to explore Decatur courthouse
DeKalb landmark’s stairwell instills creeps in some visitors

By DONNA WILLIAMS LEWIS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution



Cathy Vogel gets a creepy feeling when she approaches the door to a rarely used marble staircase at the Old Courthouse on the Square in Decatur.

“I just felt like there was something back there,” Vogel said, of the first time she came close to the door, “an overwhelming feeling of sadness.”
A local ghost-hunter group will check out the claims of Vogel and others that something otherworldly lives in that four-story stairwell.

A metro area all-volunteer group called GRASP — Georgia Research of Apparitional Sightings and the Paranormal — will unleash its infrared cameras, electromagnetic field detectors, audiorecorders and laser thermometers on the 1898 building that has not been used as a courthouse since the 1960s.

With 10 investigations already under its belt, GRASP contacted the DeKalb History Center about a month ago.

“They asked if we knew of any haunted buildings in DeKalb County and we said, ‘Yes, our building!’ ” said heritage educator Leslie Borger.

The old granite courthouse is now home to the history center, and what was once the Superior Courtroom is now an open marble-walled, high-ceilinged ballroom that’s a popular rental spot for weddings, parties and meetings.

The staircase that leads to the back of the courtroom is said to be the lone staircase that was used to transport prisoners. It’s virtually abandoned and has not been significantly altered possibly since 1918, Borger said, when the interior of the courthouse was rebuilt after a fire.

A History Center newsletter from the 1990s recounts a volunteer’s experience with the door that Vogel, a former center board member, dreads nearing.

According to the article, the volunteer said a visitor stopped in his tracks at the door, felt cold and sensed someone was behind the stairs crying and saying he wasn’t guilty.

Vogel spent many hours at the courthouse during the early 1990s, helping reopen the building after the History Center conducted the building’s major renovation.

“I never ran into the cold,” Vogel said, of her experience at the staircase door, “but I didn’t stick around for long.”

On Saturday night, Kennesaw resident Benjamin Carroll, founder of GRASP, and 12 members of his group, will stick around for six hours — not in hopes of finding something unusual, but to try to explain the unexplained.

“Our main goal is to find the logical reason behind seemingly abnormal circumstances,” Carroll said, of his group’s pro bono work. “We’re mostly about research and about helping people who are afraid, especially children who are afraid.”

After reviewing what’s captured by eight cameras and 10 audiorecorders, GRASP will let the History Center know what it found, if anything.

Ninety percent of the time, weird phenomena can be logically explained, Carroll said.

“Even if something’s there,” Carroll said, “most of the time it’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Photo:Joey Ivansco/jivansco@ajc.com
Leslie Borger of the Dekalb History Center climbs a staircase in Decatur’s Old Courthouse that has given some visitors chills.

This week-end at Eddie's Attic

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH - 2 SHOWS!
THE SUSI FRENCH CONNECTION
Early Show time: 7:00 p.m. / Doors open: 6:00 p.m. (ALL AGES)
Individual tickets: $8

Late Show time: 9:30 p.m. / Doors open: 9:00 p.m. (21+ ONLY)
Individual tickets: $12

THERE WILL BE NO TABLE SEATING FOR THESE SHOWS

Only once or twice a year does the band The Gentle Readers morph into the 70's pop cover band THE SUSI FRENCH CONNECTION, to play the hits (and misses) of that hollowed decade. The Susi French Connection brings big harmonized vocals and a reverence for pop to its spirited performances.
Listen: Susi

EARLY SHOW:

LATE SHOW:
************************************************************************************




SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH - 2 SHOWS!
SANDRA McCRACKEN / DEREK WEBB / WATERDEEP
Early Show time: 6:00 p.m. / Doors open: 5:00 p.m. (ALL AGES)
Individual advanced tickets: $15 / At the door: $18 / Tables: $75

Late Show time: 8:30 p.m. / Doors open: 8:00 p.m. (21+ ONLY)
Individual advanced tickets: $15 / At the door: $18 / Tables: $75

The very talented SANDRA MCCRACKEN's and husband DEREK WEBB return to the Attic tonight. She is supporting the release of her brand new project "Red Balloon" and he is touring in support of his recent release "The Ringing Bell." Derek He is formerly of the band Caedman's Call and she recently had a song featured in "Grey's Anatomy." Their folk rock songs are for fans of Emmylou Harris

REMEMBER TO SHOP DECATUR!

