Hapeville could become the southside version of Decatur

By KEVIN DUFFY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/13/08
photo :www.city-data.com

Two ZIPs in similar area differ in number of new-home sales

In some respects ZIP codes 30354 and 30288 are a lot alike.

Both sit side by side on the Southside, convenient to the interstates and the world's busiest airport. Both have more females than males. And both have similar racial breakdowns: 69 percent black and 20 percent white, according to the market research firm Claritas.
In one way, however, they are vastly different — number of new-home sales in 2007.

The 30354 area in Fulton County enjoyed a banner year primarily because Hapeville's traditional neighborhood development was so popular. Sales in that ZIP jumped 141 percent, the AJC's annual Home Sales Report says.

But in unincorporated Conley, which is 30288 in DeKalb and Clayton counties, new home sales were woeful. In Clayton, they fell 91 percent and in DeKalb they were off 65 percent.
read full story here.


see the before & after of Chapman Drugs
here.

Six arrested after 'Blue Jean Bandits' smash van into store and one was involved in the Decatur robbery.

Well, looks like they did catch at least one of the Blue Jean Bandits that hit Kaleidoscope. They already had him in police custody on unrelated charges of theft and obstructing an officer.



By Jose Pagliery
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/13/08

The Dawson County Sheriff's Office on Thursday identified five of six alleged "Blue Jean Bandits" who were arrested after the foiled burglary of a Dawson County clothing store.

Four men and a woman ranging in age from 17 to 42 were arraigned Thursday morning in Dawson County Magistrate Court.

The charges against them included burglary, conspiracy to commit theft, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and giving false names to police.

The unnamed person was the one police believe drove the stolen 2000 Dodge Caravan used in the botched heist.

Though police initially believed the driver was 16, Dawson sheriff's Sgt. Tony Wooten said Thursday that the suspect may have lied to investigators.

That person remains in custody.

All six people are suspected in a robbery attempt early Tuesday of a Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th store at the North Georgia Premium Outlets.

A private security guard watched as a silver van backed into store's doors, smashing the glass and creating an entry and escape route.

The same store had been hit three weeks earlier in a similar smash-and-grab robbery in which an estimated $20,000 worth of designer blue jeans were stolen, according to Wooten.

The van's occupants noticed the security guard was watching and left, Wooten said.

Two deputies pursued the vehicle into Forsyth County, where officers used a "stop stick" —- a spiked strip to puncture tires —- to force it off the road.

The vehicle's occupants ran away, and deputies and police took part in a seven-hour manhunt before the suspects were apprehended.

On Thursday, bond was denied for three men believed to have committed the burglary: Altavious Demon Jackson, 23; Jermichael Lockett, 18, and Deyancious Lewis, 17.

Bond was set at $20,000 apiece for a man and a woman who allegedly helped the others elude police during the manhunt: James Edward Burson, 42, and Abby Marba, 26.

Police said that while all the suspects in the Saks Fifth Avenue burglary have been apprehended, others involved in similar crimes remain at large.

On Thursday, police obtained warrants for Slyricus Winder, one of several suspects in the violent robbery June 4 of the Kaleidoscope Boutique in Decatur.

When those warrants were issued, Winder already was in Atlanta police custody on unrelated charges of theft and obstructing an officer.

"Somebody gave some pretty good information, and we were able to secure the warrant for the armed robbery," Atlanta police Officer Ron Campbell said.

Decatur police have charged Winder in the Kaleidoscope robbery.

Funtown Friday Entertainment Video No. 3

This is the third in a series of video's each Friday I will post a video for your entertainment. I will call Funtown Friday Video.
Enjoy.

FIVE QUESTIONS ... with Eva Rosewall and Jody McFerren, owners of Our Way Cafe

By Jon Waterhouse
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/12/08

As the stretch between downtown Decatur and Avondale Estates readies for its big, build-out boom, nearby meat-and-three mainstay Our Way Cafe keeps churning out its brand of gullet-warming, home-cooked meals. It's still a cash-only operation, fun and funky antiques decorate the walls, and colorful regulars get a first-name greeting. But a budding catering business and the addition of Sunday lunch hours this fall are a couple of plans Our Way has in the oven.

What do you like most about your job?

Rosewall: I love feeding people more than anything, because they're happy and they like to see me. ... I've been serving some of these people for 20 years, and I've watched their children grow up. And now their children bring in their own children ... I would not want another job. I love my job more than anybody.

With all of the transplants in Atlanta these days, do you have to tweak your Southern recipes to keep everyone happy?

McFerren: Eva's Swedish, but she has a Southern flair to her. And I'm from the North. So we've just incorporated things over the years.

Rosewall: The mothers of my boyfriends when I was growing up were the ones who taught me how to cook because we did not know anything about lima beans, field peas, butter beans or anything.

Your creamed corn is legendary. What's so special about your veggies?

Rosewall: The thing I think we're most famous for is that our vegetables are all vegetarian. There's no meat, lard or fat added.

What about your vegetarian entrees?

Rosewall: Our spinach-artichoke lasagna is a huge hit with our vegetarians and so is our spinach-tofu pie with artichokes. I had a woman call me and say, "Any time you make those two dishes, set aside three little containers for me."

Your clientele is diverse. Describe it.

Rosewall: At 11 a.m., it's all of the contractors. From 12 to 1 p.m., it's the office people. At 2 p.m., it's the artists. At 5 p.m., the more bohemian, industry crowd comes in. And the families come at night.

McFerren: Ruth is our oldest regular. She's 94 and a former burlesque and can-can dancer. She comes in every Thursday and gives out candy and good luck pennies to our customers. She passes out the pennies because she's a cancer survivor.

> Our Way Cafe, 2831 E. College Ave., Decatur. 404-292-9356, www.ourwaycafe.com

Wordsmiths Books on the Decatur Square celebrates one year anniversary June 13-15 2008 with music, food, chefs, authors!

Wordsmiths Books in Decatur, GA Celebrates One YearAnniversary June 13-15 With Chefs (including Richard Blais), Authors (includingToni McGee Causey), Poets, Music and a Crawfish Boil!

As of June 15, 2008, Wordsmiths Books will have had its doors opento the public for exactly one year. That's one year of author events, one yearof local, national and international touring musicians, one year of striving tobe more than just Decatur's premiere independent bookstore.

To celebratethe past year, and to look towards the future, Wordsmiths is using our one-yearbirthday as an excuse to gather up our old friends, and make some new ones. Theweekend of June 13-15 will be filled with music, authors, poets, food andfestivities-basically, this is just an excuse for us to throw a massivethree-day get-together with our friends (which means YOU!).

Starting at7PM, Friday, June 13 will be a night of some of the best local music tohit the Wordsmiths stage. All free, all ages!

7-8PM The Lady Vanishes: sunny andsmart 60's-influenced café pop

8-9PM Eryn McHugh: Called a"radio-ready chanteuse" by Creative Loafing, Eryn McHugh's lush andlovely confessional tales are subtle and brilliant.

9-10PM: Lou Martyr :formerlyLou of One Hand Loves The Other, the beloved and ground-breakingelectronic/classical/pop hybrid fusion that won fans and massive acclaim.

10-11:RandomRabbit: Pretty, downtempo and deep live electronic jams

At 2PM onSaturday, June 14, we welcome our friends from Poetry Atlanta for anall-star Poetry Atlanta Wordsmiths Birthday Takeover,featuring some of the biggest and best local poets in the city. Curated byPoetry Atlanta head and stunning local verse-layer Collin Kelley, Saturday'sPoetry Atlanta Birthday Takeover features Kodac Harrison, Megan Volpert andKaren Head. All have graced the Wordsmiths stage before, and all are amazing.Collin himself might even bring a surprise or two to the stage.

