Twain's Billiards and Tap

Twain's Billiards and Tap is located in Decatur, GA just off of the downtown square. They are walking distance to the Decatur MARTA train station.
Check out their menu.

Twain's Billiards and Tap
211 E. Trinity Pl.
Decatur, GA
404-373-0063

Isabella's Cafe Offers International Experience

Isabella's Cafe Offers International Experience

Decatur/Kirkwood restaurant brings new flavors

By Kalin Thomas
From Decatur Patch

When you first walk into Isabella’s Café the first thing that you notice is the upbeat international music playing. Then you notice the aroma of international spices, like curry. But with a name like Isabella’s you’d think this was an Italian restaurant; however owner, Wambui Maina, is Kenyan.

“I named the restaurant after my mother. She was one of the first female physicians in Kenya. It was a way for me to honor her,” said Maina. The restaurant, which opened in July 2010, is in an old 1920’s building on West College Avenue at the edge of Kirkwood. The space Isabella’s is in used to be a coffee shop that closed around 2008 and stayed empty for two years. “I love Decatur because it’s like a foodie town. People look for innovative menus and support local restaurants. I thought this space was the perfect place to open my eclectic restaurant,” said Maina.

The eclectic menu offers American dishes with a twist, as Maina adds the flavors she loves from her native Kenya and New Orleans – where she first lived when she moved to this country at age 13. Dishes like the Kenyan-style Chunky Beef Stew over Basmati rice, Chicken Masala, chipotle-maple black beans, and cheeseburgers made with Isabella’s home-made pimento cheese are a hit with diners.
Full story

Film Crew for Jayne Mansfield's Car Packs Up.

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After a full day of filming in Oakhurst for Billy Bob Thornton's movie "Jayne Mansfield's Car"
the film crew are packing up and Donovans Discount store will become a Church again.
Earlier today Billy Bob Thornton and Kevin Bacon were both there poising for pictures and giving autographs.
See photos at Decatur Patch



T Shirt photo from mskittyspub.blogspot.com the Cedartown shoot.

Trackside Tavern Update

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Inside construction at Trackside Tavern, they are hoping for a July opening.

Yeah Baby ! Vintage 70's VW Bus Cruising Around Decatur

Oh behave.

"Jayne Mansfield's Car" Filming in Decatur

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Some of the filming of Jayne Mansfield's Car will be filmed in Oakhurst
this week.

From nola.com
The film, which will be directed by Billy Bob Thornton -- his first time behind the lens on a non-documentary since 2001's "Daddy and Them" -- and which will star Robert Duvall, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon, Robert Patrick and Ray Stevenson, will begin shooting this summer in Georgia, according to Deadline.

That's because the movie, despite the title, doesn't really appear to be about that ill-fated 1967 night on U.S. 90 after all. Rather, it's a dramatic comedy, one that "revolves around the culture clash of two families, from different continents, in 1969."

That's two years after Mansfield's death.

A report on Collider expands on the synopsis: "The story revolves around a guy whose wife leaves him for an Englishman and moves away to England. 20 or 30 years later, in 1969, the wife dies but wishes to be returned to Alabama where she grew up, so the English family meets -- and clashes with -- the original family that she abandoned."

More photos from the Decatur set on Flickr


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Here are 2 youtube videos that was shot in Cedartown and what we may expect here.


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Oakhurst Market

The new Oakhurst Market sign goes up.

Decatur Sidewalk Sale July 1-4

The B-17 "Liberty Belle" Crash Lands and Burns

Liberty Belle pictured above at Peachtree Dekalb airport Feb. 15, 2009

see crash photos From : www.chicagotribune.com

Seven crew members and volunteers walked away without serious injury after a World War II "Flying Fortress" bomber burned in a cornfield southeast of Aurora Municipal Airport on Monday, June 13, officials say. The B-17, christened the "Liberty Belle," took off from the airport at 9:30 a.m. and made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Highway 71 and Minkler Road in Oswego after the pilot reported an engine fire, according to Sugar Grove Fire Chief Marty Kunkle.