I thought I would remind everyone of all the great products that we have at Whit's End that have something to do with Decatur, since we are all so proud to live here!

First, we have the great matted photos of Decatur, including the collage with many of our landmarks.

We have the Yuckboy line of tees, which is a locally owned Decatur business.

Also locally owned, is the Decatur Dad line of tees, along with our Decatur Dog Bandanas, Decatur Koozies, and Decatur Mom/Dad/Boy/Girl Christmas ornaments.

And of course, let's not forget the City of Decatur logo'd items. We have short and long sleeve tees, sweatshirts, coffee mugs, beer bottle openers, license plates, and the Decatur Shops Green cloth bags.

Lest we forget the DHS Spirit Wear of all kinds which directly benefit the DHS Athletics Booster Club.

Also, we are currently working with the DHS Alumni Association to get their line of tees in the store in early December.

As always this season to help everyone out, we have our Columbia upper body wear discounted 10% everyday, and our Dockers pants discounted everyday. We still have a clearance rack and table for the best buys around! And, additional discounts are available at our Terrific Thursday evenings with free wine and snacks.

There is a great article in the DHS Carpe Diem newspaper about our Toms Shoes, and also coming new is a piece on Decatur E Life about our involvement in Terrific Thursday and the community as a whole.

REMEMBER TO SHOP DECATUR!

THANKS,

JEFF




Whit's End, LLC

431 W. Ponce DeLeon Ave, #2

Decatur, GA 30030

(404) 377-3310

(404) 377-8335 Fax

whitsenddecatur@bellsouth.net

www.whitsenddecatur.com

Who Are You ?...........BOND..JAMES BOND

Opening of the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace will be big, I'm sure it will be a big box office hit. Pictured here is a 25 foot poster hanging at Lenox Square Mall, The Sony Store at Lenox, and The Poster for the movie.

I saw my first Bond movie at The Decatur Theatre the marquee simply read "DR NO"

So go to the movies this week-end, buy your popcorn and coke and sit back and enjoy...Bond..James Bond 007

Park Renewal Day this Saturday

For more info click on photo.

Renewal Construction Holds Thanksgiving Canned Food Drive

Renewal Construction Holds Thanksgiving Canned Food Drive



November 13, 2008 – In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Decatur-based Renewal Construction is collecting canned goods during the week of November 17th to the 21st.

The generous donations will then be distributed to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Those who wish to donate can stop by the Renewal office during normal business hours to drop off their goods all week. For those who are unable to stop by, Renewal offers pick-up service this Monday, November 17th only. Donors need to secure their canned goods in a bag next to their front door on Monday morning at 9AM. Those wishing for pick-up must email Kelly@renewalconstruction.com for address verification. Pick-up will only be available to those in the surrounding Decatur and Atlanta areas.

Potential donors can visit www.renewalconstruction.com/blog for more information.

Renewal Construction, 124 S. Columbia Dr., Decatur, is an award-winning, full-service general contractor for major renovations, kitchens and baths, and small projects. For information, call 404.378.6962 or visit www.RenewalConstruction.com.





Kelly Cheek
Marketing Manager
Renewal Construction
124 S. Columbia Dr.
Decatur, GA 30030

t. 404-378-6962
f. 404-378-6963
www.RenewalConstruction.com

Birdi's Building For Lease.

#740 DECATUR SQUARE RESTAURANT & BAR

SUPER SACRIFICE SALE

CLOSED & FULLY EQUIPPED

PERFECT FOR CLUB, RESTAURANT, BAR, MUSIC VENUE

SUPER VISIBILITY AND FRONTAGE

BIRDI'S is located at 115 Sycamore Street, Decatur, GA 30030. Incredible location directly on the Decatur Square in full view of all of Downtown Decatur and Court House. 3800/sf. Below market rent at under $4,000 per month. Super space with hi ceilings, big bar and fully equipped kitchen. This location is located in the heart of the county seat and shares the Decatur square with tons of restaurants, bars and retail stores and galleries plus local colleges. Any full service upscale or casual restaurant works great here or could be kept as a bar and club or a live music venue. Priced at $115,000 OBO with Owner financing.
Contact Steven Josovitz at (770) 840-2121 or steven@shumacher.com
Tell them Next Stop...Decatur sent you.
more photos here.