Then,starting at 7pm onSaturday June 14 and going all evening and into the night, we'rethrilled to present the BabyGotBooks.com-sponsored Bobbie Faye Fais Do-DoCrawfish Boil and Author Shindig, featuring authorsJL Miles, CJ Lyons and Toni McGee Causey, whose first novel, Bobbie Faye's VeryVery Very Bad Day was one of Wordsmiths Books favorite books of 2007. Incelebration of her Louisiana-based new novel, Bobbie Faye's Kinda Sorta, NotExactly Family Jewels, we'll be, along with our co-sponsors from theBabyGotBooks lit blog, throwing down with a good, old-fashioned crawfish boil.Free food, free drinks, free merriment and some of the best authors to evergrace the Wordsmiths Stage. "Fais Do-Do" means Cajun party, andthat's just what we're prepared to have. You do NOT want to miss the crazy funand chaos of the Bobbie Faye Fais Do-Do.

Sunday, June 15at 2 PM, Wordsmiths proudly and excitedly welcomes thehottest Atlanta chef of the moment, Richard Blais.Currently seen on Bravo TV's Top Chef,Blais is known and beloved far beyond Atlanta for his stunning, cutting-edgefusion of classic cuisine and molecular gastronomy. For this specialafternoon, Richard Blais will be discussing his renowned culinary talents aswell as signing the recently-released Top Chef Cookbook, in which his winning"Quickfire Challenge" recipe appears.

Then, at 4pm, we'll be welcoming AtlantaCooks At Home and some of our favorite Atlanta Chefs for a chat andtasting, hosted by Gena Berry, the founder of Culinary Works. Appearing withGena for a fun chat will be Butch Raphael, formerly of Pangaea and now withWhole Foods, and Jay Swift, formerly of Rainwater and now the new 4th and Swiftrestaurant.

In-storesales, special, crazy, spontaneous discounts, and special, crazy, spontaneousdancing are all guaranteed to be a part of Wordsmiths Books 1stBirthday Weekend, and we might even get Wordsmiths owner Zach to make some sortof heartfelt, tearful speech and thank "the academy". All thisand more (and possibly Scrabble!) as Wordsmiths celebrates one year of being apart of the Decatur community, comfortably and conveniently located on theDecatur Square.

Formore info on Wordsmiths Books One Year Anniversary Weekend, or anything elseWordsmiths Books related, don't hesitate to contact me.

EAT- SHOP & PLAY in Decatur GA.

Decatur teachers making memories in China

By KRISTINA TORRES
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/10/08

Six Decatur educators visiting a school in Chengdu, China, have been teaching their hosts some Southern bywords (ya'll, anyone?). In turn, they're getting a deep lesson in friendship and goodwill.

The trip to Sichuan Normal University Attached Experimental School in Chengdu is the first time Decatur has sent teachers to the school, with which it began a new exchange program last year. The trip comes in the wake of a May 12 earthquake that devastated Sichuan province and killed tens of thousands of Chinese.
The 3,000 students from the elite school escaped injury and are back in class.

You can see and read more on the teachers' trip at their blog, acopp.edublogs.org. Among memories so far, according to a separately e-mailed update from the group:

ON THEIR WELCOME

"They have greeted us on every occasion with big, beautiful bouquets of flowers that would cost hundreds of dollars in the States. They have banners hanging all around the school that welcome us as their special VIP guests. Yesterday at the welcoming ceremony, all 3,000 students attended. We gave a gift from each of our schools and from our superintendent, Dr. Phyllis Edwards. They responded by having each grade perform a dance for us. Amazing!"

Did the Decatur's 'Blue Jean Bandits' get Caught.?

A seven-hour manhunt for suspects in a foiled burglary at a Dawson County clothing store ended early Tuesday afternoon when three men were arrested after a worker at a small business grew suspicious, authorities said.
full story here.

So far no one knows for sure if these caught today are the same.
could be.... stay tuned.

F.W. WOOLWORTH CO. building at Belvedere Plaza

On a recent picture taking outing I took a few pictures over at Belvedere Plaza. This is what it might look like today if F.W WOOLWORTH CO. was still there.
Today it's just a dollar store, but with a few letters I placed on the original building it brings back memories.

I remember every -F.W. Woolworth- I ever went in always had Ride The Champion Horse ride.

WOOLWORTH was always a popular place to buy your Christmas decorations.

“Woolworth was 100 years ago what Wal-Mart is today”

By Joshua Zeitz



Frank Woolworth opened his first dry-goods store in 1879, in Utica, New York. His first sale was a five-cent shovel—the most expensive item he had. Later that year he opened a larger store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and with business booming, in 1880 he raised his price ceiling to ten cents, thus ushering the term “five-and-ten” into the American lexicon. In 1910 the Woolworth lunch counter made its debut, at the 14th Street store in Manhattan, and in 1912 the fast-growing business subsumed five competing chains to build an empire of 596 stores nationwide, with $53 million in annual sales (equal to $1.1 billion today).

Woolworth, who died a very rich man in 1919, wasn’t the only entrepreneur to build a retail empire as America urbanized and gained wealth. By the turn of the century, with work hours on the decline and real wages rising, millions of ordinary people were patronizing not only Woolworth but also department stores such as Macy’s and Filene’s, where they could find a wide variety of goods at low prices. Even farm families remote from cities and towns came to rely on the stores. Rural free delivery and parcel post, two services introduced in 1896 and 1913 respectively, enabled anyone to purchase by mail order.

But fundamentally, the rise of chain stores like Woolworth took place in cities. On the eve of the Civil War, less than 20 percent of Americans qualified as “urban,” a category that then included all persons living in towns with a population of at least 2,500. By 1920 more than half of all Americans lived in towns or cities, and the number of people living in cities of at least 8,000 had jumped from 6.2 million to 54.3 million. In this new environment, Woolworth became an anchor of the downtown business district.

It didn’t happen overnight, though. As late as 1930, working-class city dwellers still did most of their shopping at corner groceries and mom-and-pop stores, where they often were allowed generous credit. A survey in 1926 revealed that chains accounted for 53 percent of grocery stores in the upscale Oak Park suburb of Chicago but just one percent of stores in the working-class towns of Joliet and Gary. The Depression changed all that, as mom-and-pops found it harder to extend credit and customers found the lower prices at chains like Woolworth impossible to resist. A survey in 1939 showed that 91 percent of lower-income shoppers were now paying cash for their purchases, having evidently abandoned the old neighborhood store for the cheaper, cash-only chains. Woolworth was a prime beneficiary.

Yet even as the downtown chains spread, the groundwork was being laid for their slow but steady death. In the 1950s and 1960s America’s suburban population grew by more than 40 million, led out of the cities by cheap, quality housing and a massive federal highway construction program. By 2000, shortly after Woolworth boarded up its last stores, an outright majority of Americans were suburbanites. Firms like Woolworth had trouble adapting their cut-rate downtown model to the new suburban shopping centers that sprang up around the country. The company stuck to an updated version of the old five-and-ten even as postwar affluence brought a higher standard of living to many of its customers. So it couldn’t compete with new outlets designed for the shopping centers and malls, like Kmart, Target and Wal-Mart, all three of which came into being in 1962 and offered more household goods at bargain prices. By 1970 those “big-box” budget retailers, to be joined later by new discount franchises like Toys “R” Us, Circuit City, T. J. Maxx, Office Depot, and Best Buy, outsold traditional department stores as well as five-and-tens and rang a final death knell for the downtown business districts that Woolworth had long dominated.