Cool Decatur Pins

Check out these great looking Decatur Ga pins over at the decatur minute
Decatur-themed pins at Decatur Screenprint. $1 each or 10 for $7.
photo from decatur minute site

I Drove All Night - Roy Orbison

Dear Avondale Estates, Don't You Wish Your Theatre Looked Like This.

Dear Avondale Estates, Don't you wish your theatre looked like this.

This blogger hates to see a vacant movie house for lease. So I made it as a open theatre in my photo.(Hey, I can dream.) also the city put up one to many sidewalk street lights, so I took it out of my picture, it is about 3 or 4 feet from the marquee.
This theater has been closed for many years, the last time it was operating as a theatre
was back in the 1960's, when it was called "Avondale Theatre". I think the name change happened in the 70's, through out the year's it's been a recording studio but now it's vacant and it's for lease. Call 404-256-3061 for info.


This is the lobby floor with original "A" when it was called The Avondale Theatre

Interview Youth Cookbook Author While She’s in Italy (in Decatur!)

Interview Youth Cookbook Author While She’s in Italy (in Decatur!)

WHO: Yvette Garfield, Handstand Kids cookbook sets

WHAT: During her Atlanta visit, Garfield will teach two classes around her Italian cookbook set:

Kids ages 3 to 5, class from 10 a.m. to noon

Kids ages 6 to 9, class from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Garfield’s cookbook sets are an immersion in Italy, Mexico or China with recipes for dishes from the country, using local words for the food-ingredients.

The Italian kit comes in a pizza box with a chef’s hat.

Youth cooking is a trend in cooking instruction.

WHERE and

WHEN: Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Cook’s Warehouse

180 West Ponce de Leon Avenue

Decatur, Georgia 30030 / 404-377-4005, store phone

Garfield can be interviewed before her first class or during the break from noon to 1 p.m. on July 14; please schedule with media contacts below.

BACKGROUND:

Yvette Garfield, founder and author of the Handstand Kids Cookbook Company, creates international cookbook kits that introduce children to the culture, language and cuisine of a new country. Garfield has appeared on dozens of TV shows, bringing international healthy cooking for kids into the homes of Americans.

The Handstand Kids Cookbook Company aims to use international cooking to create a global community of children and empower kids to take a stand in their own community. Cooking is a fantastic way to promote health and nutrition, explore different cultures, encourage family togetherness and give to others in need.

The Handstand Kids cookbooks are the perfect recipe for kids to learn how to cook, while learning about the people, places and language of a new country. These international children’s cookbook kits feature the languages and cuisines of Italy, Mexico and China. Each Handstand Kids cookbook introduces children to delicious and healthy recipes, familiarizing them with the language of the corresponding country. The cookbooks translate each of the ingredients and utensils into the country’s primary language and are each uniquely packaged with a child-friendly cooking accessory: The Handstand Kids Italian Cookbook is packaged in a pizza box with a chef's hat; The Handstand Kids Mexican Cookbook comes in a tortilla bag with a child-sized oven mitt; and The Handstand Kids Chinese Cookbook is packaged in a take-out box with a set of chopsticks.

CONTACT:

Wendy Allen, (404) 492-9015, wendy@cookswarehouse.com

Jim Brams, (404) 403-6218, jimbrams@att.net

Allie Herzog, (713) 446-6377, aherzog@integratepr.com

Toss Your Chucks Over a Wire During Decatur's Independence Day Celebration

From : Decatur Patch

HomeGrown is hosting the Chuck Taylor public art installation project in downtown Decatur.

By Renee DeGross Valdes
On July 4, there's more than just the fireworks celebration in downtown Decatur.

HomeGrown on Church Street, is kicking off the first ever Chuck Taylor public art installation project. At 4 p.m. on Independence Day, participants are invited to meet on the square to toss their Converse creations over a wire spanning the plaza. Stay tuned to the stores' Facebook page for exact meeting location and further details.

"I saw some shoes over a wire when I was out running one night," said Lori Ronca, one of the owners of Homegrown. "I thought, how fun."

For more than a month, the store has invited patrons to visit HomeGrown to create unique art - free of charge - using Converse high tops as their canvas. The store supplied the shoes through donations and thrift store acquisitions, though some people brought their own to create in the back of the store or at home, according to Ronca.