Decatur Schools may have to trim $2 million

DECATUR: Schools may have to trim $2 million

By Kristina Torres

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Decatur City Schools officials —- facing the same sour economy and state funding cuts as other systems —- say they may be forced to cut $2 million out of next school year’s budget.

Some budget-trimming measures are almost a given, including fewer work days in summer, less training and cuts to alternative education and after-school programs. But Decatur schools Superintendent Phyllis Edwards said the system will likely have to go further, to a “point at which people and programs are affected,” according to a letter sent this week to school board members.

That may include cuts to the system’s elementary-age foreign language program and teacher cuts, Edwards said.

No action on the budget is imminent. Rather, Edwards has begun planning and will refine the proposal during the next several months. She plans to have an open meeting with the community in December to talk about possible cuts.

The system increased by 1 mill this school year the property millage rate it charges homeowners to pay for schools. That was the first city school millage increase after four years of rate reductions.

The system’s general fund budget is $37 million. Edwards said she would not recommend another millage rate increase for next year.

Decatur’s budget discussions have started a week after DeKalb County school officials approved plans to cut more than $20 million by next year, including expected layoffs in June of 127 employees.

As Seen in Decatur: Street Scene..Vintage Packard

Vintage Packard parked on N.McDonough St.

Need a funny commercial ?

Time to Plan for your Hoilday Lights

I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I just wanted you to have advance notice.

Decorate Decatur Contest

Sunday, Dec. 14
Join in the communitywide decorating contest – turn on your holiday lights, light your luminaries, and be a part of the celebration. Judges ride through Decatur and pick 10 favorite homes, a business, a neighborhood, and an overall winner who receives the Commissioners Cup from the City Commission. Call 404-37... and leave the address of your favorite holiday house. Judges will ride by all the addresses on the list plus as many other streets as possible.

Attention Neighborhoods: If you would like a load of sand to use for luminaries for your neighborhood for Decorate Decatur, call 404-371-9583 . You must have a space large enough to accommodate a load of sand and the truck delivering it.
decatur-ga.com
Here is a link to last years winners.

Early holiday shopping? Use these tips

Early holiday shopping? Use these tips

By LINDA FLOREA
Photo by flickr member : infomatique
The Orlando Sentinel

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Halloween’s over, so it’s time to map out your holiday shopping strategy. Here is a look at what early shoppers should consider.


You can either buy today or take a gamble and wait for a sale. Tod Marks, a senior editor at Consumer Reports, says consumers should consider buying clothing early in the shopping season while there are plenty of sizes and colors.

But waiting to buy electronics might pay off because if sales of items such as flat-screen TVs are slow, retailers may cut prices closer to the holidays to clear out inventory.

A word of warning, however: The credit crunch has hit retailers, too, so they are stocking smaller inventories to avoid unloading unsold items at clearance prices after the holidays.

What’s there today may be gone tomorrow. Do you feel lucky?
More here.

MO JO PIZZA Celebrating 10 Years

MO JO PIZZA & PUB
659 E Lake Dr Decatur, GA
(404) 373-1999

Heliotrope 2nd Anniversary Party

Heliotrope is having a 2nd anniversary party this Saturday.
Time 6:00 PM
Read more about it from Catherine's post over at The Decatur Minute.
This is a very cool store,
on my visit I had to take a picture.

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

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

Old Theatre For Lease Should be Refurbished

The city of Avondale Estates should spend some money on the old Towne Cinema Theatre. The marquee needs to be reburbished with neon lights. That little theatre could be so much more.
And someone needs to tell the city they need to remove one lamp post that is to close to the marquee.
I had to remove it in photo shop to make the picture look good.

FOR LEASE INFO CALL 404-256-3061

Anonymous comment:
The Tudor Village is owned by Newberger-Andes who won't put any money into the building and who is regularly at odds with its tenants. Word on the street is Newberger-Andes is willing to sell the Tudor Village for $2.5 million

Leon's Full Service Pub Construction

Leon's Full Service Pub is located at the corner of E. Ponce de Leon & Church St. being built into the shell of the old service station.
I think they were hoping for a late December or early January opening.

Zucca Bar & Pizzeria to Open Soon

Zucca Bar & Pizzeria to open soon next door to The Brick Store Pub.

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.


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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.

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