In 1993 Woolworth retrenched, closing 1,000 of its stores. The company shifted resources to its more competitive franchises, like Foot Locker and Champs Sports, and gave the Smithsonian its most valuable piece of memorabilia, the lunch counter where four black students in Greensboro, North Carolina, had staged a landmark civil rights sit-in in 1960. The writing was on the wall. “Closing of the Woolworth stores is long overdue,” a retail consultant remarked in 1997. “Today’s Woolworth store was just not viable.” By then, the company was losing as much as $31.5 million per quarter.

Several weeks after its 1997 announcement, Woolworth auctioned off all its display cases, store fixtures, soda fountains, and furniture. It was the end of an era.

The Village Vets is now open.

The Village Vets located on N McDonough St.
across from Decatur High School is now open.

Piggly Wiggly coming to Decatur's Suburban Plaza.

Yes, Piggly Wiggly is taking over Super Giant Foods at Suburban Plaza.

The McDonough Street Market Uptown Girl.

This is front window display for The McDonough Street Market which is located in the spot where Little Shop of Stories once called home.
This is also the old Belk-Gallant store.
This is probably the first mannequin in this front window diplay since the days of Belk-Gallant.


515 NORTH McDONOUGH St.
Decatur, GA.

Greetings from Decatur. vintage postcard updated.

This was just a plane old postcard of court house.
I updated it to look like what a real postcard should look like.
Looks good if I say so myself.

Funny video : Dog who hates water.

Why Jasmine Poolson loves to swim with the Dogs

More Drivers Running Out of Gas As Prices Soar

Welcome to Decatur Asian Cajuns.

Great blog and they concider Decatur their new home.

They are twins. Part Chinese, part French Cajun (and a mix of a few other things thrown in). They have a love of style, art, music, fashion, literature, and food. They are originally from a suburb of D.C. (the Maryland side), but now consider Decatur/Atlanta their home. They love their new city and hope to highlight some of the greatness of ATL that is often overlooked by the rest of the country. Enjoy! I sure did.

Welcome to Decatur Asian Cajuns.

Right Here in Decatur

I found this story in a copy of Georgia Trend Magazine from 2006 and I wanted to share this with everyone.
Everything she says about Decatur I remember.
The Decatur Theatre and even the chewing gum stuck under the lunch counter at F.W. Woolworth.
Oh yes what memories , I remember it well.
photo is circa 1967


Right Here in Decatur

Susan Percy published this in November 2006 of GeorgiaTrend magazine.

Possibly the worst perm – known back in the day as a “permanent” or “permanent wave” – that was ever administered by the hands of one human being to the hair of another was given to me practically onstage at Eddie’s Attic in downtown Decatur.

At the time, Eddie’s was still some years in the future; the performance venue was serving as the “beauty parlor” – and I use the term loosely – of the old Belk-Gallant Department Store just off the court square.

My scalp still tingles at the thought of the noxious fumes and disastrous result; my high school yearbook photo, taken post-perm, bears witness to the truth of my memory.

Happily, the place that is Eddie’s Attic is much better known these days for good music than bad hair. It is where Decatur’s own Indigo Girls launched their career some years ago.

I returned to the scene of the hair crime during the Decatur Book Festival, a wonderful event held for the first time over Labor Day Weekend; it featured lots of authors reading at lots of different places throughout the downtown area, including Eddie’s Attic.

(Initially I thought I had landed in the old Belk’s junior department, where nice ladies in black dresses and no-nonsense buns knew instinctively if your mother would disapprove of the outfit you were trying on. But Attic proprietor Eddie Owen confirmed that we were standing in the former beauty parlor where his own mother had been a regular customer. I hope, for her sake, that she had naturally curly hair.)

At the book festival, in addition to readings and signings and talks by authors, there was good music, free coffee, cold beer, funnel cakes, old friends and a great spirit. At least four different people I talked to during and after the festival made the comment that there was something “very Decatur” about the whole event – and that’s a good thing.

I spent most of my growing-up years in Decatur, which I recall warmly as a pleasant small town where dads washed their cars on Saturday while their kids went to matinees at the old Decatur Theater, now a parking lot, and everybody went to church on Sunday. If anything else happened, apart from the occasional bad-hair day, it did not happen to me or anyone I knew.

You ate your sandwiches on white bread, minded your manners and took the streetcar downtown to Atlanta as often as your mother would let you.

Over the years, it’s been fascinating, if not astonishing, to watch Decatur transform itself into a vibrant, sophisticated community that has managed to remain distinctive, even unique. (Elsewhere in this issue DeKalb Economic Development Director Maria Mullins uses the term “Decatur envy” to describe feelings among outside developers and officials wishing they had a little of the Decatur magic going in their own communities.)

Decatur hit a rough patch when the original MARTA construction in the ’70s proved a bit messy and many of the long-time retail tenants were leaving; but, unquestionably, having ready access to public transit has contributed to the success of the city, even as it keeps re-inventing itself in ways that would once have seemed unimaginable.

Today, there are shops and pubs and coffeehouses. There are restaurants with wine lists. Sitting at Woolworth’s lunch counter, oh, so many years ago, where kids used to check underneath to see the deposits of old chewing gum, who among us knew that there was a much brighter culinary future ahead? That one day it would be possible to nibble on lima bean hummus and sip a nice Pinot Grigio at the filling station up the street that is now home to Watershed, a restaurant that attracts diners from far beyond the Decatur city limits?

There is even new residential construction downtown. Last New Year’s Eve my husband and I attended a dinner party in a loft in Decatur. In a building with a concierge. Thirty years ago the idea of putting “Decatur” and “concierge” in the same sentence would have been unthinkable.

Best of all, the new Decatur has an attitude of inclusion – there’s not nearly as much white bread as when I was growing up. In the process of becoming a destination and a desirable place to live, Decatur has chosen to embrace diversity, maintain a good school system, do some serious civic planning and keep its downtown looking spiffy.

That’s enough to make your scalp tingle.

Belvedere Plaza Shopping Center

Belvedere Plaza Shopping Center, located in Belvedere Park (at Memorial Dr — S.R. 154 — and Columbia Drive), was one of the earliest malls in the Atlanta area. Opened around Labor Day in 1955, the center was an open-air strip and not an enclosed mall, but it still had many of the major mall tenants of that era and competed with Columbia Mall (later named Avondale Mall), which opened at the adjacent corner of the same intersection in 1964. The center had a two-level portion with an escalator and many of the major mall tenants of the era. The shopping center included one anchor, a two-level Rich's, and also included a bowling alley, Woolworth's and Davis Brothers Cafeteria as some of its major tenants. The Rich's was located in the front of the center and was the second suburban store built after Lenox Square. Rich's at Belevedere opened in 1959.

The area around Belvedere Plaza fell into sharp decline in the 1970s and 1980s and lost its major anchor, Rich's, in 1986. The Rich's location there was the first to ever close in the chain. The center since fell into sharper decline, but has been somewhat redeveloped since that time into a smaller center, anchored by a Kroger, some small take-out eateries, and a store offering the unusual combination of wigs and beepers.

Belvedere Plaza is within the Belvedere Park neighborhood that has recently become one of Atlanta's hot real estate markets. New families, young urbanites and investors have recently discovered this intown neighborhood. The large trees, parks, new homes, and location only add to the neighborhood's intown appeal and charm. The neighborhood is located approximately six miles east of the State Capitol Building in downtown Atlanta.