Anonymous said...

What's next, throwing Frisbees on the Courthouse roof.

Decatur Hotel gets New Sign.

Future Home of ACPE on Church St.

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The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE) is a multicultural, multifaith organization devoted to providing education and improving the quality of ministry and pastoral care offered by spiritual caregivers of all faiths through the clinical educational methods of Clinical Pastoral Education.

Rainy Night at The Plaza Theatre

Before the Storm

Avondale Estates

Coleman Social Media ad

Ask This Old House Films in Decatur

Great story over at The Decatur Patch. Tom Silva of Ask This Old House installs a new front door.

Between the hinges with DIY expert Tom Silva.

By Renee DeGross Valdes

Seven years ago, Lucius and Danielle Herrmann bought a new front door as a joint anniversary gift and until Wednesday, it sat gathering dust.

"We never installed it," said Lucius Herrmann of Decatur. "The door was so darn expensive (at $1,500), I didn't want to mess it up."

There's no chance of that now. Home improvement expert Tom Silva arrived with camera crews and producers of "Ask This Old House," to film the door installation at the Herrmann's South Candler Street home.

"The door is beautiful," Silva said, between takes on the set. "It's a nice, solid, oak door."

Silva made it look easy, too. He measured hinges, and cut the shape of the new door with the old white one.

full story

New pizzeria coming to Decatur

From Access Atlanta
by Jon Watson
Fans of Neapolitan pizza will soon have another in town destination for authentic style pies in Decatur. Sapori di Napoli, a joint venture of two brothers from Naples, will open in the coming weeks at 314 Church St. near the Decatur square.

Daniele and Ambrogio Florio are the team behind the new operation, whose sign many Decatur regulars may now recognize. Daniele, who has worked as a chef in Italy, London, and New York City, came to the states 8 years ago, and his brother Ambrogio, a trained pizzaiolo, recently moved to Georgia from Italy to start the new restaurant.
full story.

Church St. Scene

Having fun with gold filter. The art on the side of Johnny's Pizza may be changing
or edited now that Johnny's Pizza is closing and/or changing names and menu.

What Would You Like to See in Suburban Plaza?

Photo credit: nextstopdecatur.com
click on photo to enlarge
From the northdruidhillspatch



Walmart said they're not committed to opening a new store in the shopping center despite several reports to the contrary.

By Emma Harger and Jonathan Cribbs


Fore more than a week, rumors have been swirling that Walmart may be coming to Suburban Plaza shopping center in North Decatur. Tomorrow's News Today, a well-respected Atlanta real estate blog, reported June 13 Walmart's already gassing up its backhoe and could have the store open by 2013, attributing its information to unnamed sources.

Another blog, What Now Atlanta?, then called Selig Enterprises, the shopping center's developer. Selig told them there were no solidified plans, and a Walmart representative told the blog Selig had approached them and Walmart is interested but remains committed to nothing.

North Druid Hills-Briarcliff Patch made some calls too. We couldn't get in touch with Selig, but Glen Wilkins, a Walmart spokesman, also confirmed the international retailer is interested in many potential Atlanta-area sites, including Suburban Plaza.
full story

Trackside Tavern Over the Years

The new 2011 Trackside Tavern with original sign restored, now green.
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This is a 2007 photo.

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Trackside Tavern the early years.

--Visit Trackside Tavern on facebook

From the Decatur Patch

Bookzilla: Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis to Keynote Book Fest

A rock singer and his artist wife, two parades, opera singers, theatrical performances, a treasure hunt, a literary duel and more than than 300 authors will be featured.

A rock singer and his artist wife, two parades, opera singers, theatrical performances, a treasure hunt, a literary duel and more than than 300 authors will be featured at the sixth annual AJC Decatur Book Festival presented by DeKalb Medical on Labor Day weekend.

And this year, you'll be able to bid on having a beer with some of the authors at the Sept. 2 to 4 festival that is expected to attract thousands of book lovers to the historic Decatur Square and surrounding venues.

