Several of the first recipients of small business relief grants issued by SelectCobb via the federal CARES Act were recognized last week by the Cobb Board of Commissioners.
They include Leah Cozzo, a co-owner of Marietta CrossFit on Canton Road, whose business received $20,000, seen above with Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell and below with all commissioners and Cobb Chamber of Commerce and SelectCobb leaders.
Birrell said in her weekly newsletter that “the owner was so appreciative of the grant and that it allows her business to remain open and her employees to work The grant helps her stay in business.”
Here’s more from SelectCobb, the economic development unit of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, about the program and the initial grantees:
The grants, designed to help businesses mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19, ranged from $20,000 to $40,000. The funding was made possible through a portion of the County’s disbursement of The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, an economic stimulus bill passed by the U.S. Congress in response to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The local grants are designed to help area businesses pay for rent, utilities, personnel payments and personal protective equipment.
Approximately 56 percent of grant recipients are minority-owned businesses, while 53 percent are women-owned, and 8 percent are veterans.
“These grants are essential in providing some measure of hope and relief to the business community,” said Mike Boyce, chairman of the Cobb County Commission. “We thank the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and members of the selection committee led by Steve Ewing for their hard work in evaluating the applications. They all truly reflect what is best about the Cobb community.”
More information, criteria and eligibility requirements can be bound at https://selectcobb.com/grants/. Applications are open until August 21 at 5 p.m.
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The Cobb Board of Commissioners voted this week to extend its partnership with SelectCobb, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s economic development arm (story here) to aid small businesses recovering from COVID-19 lockdowns.
Eligible businesses will be able to apply, starting July 27, to receive between $20,000 and $40,000 help pay for personnel, rent, utilities and PPE costs.
Here’s what’s different in the second round of the grant selection process:
Businesses that have received financial assistance from the Payroll Protection Program or Small Business Administration are now eligible for a grant.
Businesses can include both W-2 and 1099 employees toward their total number of employees.
The following requirements include the following:
Business must be an existing for-profit corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship;
Business headquarters or primary location must be within Cobb County;
Business must have 100 or fewer full-time, W-2 employees and/or individual 1099 contractors that function like employees, i.e., employees or contractors working at least 30 hours per week or 130 hours per month;
Business must have been in continuous operation for a minimum of 1 year prior to March 13, 2020;
Business must have a current business license issued by Cobb County Government, City of Acworth, City of Austell, City of Kennesaw, City of Marietta, City of Powder Springs, or City of Smyrna;
Business must be current on all local taxes;
Business may be home-based or located in an owned or leased commercial space;
Business must certify if they have received PPP/SBA funds and the amount in which they received as of time of application submittal; and
Business cannot be a publicly traded company.
Ineligible Businesses Include: Gambling Institutions, Multi-Level Marketing Organizations, Real Estate Investment Firms (REITS), Adult Entertainment
The deadline to apply is Aug. 21 at 5 p.m., and you can apply and get more information by clicking here.
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Cobb-based Tommy Nobis Center is a past winner of a Delta Community Philanthropic Fund grant, receiving $10,000 for its Early Youth Employment Services program, which offers job and life skills training to special needs students throughout metro Atlanta.
Submitted information and photos:
Delta Community Credit Union (www.DeltaCommunityCU.com), Georgia’s largest credit union with $6.8 billion in assets, has begun accepting applications for its 2021 Philanthropic Fund grant program.
Throughout 2021, the program will distribute a total of $125,000 to 20 non-profit organizations committed to the health and well-being of young people and financial literacy and education, including programs focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEM/STEAM).
Since its inception, the Delta Community Philanthropic Fund has invested $630,000 in 148 non-profit organizations that offer education, career training, and health and human services to tens of thousands of people in metro Atlanta.
“We have seen, first-hand, the positive impact these worthwhile organizations make in the lives of individuals, children and families,” said Delta Community CEO Hank Halter. “As our Philanthropic Fund enters its eighth year, we remain committed to investing in initiatives that support education and the physical and financial health of those who live in the communities we are privileged to serve.”
The application window for the 2021 Delta Community Philanthropic Fund closes Aug. 31, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Applications must be submitted via the online portal at www.DeltaCommunityCU.com/PhilanthropicFund.
In addition to its Philanthropic Fund, Delta Community invests in local communities through school sponsorships, scholarship programs, and support of chambers of commerce, industry partners and civic organizations.
Delta Community’s Hank Halter, CEO and Reina Short, Community Development Manager; Dave Ward, CEO of the Tommy Nobis Center; Monica Oliveiro, Nobis Center Development Specialist. Delta Community CEO Hank Halter and Community Development Manager Reina Short; MUST Ministries’ Dr. Ike Reigherd, Don Crampton and Yvonne Byars.