PLEASE NOTE: I AM LOOKING FOR OLD PHOTOS (1960'S) OF THE BELEVEDERE PLAZA SHOPPING CENTER. IF YOU HAVE ONE PLEASE SEND ME A COPY AND I WILL POST IT HERE. ALONG WITH YOUR NAME AND/OR STORY.

Columbia Mall circa 1972

This photo is from Flickr member Judy, her flickr site is called Old Shoe Woman's Photostream.
Click here for her site.

She was taking a picture of her new car, a Plymouth Duster. I'm glad she decided to use this shopping mall for her background.

Thanks Judy.

note : When the Columbia Mall was built in 1964, the Crowley Cemetery ended up in the middle of the parking lot of the Columbia Mall..

More info here.
photo by:larry felton johnson aka atlantalarry

Be sure to visit my Belvedere Plaza site.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?

By Sabine Morrow
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/07/08

Q: I'm hoping you can help me find Rotel Chili Fixin's. My husband and I love anything with Rotel in it, but the chili starter is very good and very easy to use. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find it lately.

KIM FOSTER, Atlanta

A: Rotel makes a variety of canned tomato products that will curl your toes with incendiary heat, but the Chili Fixin's are harder to find than the other Rotel products. However, you can stock up if you know where to look. Check out IGA Foods, 2746 Clairmont Road, Atlanta, 404-634-2833, and you'll find Rotel Chili Fixin's for $1.29 for a 10-ounce can.

Recently, a reader from Ball Ground asked where she could find Octagon bar soap in her area. My searches were unsuccessful, so I asked readers if they knew where this old-fashioned soap could be found. We received many responses, but hit the jackpot with Helen MacLean, who also lives in Ball Ground. She buys the soap for 65 cents at McFarland's IGA grocery store, 261 Marietta Road, Canton, 770-479-1562. A big thanks to all the readers who responded.

Q: After two trips to Moscow, my wife and I fell in love with kvass (or KBAC in the Cyrillic alphabet). We've been buying Ochakovo brand kvass at the Buford Highway Farmers Market, but lately they haven't had it. Do you have any idea where we can find this refreshing, not-too-sweet beverage? Many thanks.

DON CELY, Doraville

A: Don, I have the perfect place for you, and it's really not that far away. Since kvass is a very popular beverage in Eastern and Central European countries, it stands to reason that a place called New Odessa European Market and Deli would stock this soft drink. In fact, this little storefront at 2793 Clairmont Road, Atlanta, 404-321-3544, keeps more than a dozen brands of kvass on hand. Prices depend on brands and sizes. The shop also sells freshly baked goods, sausages and cheeses as well as a wide variety of Eastern European chocolates and wines.

Q: For the past several months I have been unable to locate Cardini's Fat Free Caesar dressing. I can find the regular and the light but not the fat free, which has significantly fewer calories. I previously purchased it at Publix and Kroger. Please help.

SANDRA SMITH, e-mail

A: Ingredients in Cardini's Fat Free Caesar dressing include water, corn syrup solids, distilled vinegar, salt and Parmesan cheese. You can find 12-ounce bottles of the fat- free dressing for $3.19 at DeKalb Farmers Market, 3000 Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, 404-377-6400. I've also seen the dressing at a Publix in Buckhead, so if it's available at one Publix, there's a good chance a store in your neighborhood can get it for you if you ask the manager. It's worth a try.

Q: Please help me find Glee peppermint gum for my boyfriend. It's his favorite gum and I find it occasionally but not on a regular basis. I'd like to stop searching all over town for this gum. Can you find it for me please?

PEGGY MORRIS, Atlanta

A: Ages ago, gum was made from chicle, which is the sap of the sapodilla tree that grows in the rain forests of Central America. It also explains the name Chiclets, the gum that Adams made. These days, you don't find many chewing gums that use chicle as a base, but Glee prides itself in turning out a chewing gum made with natural ingredients. In fact, Glee is a vegetarian gum without artificial preservatives, flavors, colors or sweeteners. You'll find plenty of Glee gum at Trader Joe's, 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta, 404-815-9210. They're stacked at the cash registers. A box holding 18 little green squares of gum costs 79 cents.

Having trouble finding a particular item? We'll try to help you locate it. Because of the volume of mail, we cannot track down every request. Write to us at Buyer's Edge Find It, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, P.O. Box 4689, Atlanta, GA 30302; e-mail buyersedge@ajc.com (please include your name, the city you live in and a daytime phone number); or call 404-582-7642.

Decatur wine bar serves up innovation

SARA HOPKINS / Special
Decatur residents and business partners Deb Lickhalter (left) and Kelly Resignola sit in their new wine bar, Tastings, which opened recently.

By JOHN KESSLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/06/2008
At Tastings, patrons virtually serve themselves



The pop of a cork. The scrape of a wine glass across the counter. The great, glorious glug. These sounds are the rituals — some would say the romance — of a wine bar.



Trade it in for the click of a smart card going into a slot. The tap of a button. The pffffft of wine passing through a slim pressurized hose into your glass. Are you ready for wine bar 2.0?
Get ready. Thanks to new technology, the fully automated wine tasting experience is upon us. You need only a rudimentary knowledge of electronic machine operation and a ready palate. An open mind doesn't hurt, either.

At two local wine bars, guests wander the room with a glass and that smart card, which they have pre-loaded with cash. By inserting the card into a reader attached to a wine preservation unit, they can then choose to try any of the wines on display. Not only that, they can select the size of the pour they want — from a sip of an ounce to a full glass. The reader deducts the charge from the card.

The most ambitious such system can be found at Tastings: A Wine Experience in Decatur, the local branch of a small but growing Florida chain. Five separate preservation units — three banked in a line against the wall and two round carousels in the center of the room — hold a total of 72 different wines.

"We already knew about these machines but then met the folks [behind Tastings] at a franchise show," says Kelly Resignola, who owns this location with her partner, Deb Lickhalter. "We really liked the whole package."

The package includes an extensive food menu, a full bar with liquor (served by a bartender) and a retail shop where all the wines are sold by the bottle. Self-serve pours of wine (1.5 ounces, 3 ounces or 6 ounces) run about twice the retail price. But customers can also buy whole bottles and open them on the premises for a $10 corkage fee.

The wine selection, which is determined at the corporate level, offers a broad representation of styles and growing regions.

And prices.

A blended Australian red called Mad Dog & Englishmen ranges in price from $1.90 for a taste to $8.55 for a glass. At the other end, the 2003 Rioja from Remirez de Ganuza costs $10.50 for just a sip and a cool $45 for a glass.

Those expensive open bottles may not move quickly, but they face no danger of oxidation. The Enomatic preservation systems, built in Italy, keep all the open bottles under pressurized, high-purity and wholly inert nitrogen gas. Founded by a winemaker in Tuscany, Enomatic wine systems are now in 65 countries, with more than 1,000 installed in the United States.

While Europeans have taken to the machines, they overwhelmingly eschew the card readers, preferring to let the bartenders do the button pushing.

"In Italy, most of the bars are 200 square feet," says Bernard Lapoire, manager of the company's distribution center in Tucker. "There really isn't room for people to wander around and taste the wines the way they like to do here. The card system is definitely an American thing."

"I've never seen anything like this," marveled Phil Goldstein, a customer trying Tastings for the first time. "I had heard that they [sold wine] by the flight and the half-glass and the glass, but I didn't know it was quite that high-tech."

Still, Goldstein and his wife decided to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine and a cheese plate at a sidewalk table rather than meander around the space trying tastes.

"I think it might get a little frustrating filling my wine that way," he said, adding that he might be more tempted to sample tasting portions if the wine bar offered a famous bottle he had read about.

n that case, he might want to check out Bin 75 wine bar in Alpharetta, which uses a much smaller installation — only 24 bottles — but plays to a more sophisticated crowd.