The nation's fourth largest book festival announced its headliners Thursday at an Eddie's Attic party packed with Decatur's political and literary dignitaries.

The festival will kick off on Friday, Sept. 2, with a keynote by Colin Meloy, lead singer of the folk rock indie band The Decemberists, and his wife and illustrator Carson Ellis, who are releasing a new family-friendly book, "Wildwood."

full story

The Square Pub and Mac McGee

Winnona Park area of Decatur,GA

Avery St and Winnona Dr

The Very Popular Pete the Cat Returns

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James Dean

From : http://www.crossroadsnews.com
Pete the Cat is back, and his creators – author Eric Litwin and artist James Dean – will be talking up his latest adventure on June 18 at the Decatur Library.

Their new book, “Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes,” will be on bookshelves in July. It comes on the heels of their first tome, “Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes,” which was published last year to rave reviews and made it to the New York Times Best Sellers List.

They will be in the Decatur Library Auditorium at 10 a.m.

Read more: CrossRoadsNews - Popular Pete the Cat returns

Java Monkey Speaks celebrates ten years of open mic

From CLATL.COM

On Sunday, Java Monkey Speak, Decatur's weekly open mic destination, will celebrate their tenth anniversary. To put that in perspective, ten years of weekly readings translates to roughly a millennia in reading series years. While many others come and gone, Java Monkey Speaks has kept people coming back week after week for what founder Kodac Harrison says have been exactly 517 evenings of spoken word (they missed just a few in an entire decade). We caught up with Harrison and Collin Kelly, who together have edited the Java Monkey Speaks Poetry Anthologies, to ask them about the secret to keeping Java Monkey Speaks going.

Full story

Dress for Less - Sebastian Maniscalco

Jokes.com
Sebastian Maniscalco - Dress for Less
comedians.comedycentral.com
Jokes Joke of the Day Funny Jokes

Rodney Dangerfield a Classic Comedian

Cooking Classes for Kids at Cook's Warehouse

Cooking Classes for Kids;

Interview Opportunity with Children’s Cookbook Author

WHO: Yvette Garfield, founder-author, Handstand Kids cookbook kits

WHAT: During an Atlanta visit, Garfield will teach two classes using recipes from the Handstand Kids Italian Cookbook:

Kids ages 3 to 5, class from 10 a.m. to noon

Kids ages 6 to 9, class from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Youth cooking is a trend in cooking instruction. Virtually all kids’ classes at The Cook’s Warehouse sell out and the stores sell the Handstand Kids cookbook kits.

WHERE and

WHEN: Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Cook’s Warehouse

180 West Ponce de Leon Avenue

Decatur, Georgia 30030 / 404-377-4005, store phone

BACKGROUND:

Garfield, founder and author of the Handstand Kids Cookbook Company, creates international cookbook kits that introduce children to the culture, language and cuisine of a new country. Garfield has appeared on dozens of TV shows, bringing international healthy cooking for kids into the homes of Americans.

The Handstand Kids Cookbook Company aims to use international cooking to create a global community of children and cooking is a fantastic way to promote health and nutrition, explore different cultures, encourage family togetherness and give to others in need.

The Handstand Kids cookbooks are the perfect recipe for kids to learn how to cook while learning about the people, places and language of a new country. These international children’s cookbook kits feature the languages and cuisines of Italy, Mexico and China. Each Handstand Kids cookbook introduces children to delicious and healthy recipes, familiarizing them with the language of the corresponding country. The cookbooks translate each of the ingredients and utensils into the country’s primary language and are each uniquely packaged with a child-friendly cooking accessory: The Italian kit is packaged in a pizza box with a chef's hat; the Mexican kit comes in a tortilla bag with a child-sized oven mitt, and the Chinese kit is packaged in a take-out box with a set of chopsticks.

Garfield can be interviewed before her first class or during the break from noon to 1 p.m. on July 14; please schedule with media contacts below.