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Submitted information about Sharon Mason, an East Cobb resident who’s getting a three-year extension as president and CEO of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce:
Today [July 14], the Cobb Chamber Board of Directors announced to extend the terms of the organization’s President and CEO Sharon Mason employment agreement for another three years, through December 2023.
“Since her start as President & CEO in January 2018, Sharon Mason has been leading the Cobb Chamber to achieve its desired vision to be a catalyst for innovative solutions, and create healthy conditions for business. In just three years, Sharon has led the Chamber through the sale of its 35-year-old building and its move to the 10th floor of 1100 Circle 75 Parkway, the expansion of programming, including the launch of the International Council, Workforce Target Industry Councils, and Marquee Monday, a rebrand, and record membership growth,” said John Loud, 2020 Cobb Chamber Chairman and President of LOUD Security Systems. “I have worked closely with Sharon for the past 15 months, and I’ve never worked with someone so committed to their job, to the people they manage, and to the Chamber’s mission to nurturing an environment where businesses can prosper.”
As President and CEO, she leads the Chamber’s efforts to create jobs, strengthen the economy and quality of life for businesses and the community while building Cobb County’s reputation regionally, nationally and beyond. With the Board of Directors moving forward with her contract extension five months before it was set to expire is a vote of confidence regarding Mason’s outstanding job performance.
“Serving this Chamber and our community as its President and CEO is an honor,” says Sharon Mason, President and CEO of the Cobb Chamber. “I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished together with our Board of Directors and chamber team. Now, more than ever, Cobb’s businesses need our organization. We are here to help businesses find their way forward through this time of uncertainty and into the future. I look forward to continue working with our Board of Directors and staff to advance our economy forward.”
Mason has more than 18 years of chamber of commerce experience, including at the Cobb Chamber starting in 2005 and the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce prior. She has held varying leadership positions of increasing importance. Prior to her selection as CEO, Mason served as the Cobb Chamber’s COO in 2013 to 2017.
Mason is a Georgia native and an active member of the community including serving on the Regional Business Coalition Executive Committee, Council for Quality Growth Board of Directors, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital Regional Board, Children’s Healthcare Cobb Community Board, IgniteHQ Board, Cobb County School District Superintendent Advisory Committee, and the Georgia Chamber’s Resiliency and Recovery Task Force. In 2018, she was named by Governor Deal to the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority Board (GRTA) and continues to serve on this board. She also is a Marietta Rotary member and was Foundation Director in 2015-2016, is a past president of Friends for the East Cobb Park non-profit (2012-2013), and served on MUST Ministries Board of Directors from 2014-2019. Mason is a graduate of Chamber Institute for Organizational Management (2011), Leadership Cobb (2012), Regional Leadership Institute (2014), Honorary Commanders (2015), Leadership Atlanta (2018) and is active in these alumni associations.
In 2019 and 2020, Mason was named to Georgia Trend’s Top 100 Most Influential Georgians, Top 100 Most Influential Women in Georgia by Engineering Magazine and Atlanta 500 Most Influential list. In 2020, she was named by James Magazine to the Most Influential Georgians list. She was also named to liveSAFE Resources Academy of Women Leaders in 2015 and Atlanta Magazine’s Women Making a Mark in 2019.
Mason received her bachelor’s from Samford University. She lives in East Cobb with her husband and middle school daughter. They are active at East Cobb Church.
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As shops at The Avenue East Cobb continue to open—around 40 tenants are open for business now—the retail center’s management has scheduled some outdoor activities in the summer months (we noted previously a car show that took place in late June.)
On July 23 there will be the third in a series of Dinner & Drive-In Movie Nights, with a Christmas in July theme. Santa Claus will arrive in a convertible and show the movie The Grinch, around dusk.
Coming up on Aug. 22 will be the Chalk It Up! Birthday Bash for BoB, a fundraiser and celebration of the Box of Balloons non-profit. Families will reserve a parking spot for a donation to the organization and decorate it with chalk for prizes.
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A salute to health care workers at the entrance to East Cobb Health Park.
Submitted info:
The Cobb2020 Partnership and the Cobb Chamber, sponsor an annual Health Hero Award recognizing qualified individuals and agencies who, through outstanding, significant and innovative activities and accomplishments, have made a significant positive impact on the health of the Cobb community.
Each year, the efforts of one individual and one business to improve and support community health and healthcare infrastructure are awarded. Through the first half of 2020, hundreds of Health Heroes have stepped up to assist local businesses and the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, displaying strong determination to protect employees and ensuring people have what they need to continue to work, live and play safely.