As the wine bar serves as a tasting room for the adjacent Hinton's Wine Store, the Enomatics are often stocked with famous wines such as Chateau Margaux (a first growth Bordeaux) and Louis Jadot Montrachet (a Grand Cru Burgundy).

"We want people to be able to taste those wines," says manager Keith Lofton, who says the tastes are all priced close to the retail value. Prospective buyers can get a taste before shelling out hundreds of dollars for a bottle.

Lapoire says the Enomatic system is more established on the West Coast and in Las Vegas casinos, where customers seem to have no qualms about sticking money into machines.

In metro Atlanta, the only other installation is at Antica Posta Tuscan restaurant in Buckhead, where the machine has no card reader and stays behind the bar. Owner Marco Betti likes it because it allows him to sell very fine wines by the glass.

He will also, on occasion, invite favorite customers behind the bar to help themselves to a small taste of a great bottle.

And in that moment, the hissing pffffft of pressurized wine hitting the glass sings a strange little song of romance.

Tastings: A Wine Experience

11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday; 11:30 a.m.-midnight Thursday-Saturday; 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday. 335 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. 404-373-3244; awineexperience.com

Funtown Friday Entertainment Video No. 2

This You-Tube Video is called Mayberry After Midnight.




This is the second in a series of video's, each Friday I will post a video for your entertainment, I will call Funtown Friday video's.


Not Decatur related but fun to watch.
Enjoy.

Cakes & Ale Resaurant review

By MERIDITH FORD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It would be easy to get snagged on the name Cakes & Ale, a new restaurant in the heart of downtown Decatur. Time could be wasted pondering why a neighborhood spot opened by the former sous chef of Watershed (just down the street) would go by such a seemingly odd moniker.
First thoughts: Billy Allin, the chef-owner, is a distant relation to William Shakespeare, from whence the name doth come.

Nope.

OK — Allin is a big Somerset Maugham fan.

Maybe, but I don't think Maugham's novel by that title is the point of the restaurant's name.

Maybe he really likes cakes and ... ale?

Here's the quote, said by the boisterous and burly Sir Toby Belch to the Puritan Malvolio in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: "Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?"

Aha! Even the virtuous can sup in style, according to Shakespeare.

Apparently according to Allin, too, who with wife Kristin has created a haven of good food, be thou virtuous or not.

In the space that was most recently Viet Chateaux (now that's an odd name), the two have sculpted a handsome place to gather and eat, sparsely decorated, but highlighted by an inviting bar, a fresh, seasonal menu and a wine list that is quite possibly the best while most affordable in town. Window boxes brim with fresh herbs, and welcoming afternoon light streams through the windows. Cakes & Ale is a neighborhood spot destined to become a destination.

And of course, there are the phatty cakes. They sit pristinely under a glass cake stand on the bar, as if jettisoned there by Martha herself, perfectly stacked into a pretty pyramid. What are they? Pastry chef Cynthia Wong makes ginger-laced cookie cakes, soft and pillowy, and fills them with a dreamily fluffy and tangy buttercream.

Allin comes by his simple approach honestly: he graduated from California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and spent an internship at famed Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Add an Italian grandmother, and a winning mix for a right-minded, seasonal chef was made.

He admits openly that the blackboard menu of daily specials springs from a craving of whatever he wants to eat that day and often offers the most interesting of goodies: house-made brawn (Allin is a do-it-yourself disciple of seasonal and sustainable), though a little too jellied, was still a meaty delight spread on brioche toast; a smallish serving of the classic "toad in the hole" was described by the waiter with this first line: "Do you remember the last scene in 'Moonstruck?'"

Yes, but at Cakes & Ale the memory is made new with buttery soft brioche surrounding a soft, over-easy egg with rolled forest ham filled with spinach and covered in a smooth white Mornay sauce.

The butter lettuce from Allin's garden produces the freshest, most scrumptious salad, lightly tossed in vinaigrette, I have ever eaten. Just lettuce, dressed in a bit of splendid tartness. Talk about virtuous.

Away from the blackboard, the main menu offers items that are sure to become signatures. Arancini are moist, deep-fried Sicilian rice balls served playfully in a papered cone like fair food, seasoned with hints of citrus and fennel pollen. Shoestring fries, hot from the fryer, are remarkable.

And Parmesan cheese soufflé, though too stingy a serving, is soft, cheesy and light, served with springtime asparagus spears.

Allin makes his own pickles, and they accompany a trio of traditionally made deviled eggs; sometimes spicy mixed vegetables, other times bread-and-butters. Either way, they are a treat. Gnocchi make a simple, yet grand appearance with fennel sausage and not-too-spicy tomato sauce, but it's chicken — yes chicken — that upstages everything but the arancini. A saucily roasted half-bird with braised cabbage practically steals the show.

Until dessert, see phatty cakes, above. For other options, press Georgia rhubarb crumble with crème fraiche ice cream, or pistachio-strawberry baked Alaska (alas, no longer on the menu since Allin changes it so often). But this individually sized bit of ice cream, cake and fresh Georgia strawberries (nearly gone for the season) blanketed in swirls of sweet meringue will not be forgotten.

Early on, there were problems with the liquor license, and on one visit the bathroom was shut down and we had to use the boutique next door. An inconvenience, yes, but like the name nothing to get snagged on.

'Cakes and ale' is an expression for 'the good life.' Cakes & Ale is a restaurant that provides it.

Who remembers Decatur High School Pep Rallies at Agnes Scott ?

I remember it very well, hundreds of kids walking up McDonough St. and crossing the railroad tracks over to Agnes Scott.
I don't remember why they held it there but they did.

photo from 1967 indecatur.

Atlantans' cars idle in mid-1970s time warp

By Brenda Deily Constan
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/03/08

Shifting into first, I pull into my neighborhood service station and gaze at the attendant shuffling numbers on the magnetic price board. Once again, the new arrangement is higher than it was the previous day, and I feel a bout of deja vu emerging like a developing photograph.

Lately the mere whiff of gas fumes, like Marcel Proust's petite madeleine, awakens dusky, archived memories. All at once I am behind the wheel of my little green Pinto, which idles monotonously in one of those mid-'70s Friday afternoon gas queues as I wait my turn to fill the tank. Sometimes the wait exceeds an hour.

This morning nearly 34 years later, there is no line at the gas pump, but I have just shelled out $4 a gallon to fill my tank. That's with regular. I scowl at the receipt that scrolls off the automated printer and curse the turmoil in the Mideast.

But it is not just the cost that bothers me. What is more alarming is that in the interval since our last energy crisis, we have made little headway in developing alternative fuels, reducing energy consumption, expanding public transit or reducing our reliance on unstable oil-rich nations to maintain our fossil-fuel-dependent lifestyle. Not to mention addressing the collateral damage to our air quality because of our complacence.

The failure is most egregious in our continued dependence on automobiles, especially big ones. As an avid cyclist, I am willing and eager to conserve gas by running errands on my bike. Nearly everything I need is within easy cycling distance.

Unfortunately, Atlanta's bike paths are primarily recreational, bypassing shopping centers, schools, churches and restaurants. And few of the streets in Atlanta have designated bike lanes, making the streets dangerous to cyclists and cyclists annoying to motorists. In fact, not long ago a careless driver and I collided, totaling my bike and sending me skittering across the hood of her car into the center of the road.