CONTACT:

Wendy Allen, (404) 492-9015, wendy@cookswarehouse.com

Jim Brams, (404) 403-6218, jimbrams@att.net

Allie Herzog, (713) 446-6377, aherzog@integratepr.com

Pied Piper Parade / Concert & Fireworks July 4th

From The Decatur Minute:

Please plan to join us in downtown Decatur for the Pied Piper Parade, Concert & Fireworks on Monday, July 4th. Decorate your bicycle, skateboard or wagon and walk, ride, or skate in the Pied Piper Parade as it winds through the streets of downtown Decatur. Concert on the square features Callanwolde Concert Band. Fireworks at dark*.

The Parade starts at 6 p.m. followed by the concert on the Community Bandstand at 7 p.m. Fireworks will start at about 9 p.m. or when it gets dark.

Click here for more information on joining the parade!

Next Stop for Walmart...Suburban Plaza

click on photo to enlarge.
Suburban Plaza in Decatur is about to be home for a new Wal-mart

From Tomorrow's News Today-Atlanta
Wal-Mart is coming to Suburban Plaza in Decatur. In a move many months, if not years, in the making, Selig Enterprises will finally re-develop Suburban Plaza and Wal-Mart will be the biggest addition. Pep Boys, Eckerd and Winn-Dixie/Save Rite have all closed at the center over the years and few tenants other than Suburban Lanes, Suburban Custom Awards & Framing and Big Lots have remained open. Last Chance Thrift shop, once located in a nearby former Kroger, opened in 2009 in the former Pep Boys in the center. From sketches I've seen, their space, as well as the neighboring shuttered Eckerd will both be demolished to make way for the coming Wal-Mart.
full story



Be sure to read 100 or so comments over at Decatur Metro

The Old Decatur Courthouse

Robot Monster June 25th @ The Plaza Theatre

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
THE SILVER SCREAM SPOOK SHOW is a 30 minute live stage show filled with magic tricks, dancing girls, jokes, spectacle and frights! We follow it with a classic horror movie on actual 35mm film!

KIDS UNDER 12 FREE AT 1:00 MATINEE! EVERYONE ELSE ONLY $7. ALL TICKETS ARE $12 FOR THE 10:00 SHOW!

Presented by the Silver Scream Spook Show!

June 25th. 1pm & 10pm
From the Plaza Theatre website

The Plaza Theatre

Rain Drops Keep Falling on my Head

Would You Enter and sign in Please

Street Scene

Remembering The North 85 Drive-In

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Just found this picture (top photo) I took in 1984 of the North 85 Twin Drive-In Theatre.
Now the Regal 24 theatre is in that same location.
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Be sure to visit my North 85 Drive-In site.


NOTE: Looking for a photo's of the Scott Drive-In Theatre that was in Decatur located at Scott Blvd & Lawrenceville Hwy.

Look for MARTA Bus Route Changes to Begin June 18

From The Decatur Patch
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
MARTA Bus Route Changes to Begin June 18

Changes include Route 2 through Decatur and Route 75 buses will only serve the South bus bay at the Avondale Station.

By Renee DeGross Valdes

Starting June 18, MARTA will implement changes to a number of bus routes, including Route 2, which serves Decatur.

For that route, MARTA says service will be realigned to provide alternating trips along current routing from North Avenue Station to Edgewood/Candler Park Station and from North Avenue Station to Decatur Station via North Avenue, Boulevard, Ponce De Leon Avenue, West Ponce De Leon Avenue, Commerce Drive and Swanton Way.

For Route 75, the route and schedule remain the same. However, MARTA buses will now serve Avondale Station's South Loop Bus Bay on all trips and will no longer serve the North loop.

Several other bus routes will also have changes. For more information, visit www.itsmarta.com or call 404.848.5000.

Oakhurst's Solarium Auctions Work by Local Artists

Oakhurst's Solarium Auctions Work by Local Artists

From the decatur patch
The Decatur nonprofit held its annual Patio Party fundraihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifser on Sunday.

By Anna Varela http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

The Solarium at Old Scottish Rite held its annual community party and fundraiser Sunday, featuring an auction of rain barrels, bird houses and a mailbox decorated by local artists.

The most popular piece of artwork was a birdhouse designed to look like the logo of the city of Decatur. The work, by Oakhurst resident Andrew Poole, drew heated bidding and sold for $700.