If hazards from motorists aren't enough to discourage bicycle use, cyclists —- and for that matter pedestrians —- in Atlanta face additional risks foreshadowed by our frequent orange and red alerts. No, not those pesky terrorist advisories, but rather air-quality health spots, cautioning us not to exercise outdoors. This is not exactly an invitation to reduce gas consumption by riding a bike or walking when distance allows.

For the not-so-athletic or the asthma-prone commuter, energy-efficient mass transit should be a feasible alternative. Regrettably, as in many other cities, Atlanta's transit system is not extensive enough to attract a ridership sufficient to dent fuel consumption by urban motorists.

It's not that MARTA natural-gas buses aren't out there cruising the city. But pull alongside one and glance through the windows. More than likely the driver is its sole occupant —- the helmsman of a ghost ship gridlocked among rush-hour commuters.

The image is a familiar one in neighborhoods across the city, and it's easy to understand why. In Atlanta, commuting by mass transit is a Herculean undertaking. For me it's nearly impossible. Even though I live close in, I have to walk a mile along busy streets to the nearest bus stop; catch a bus to the rail station; wait for a train; change lines downtown; and then catch another bus to my final destination. Not everyone is so stalwart.

Traveling to and from Atlanta's suburbs is even worse. Fortunately, unlike many Atlanta-area residents, I don't have to make this commute often except when I look in on my niece, who lives near one of the busy arteries that spin north off the Perimeter. Her home is not far, about 15 miles as the crow flies. I'd happily walk the mile to the MARTA stop and catch a bus, perhaps enjoy the camaraderie of fellow riders, and arrive for lunch lighthearted and without traffic-frayed nerves. But there is no bus line from here to anywhere near there. So instead, when I next go for a visit, I'll slip into my car, slide a couple of CDs into the changer, punch the recirculating air button on the dash and head out on five northbound lanes of interstate traffic.

As I jockey for a position and settle in among the throng of automobiles, for the next 50 minutes or so, I'll be just one more solo driver heading across town as we burn extravagant quantities of costly fossil fuel and guarantee tomorrow's familiar volley of smog advisories across Atlanta.

> Brenda Deily Constan lives in Decatur.

Race for Superior Court judgeship already heating up

By DAVID SIMPSON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/02/08

It did not look like much more than a social event, but a Monday evening gathering on the Decatur Square is part of something that in Georgia amounts to an audacious political insurgency: an attempt to topple an incumbent Superior Court judge.

Even before he held Monday's kickoff reception, challenger Tom Stubbs had served notice that his challenge to Judge Linda Hunter may not be a run-of-the-mill judicial campaign. In late May, Stubbs distributed a fund-raising letter. The first supporter on the letterhead: former Gov. Roy Barnes.
The campaign, which will last until the November general election, also already shows signs that the candidates will speak frankly about each other — rather than the résumé-reading that often characterizes judicial elections.

Stubbs, a Decatur lawyer, says Hunter lets her emotions get the better of her judgment, particularly in family law cases. Hunter replies that lawyers and clients who lose cases before her sometimes are disgruntled, and she adds Stubbs lacks the experience to step into her job.

In 2006, 49 Superior Court judge incumbents in Georgia won without opposition. Eight incumbents were challenged, and only one was defeated.

Both candidates say they will run primarily on their own records. But the race could get heated on some fronts, including:

Performance: Stubbs says Hunter has made rulings that seem based on "preconceived ideas and non-legal concerns."

for full story click here.

Many people are trying rent to own a home ,before buying.

By Lori Johnston
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/01/08


New sales strategy pops up to benefit both sides in tough market.

The suggestion is offered at the beginning or tacked onto the end of ads for resale homes and is even being used to lure buyers into new neighborhoods from intown to the suburbs: "Rent to own. Will consider lease-purchase."

Individual sellers seeking to unload a mortgage payment and developers with an oversupply of new homes are offering the arrangements. Some sellers say mentioning the possibility of lease-purchase or lease-option results in more showings, and ultimately, a deal.

"If you can match a seller who wants to sell with a buyer who wants to buy, it really can allow both to achieve their goals in a positive way and result in a win-win transaction," said John Adams, a real estate broker and investor. "It is an ideal adaptation of an age-old home buying strategy to our current market situation."

It's something he's seeing more of, especially as some sellers with mortgages on two homes have given up trying to sell and are desperate for someone to cover a mortgage payment.

Tammie Carpenter, a real estate agent with Metro Brokers/GMAC Real Estate, agrees that the perception of a lease-purchase is changing. She's seeing them offered for everything from affordable homes to high-end properties.

"Where we didn't used to like to see a lease-purchase rider on the homes, we're starting to offer that to our sellers, as well as our buyers," she said. "If you're one of those where you've been out there for a while, you can get somebody in there. They're covering your mortgage, and you're going to sell [in] six months, a year."

The fact that new developments, such as Historic Westside Village intown and Millard Bowen Communities' Wildwood neighborhood in Buford, have been using lease-purchases is "absolutely unprecedented," Adams said.

"They are doing this to unload the property. Anything, anything to get them occupied," he said. "They're sitting there empty —- somebody's had to pay principal, interest, taxes. It's just a different way of getting money in the door."

If it's something of interest, whether you're a buyer or seller, here are the pros and cons. Adams estimates that only one in every three such deals actually results in a sale.

"There are some risks, but for the most part, it's a great way to get people in," Carpenter said.

The buyer advantages

1. It gives you wiggle room to improve finances.

The buyer can spend the time improving credit and paying off debts. "In today's market where first-time home buyers have few, if any, conventional mortgage sources to choose from, this is a very real way of trying on homeownership, seeing how they like it and building a down payment and improving their credit at the same time," Adams said.

2. It helps you come up with a down payment.

Carpenter said the security deposit or a certain amount of dollars for monthly rent goes toward the down payment, in most cases. For example, Adams explains that $200 of the monthly rent, for 24 months, could go toward the purchase price. That means there's a $4,800 credit applied when the sale closes.

3. It gets you a home that already could have equity.

If you wait a year, the property could increase in value and cost more. "You purchase the property at today's value, not at the future value," said Monte Murphy with Keller Williams Realty Cityside.

4. It's a chance to test a home, neighborhood

"You get 12 months to date the house, to see if that's the relationship that you really want to be ready for," said Murphy, who did lease-purchase for a home he recently sold in Decatur. "You want to date it to see if you can actually maintain homeownership."

click here for full story.

The Towne Cinema Theatre in Avondale.

I wonder why they don't show movies here anymore.
Big Big mistake.

1937 Magazine ad for Decatur's water tank tower.

Decatur, GA. is the possessor of this 500,000 gal Horton radial cone bottom tank. It's colonial design and graceful, well balanced proportion prove that beauty need not be sacrificed to achive utilty, thus Decatur has at once the many advantages of elevated storage within a stately structure that proudly graves the landscape of this historic southern city.


STEVEATL said: Is this the tank near the East Lake MARTA station? Yes it is.

Funtown Friday Entertainment video. No. 1

I will start posting entertaiment video's on Friday's.
today will be the first in a series, Called Funtown Friday.

Not related to Decatur but it's fun to watch.
enjoy.

Decatur Federal Savings & Loans Assoc. 1962

Decatur Federal Savings & Loan Assoc.
opened in downtown Decatur in 1962. I went to the Grand Opening to visit the new building and they gave me a Decatur Federal Savings key-chain,
and I still have it.
The bank has changed names a couple of times since 1962 now it is Wachovia Bank. Soon to be Wells Fargo.

Man sues Delta for $1 million after ruining his mother's birthday

Here is story below not related to Decatur but it's the kind of story I like.
A man tried his best not to sue Delta but when he just wanted reimbursement for all his trouble, they said no.
I hope they award him 2 million.


------------------------



by Jeffrey White

From the New York Post, comes a report that a Manhatten man is suing Delta Airlines for $1 million for...ruining his mother's 80th birthday.

Richard Roth's suit claims that a Delta worker caused him and his immediate family to miss a flight to Buenos Aires, leaving them stranded in Atlanta and forcing the family -- Roth's wife, two children and 80-year-old mother -- to drive to Miami to pick up another flight, the Post says. Then Roth alleges Delta lost the group's baggage.

The story, reported here in full in the Post, sounds like a real nightmare. Roth had arranged to fly a good portion of his family, including some cousins, to BA this past December. After arriving for their connecting flight in Atlanta, Roth says his party was barred from boarding the flight as the gate had just closed. Scrambling, Roth found another flight on an Argentine airline, leaving out of Miami, but Delta did not deliver the party's bags until after Christmas.

Roth sought $21,000 in reimbursement from Delta, which, perhaps not surprisingly, refused to pay. "I tried so hard not to sue," Roth told the newspaper.

No word yet on how $21,000 turned into $1 million, though Roth -- an attorney -- is claiming, among other things, that Delta caused his mother emotional distress.

JUST AROUND THE CORNER: Drink in goodness of summertime sips

By Bob Townsend
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/29/08

Summer officially begins June 21, but warm weather is already here. And when the heat is on, there's nothing better than kicking back with a refreshing cocktail, like a margarita or a mojito, or a tall wheat beer or a glass of sparkling wine. Here are five places to drink up and cool down, while enjoying a bit of atmosphere.

DECATUR

Cantina El Tesoro

The more ambitious, grown-up cousin to Cantina la Casita in East Atlanta, el Tesoro has the pleasantly disconnected feel of a Southern frat house morphed into a Mexican hacienda. The comfortable bar is home to some 100 tequilas and a better-than-average beer list. Bartender Rafael Barragan mixes a straight-up take on the limey house margarita, or try the ginger-lime margarita with housemade ginger syrup. The menu is as eclectic as the setting, but at the heart is a collection of tasty tacos.

> 129 Church St., 404-377-9797, www.eltesorodecatur.com

MIDTOWN

Beleza

Sexy Brazilian style and healthy small plates using local and organic ingredients combine cool and what's good for you at Beleza. But exotic drinks are the big draw. And the lounge scene goes late with cocktails made with top-shelf liquors, fresh tropical juices and agave nectar. The crowd-pleaser is the Acerola mojito with a mix of Cruzan rum, muddled limes and mint, agave nectar and acerola pulp. Other fun sips: Jungle Juice, with organic vodka and a blend of juices, and Tequila Blossom, with grapefruit juice and orange blossom water.

> 905 Juniper St. N.E., 678-904-4582, www.sottosottorestaurant.com

MIDTOWN

The Globe

Located in the Technology Square development in Midtown, urban and urbane are the vibe at The Globe, where the hip, happening lounge area dominates the scene. The bar serves up everything from housemade sangria to culinary cocktails. Try the house-muddled Pimm's Cup, a citrusy, spiced classic made with Pimm's No. 1 gin-based liquor from England. The courtyard patio, nestled between buildings, makes a great place to sip and hang. And on Mondays, the three M's —- martinis, margaritas and mojitos —- are $5.

> 75 Fifth St. N.W., 404-541-1487, www.globeatlanta.com

VIRGINIA HIGHLAND

Taco Mac

Warm weather is the perfect time for the tangy, fruity taste of a German, Belgian or American-style wheat beer. And with a list that features some 24 beers on draft and another 170 in the bottle, there are plenty to choose from at the original Virginia Highland Taco Mac. Other refreshing selections include Dogfish Head Festina Peche, Victory Prima Pils or Reissdorf Kolsch. Of course, all are best enjoyed out on the funky, old patio, with a pile of hot wings or nachos and a Braves game on the television.

> 1006 N. Highland Ave., 404-873-6529, and other locations. www.taco-mac.com

MIDTOWN

Eno Restaurant and Wine Bar

The wine bar and sidewalk cafe at this European-Mediterranean fine dining restaurant is arguably the most sophisticated place in town to get a taste of the good juice. And now is the time to try out some fun summer sippers, especially sparkling wines such as cava and prosecco, or rose. And there are plenty of refreshing whites, ranging from rare and elegant Old World offerings to fun finds from California and New Zealand. Every Wednesday, there's a seasonal wine tasting with complimentary tapas.

> 800 Peachtree St., 404-685-3191. www.enorestaurant.com

A milestone for Decatur gallery

By Catherine Fox
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/29/08

On Decatur Square: Shawn Vinson has a blueprint for success to survive and thrive for another 10 years in the art business.

Running an art gallery is rarely a pretty picture. As many an entrepreneur discovers, art is only one ingredient in the recipe for survival. Just as important are location, timing, business smarts, perseverance —- and luck.

No wonder galleries come and go, and no wonder Shawn Vinson finds his 10th anniversary on Decatur's Courthouse Square a cause for celebration.

To mark the occasion, he has filled the recently renovated gallery with a survey of the artists in his stable. A painting by Ruth Franklin, a British-born artist and his wife, greets the visitor. Not just a gallery mainstay, she is behind the gallery's unique niche in British printmaking.

The roster, which has grown through her connections back home, now ranges from Anne Desmet, internationally known for finely detailed miniature visions of England and Italy, to the punky, primitive work of poet/musician/cult figure Billy Childish.

"Vinson is probably the only gallery in Atlanta that specializes in printmaking," says Stephanie Smith, president of the Atlanta Printmakers Studio.

"The printmakers are of really exceptional quality, both technically and expressively, especially the black and white work, which you don't see that often in Atlanta."

Vinson Gallery was one of the few in Decatur when it opened, and its owner has had a hand in building the scene.

"Shawn works hard to promote the arts here," Cheryl Burnette, executive director of the Decatur Arts Alliance, says of Vinson, who is a member of her board. "He initiated the Decatur ArtWalk and got us involved with the Atlanta Gallery Association's events."

Vinson, 38, is a dyed-in-the wool Decaturite.

"I moved here in 1993 because it was affordable, but now I wouldn't think of leaving," he says.

What with the renovated gallery, a devoted Decatur clientele, the nearby Brick Store —- the pub he calls his satellite office —- and his new partner Dominic Richardson, he is ready to take on the next 10 years.

Decatur educators to visit school in quake-ravaged China

By KRISTINA TORRES
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/28/08

See Decatur childrens letters here

School officials in Decatur know him as "David," a tech-savvy, iPhone-wielding educator who is their main contact at Sichuan Normal University Attached Experimental School in Chengdu, China.

But since a May 12 earthquake devastated Sichuan Province and killed tens of thousands of Chinese, David — no one knows his full name — has been a kind of lifeline, full of information, assurance and encouragement.
Come June 2, local teachers hope to return the favor as part of a trip to the Chinese city. It is the first time Decatur will send teachers to the school with which it began a new exchange program last year.

Chengdu is Sichuan's provincial capital. Much of the city, home to 11 million people, was heavily damaged but David's school did not suffer the brunt of the quake. The 3,000 students from the elite school escaped injury and are back in class.

That the trip comes at a time of national tragedy for the Sichuan region has only heightened its importance for those planning it.

"We are going to [plan] a big welcome party for them," the Chengdu school's headmistress, Xie Xiangqiong, said in an e-mail Sunday.

The program got started last summer and was made possible through contacts at Georgia State University, which sponsors an existing program that has sent GSU students to the Chengdu school.