The event also featured food from local caterers and music by the Decatur based band The Dammages. (Full disclosure -- the author of this report is a Patch editor and a member of the Solarium's board.)
Full story

The Old Decatur Courthouse circa 1983

Decatur GA.

Look at the well-manicured yard. Yes I said yard, the Courthouse once had grass.
I would love to see it with nice thick grass. It would look so much better.
This photo is from 1983.

Vintage Drive-In movie ad

These were local Drive-In theatre's in the Atlanta area.
The Starlight is still open.


Here is an old Decatur Theatre ad for same movie.

28th Annual Virginia-Highland Summerfest Saturday June 4

From accessatlanta.com

28th Annual Virginia-Highland http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifSummerfest

Saturday, June 4 10:00a to 6:30p

at Virginia-Highland Neighborhood, Atlanta, GA

Visitors to Summerfest can celebrate the beginning of summer by shopping for original art in a variety of media - and by enjoying great food and live music presented by radio station partner DaveFM (92.9 FM). This year's event also features a 5K race on Saturday morning, along with activities in the KidsFest area. read more

Logo Artwork for The Decatur Craft Beer Festival due June 15th

From The Decatur Minute:

Have you ever hoped to have your artwork seen by thousands of people? The Decatur Craft Beer Festival is accepting entries for the 2011 festival logo. The selected logo will be used on marketing materials, the souvenir t-shirt, the tasting glass and the festival poster!

Click here for more details! But don’t forget, the deadline is Wednesday, June 15th at 5:00pm!!!

Decatur's annual Junior Police Academy July 11-15

From the DecaturPatch.com
The Decatur Police Department’s will hold its annual Police Academy July 11–15.

The program is designed to educate young people about the functions and duties of the police department. The class includes fun and educational exercises designed to simulate real law enforcement activities.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided each day and participants who successfully complete the academy will receive certificates of completion and T-shirts.
full story

History of The Great Speckled Bird

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You can see the History of The Great Speckled Bird at The old Decatur Court House.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cover of the v.2, n.17 issue (1969)http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
The Great Speckled Bird Publisher Atlanta Cooperative News Project
Founded March 8, 1968
Language English
Ceased publication 1976
Headquarters Atlanta
Circulation 22,000
ISSN 0017-369X
OCLC number 1751560
Official website http://www.greatspeckledbird.org/

The Great Speckled Bird was a counterculture underground newspaper based in Atlanta, Georgia from 1968 to 1976.[1] It was founded by New Left activists from Emory University and members of the Southern Student Organizing Committee, an offshoot of SDS. Founding editors included Tom and Stephanie Coffin, Howard Romaine and Gene Guerrero Jr.[2] The first issue appeared March 8, 1968, and within 6 months it was publishing weekly. By 1970 it was the third largest weekly newspaper in Georgia with a paid circulation of 22,000 copies. The paper subscribed to Liberation News Service, a leftist news collective. The office of The Great Speckled Bird at the north end of Piedmont Park (240 Westminster Dr.) was firebombed and destroyed on May 6, 1972 after the paper published an exposé of the mayor of Atlanta.

A quote from The Bird: "These are our opinions and we are entitled to them, they are not written anywhere else. So, don't expect us to tell both sides of the story. The big newspapers, magazines, TV and radio do that all day long. Here you will hear our side of things."

First Phone Helps Home Depot Customers

By Arielle Kass

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Home Depot's First Phone is a Swiss army knife for employees, multi-use technology that enables people to check stock and answer customers' questions from the home improvement retailer's aisles.

The hand-held device functions as a phone, walkie-talkie and mobile cash register, in addition to an inventory management and business analytics tool, and is a far cry from Home Depot's alternate technology offering. In the past, the company had between three and five computers on carts that were pushed through the aisles, and employees carried walkie-talkies in their orange apron pockets.

The previously tech-shy Atlanta retailer now is embracing mobility and using it to enhance customer service.

"That has been a tremendous benefit in speeding up checkout," said Marvin Ellison, Home Depot executive vice president of U.S. Stores, of the First Phone in the company's first-quarter earnings call. "We're going to continue to put a big emphasis on it this year."

ajc story