Six Decatur educators are set to make the trip.

Once there, they will shower their hosts with dozens of handwritten letters and pictures from Decatur students offering their peers support and well-wishes. They will be guests in the homes of the Chinese school's teachers and observe classes as well as teach one of their own.

The trip had been planned for nearly a year, but the earthquake "makes it real and even more relevant," said Decatur teacher Karen Newton, who is making her first trip out of the country and will bear a special message from a local student who has relatives in Sichuan Province. "It's all about finding that common thread."

The airport in Chengdu is open. David has repeatedly assured Decatur officials that, despite a number of aftershocks in the province, the city itself is safe and that officials there want them to come. The city also is not threatened by potential flooding that over the last several days has prompted additional evacuations.
David's school serves students from kindergarten through ninth grade. When the quake hit, they evacuated their building in five minutes.

"Oh man, it was horrible!," David said in an e-mail to Decatur on May 12 — the day of the quake — responding to queries about his safety. "I had lessons just now at 2:15...but the land was dancing at the moment! Chengdu is not the center of earthquake; we are about 91 kilometers from the center. We are safe here. We were evacuated to the playground 'till 8:40. We are OK but tired!"

Ninety-one kilometers is equivalent to about 57 miles — the distance from downtown Atlanta to the outskirts of Lagrange, Ga.

Decatur officials plan to keep monitoring the news; a major setback in the region would likely preempt the trip. Chengdu officials have offered September or October as back-up dates should the trip be postponed.

Last August, the exchange brought several teachers from the Chengdu school to Decatur. Kira Wilsterman, a second grade teacher at Decatur's Oakhurst Elementary, remembers them as gracious and wonderful and full of questions.

She only hopes to be the same kind of guest. Given the circumstances, perhaps she can be more, too, she said.

"When I heard the earthquake happened, my heart just sank," Wilsterman said. "It was such a weird feeling for me, because there's a personal connection. Even though I don't know the people yet, they're going to be my friends."

Michelle Malone will be at Eddie's Attic on Saturday night (5-31-08)

Josh Joplin will be at Eddie's Attic this Friday night (5-30-08)

Decatur's own Brick Store Pub has been around 11 wonderful years.

June 27, 2008 marks 11 years since The Brick Store opened it's doors to Decatur, I can't belive it's been that long. They know how to keep a place going strong.
and now with the rumors from indecatur & decatur-metro of them taking over the lease from the antique store Rue de Leon which is closing their store in June is good news for Decatur... Will it be just another pub, don't count on that, whatever it turns out to be I know it will be good, the corner location and the fact it use to be a filling station, both good signs.Maybe they could name it The Filling Station Pub. yea, that sounds good. What ever the name I know it will be good place to be.

Below is a article from the AJC on the 10th Anniversary.
it tells how they got started.
----------------------------

AJC
By BOB TOWNSEND


If you wandered into the Brick Store Pub on the night it opened — June 27, 1997 — you might have heard something like "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" by Ben Folds Five playing. And you might have bellied up to the horseshoe-shaped bar, surveyed the newly exposed brick walls, and been coaxed into ordering a Dogwood or Blind Man pale ale on draft. Then you might have puzzled over the absence of television sets, neon signs and mega domestic lagers, such as Bud, Coors or Miller Lite.

The Brick Store celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. There still aren't any televisions, neon signs or megabeers. But there have been plenty of other changes, both subtle and dramatic.
Starting with very little money and lots of sweat equity and enthusiasm, partners Dave Blanchard, Tom Moore and Mike Gallagher first made an old beauty parlor on Decatur Square into a convivial neighborhood pub. Later, they transformed it into what is widely considered to be one of the best beer bars in the country, if not the world.

As ranked on the two biggest online beer-geek sites, the Brick Store is currently No. 9 (in the world) at ratebeer.com and No. 15 (in the United States) at beeradvocate.com.

Somehow, though, as Blanchard, Moore and Gallagher sit at an upstairs table surveying their domain and reflecting on a decade of serving up beer (along with wine, cocktails and pub grub), the former University of Georgia buddies sound more like true believers than savvy entrepreneurs.

"The first night," remembers Gallagher, "we thought we were rich. All three of us were bartending, and people were throwing money at us because they knew how hard we'd been working to get the place open. We ended up making about $500 in tips. At that point we'd been eating turkey sandwiches for about three months, so we thought it was the greatest night of our lives."

That sort of passion mixed with humility has continued to be a trademark of the Brick Store experience — even as the crowds have swelled, the partners sometimes shake their heads, regretting no longer being able to recognize every person who comes in, and having had to institute a waiting list on weekends.
We're big on karma," says Moore without a trace of irony.

But success is also clearly exciting for the trio, who describe getting "pumped" for their daily work routines — which still often revolve around Moore working in the kitchen and Blanchard and Gallagher tending bar and waiting on customers. And success is certainly what's allowed the Brick to expand and grow, spurring and reflecting the increasingly sophisticated tastes of its customers.

In 1997, the best-selling beer was Warsteiner, a light German lager. In 2007, it's St. Bernardus Abt 12, a strong Belgian ale. Leading up to the 10th anniversary, there's a different exotic or rare beer offering every night.

"Craft breweries and importers want to send us completely random, weird stuff now," Blanchard says. "And that makes us just that much more of a presence in the beer community and really gets people talking more about what we do."

The watershed moment for the Brick Store (and every other serious beer bar in the state) was the 2004 state law that made higher-alcohol beers legal in Georgia. In response, Blanchard, Moore and Gallagher went to work again and built what became known as "the Belgian bar."

The expansion — "upstairs and to the left" is the way a Brick Store T-shirt describes its location — features eight draft taps and more than 120 bottles of Belgian and Belgian-style beers. Downstairs, where there once were 13 draft lines and a handful of imported, local and regional specialty beers, there now are 17 draft and more than 65 bottled beers in rotation. Adding to the mix more recently have been the popular monthly beer and cheese tastings and periodic beer dinners, with selected breweries bringing in special treats.
he next really big act for Blanchard, Moore and Gallagher will probably take place sometime early next year. They are renovating a building they bought in Grant Park, where they plan to open another beer bar and restaurant — though it won't be known as the Brick Store, and the food will lean toward more seasonal and organic offerings.

Summing up the move into a second decade in business with Blanchard and Gallagher, Moore laughs and says,"We got married, we bought a house, and we had kids. Now we're going to go buy another house."

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Please note: Rue de Leon will still have a web site store, so you can still buy your antiques from them.

The Decatur Theatre - Belk Gallant - City Hall

I have been looking for a photo like this that would show both Belk Gallant and The Decatur Theatre.
I finally found this photo but it had a big tree in front of Belk-Gallant it covered most of the letters on the building so I put it through photo shop and removed the tree but I had to add new letters back on the building.
Original photo from a old Decatur High School year book.

Tribute to Confederacy

By DAVID SIMPSON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/25/08

Decatur is Atlanta's Berkeley, home to trendy multicultural boutiques, "War is not the Answer" yard signs — and a three-story-high tribute to "the covenant keeping race" that formed the Confederate States of America.

There is no mention of slavery on the monument, but there also is not much doubt about what "race" Hooper Alexander Sr. had in mind when he wrote the inscription more than 100 years ago. The prominent Decatur lawyer later gave a speech honoring the efforts of the "dominant race" after emancipation and asserting that slavery helped African-Americans.
click here to read full story

The Decatur Arts Festival attracted many dog lovers.

The Decatur Arts Festival had thousands of vistors this week-end
and many brought their dogs.
Dog walking is so popular they even have a water cooler for dogs on the court house lawn.