To be considered for the award, prospective nominees must:
Provide health and wellness services, support health issues, or support the healthcare workforce in Cobb County;
Currently live or work in Cobb County. Organizations must have a location in Cobb County; and
Be a member of the Cobb Chamber.
The application deadline is July 17th. Apply at cobbchamber.org/healthhero. The award will be presented during the Cobb Chamber’s Healthcare & Biotech Industry Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 8th, 2020 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Wellstar Vinings Health Park.
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The Madison Reed Color Bar hair coloring chain has opened at Merchants Walk in East Cobb, one of three new locations in its foray in metro Atlanta.
The Merchants Walk location (1311 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 568) opened on June 13, according to a company release, next to Fab’rik. COVID-19 restrictions are in place.
Madison Reed, which opened in 2014 and is in six metro areas nationwide, offers a membership program featuring unlimited roots visits for $55 a month, as well as a free gloss service and additional products and services.
Customers can also purchase those products for home use and be taught how to use them by colorists on staff.
Safety procedures include mandatory masks for employees and customers, temperature checks for staff before each shift, no more than seven people inside at a given time, sanitizing chairs between customer visits and regular cleanings in common areas.
The East Cobb salon is opening with limited hours, from 10-6 Tuesday-Saturday.
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On Monday the U.S. Small Business Administration released the names of companies, non-profits and other entities that received emergency loan funding under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
The funds were approved by Congress to help businesses recover from closures due to COVID-19. What the SBA released on Monday are those employers who received between $150,000 and $10 million.
What follows below is a selected—but not complete—list of East Cobb businesses, non-profits and other employers who have received PPP funding of $150,000 or more.
Some of those East Cobb entities include for-profit companies, several private schools and child care centers, numerous churches and a synagogue, the Indian Hills Country Club, Ginepri Tennis at Olde Towne Athletic Club and assorted non-profits.
Among the companies of note are restaurants and real estate firms, hair salons and dentists, and the Retail Planning Corp., which leases retail space at Woodlawn Square and other shopping centers in metro Atlanta.
The independent non-profit investigative journalism organization ProPublica has put together this searchable database of companies receiving PPP loans in amounts of $150,000 and higher.
The SBA also has released a spreadsheet of those getting $150,000 or less, but is not identifying any of those companies.
A total of 156,810 Georgia companies have received loans, the vast majority of them (138,519) getting less than $150,000.
Among the criteria for receiving the money is for employers to spend most of it on retaining and paying employees. Companies that do that can have their loans turned into grants that don’t have to be repaid.
Private banks and financial institutions make the loans, which are guaranteed by the SBA.
Most of the funds were distributed nationally in April (nearly $350 billion) in federal CARES Act funding, and in May, with another $310 billion when the initial funding ran out.
Another $130 billion is available, and applications for that funding opened on Monday and will be taken until Aug. 8. Click here for more information, and about the PPP in general.
Here are links to ProPublica database info for companies in the following East Cobb ZIP Codes:
A few East Cobb businesses and other entities of interest are noted here. The PPP listings include the name of the company or entity, address and the number of employees retained:
$2-$5 Million
AIKG LLC—Andretti Karting and Indoor Games (1255 Roswell Road), 500
Atlanta Oral and Facial Surgery (1000 Johnson Ferry Road), 266
JCK USA, Ltd.—Contractor (1343 Canton Road), 0
Tip-Top Poultry (327 Wallace Road), 500
$1-2 Million
Dupree Plumbing Co., Inc (869 Worley Drive), 118
Heather & Linebeck Engineers, Inc. (2390 Canton Road), 0
Hewatt Electrical Contractors (785 Lee Waters Road), 76
Infomart, Inc. (1582 Terrell Mill Road), 117
Mt. Bethel Christian School (4385 Lower Roswell Road), 152
Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church (4385 Lower Roswell Road), 160
Peachtree Biosearch (4985 Lower Roswell Road), 47
PMTD Restaurants, Inc.—KFC and Taco Bell franchisee in Ala. and Ga. (3535 Roswell Road), 330
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Three-13 Salon, Spa and Boutique, 2663 Canton Road (hair care and spa)
They will be among those competing for the Chamber’s overall top small business of the year, to be announced in August.
In addition, the Chamber has named four small businesses to watch out for that include The Auto Accident Attorneys Group, 1454 Johnson Ferry Road. “These are businesses that have launched three years ago or less and have already achieved substantial progress,” the Chamber said in a statement.
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A 1956 Chevy on display at the Bradley’s Bar & Grill Car Show in 2017. (ECN file).
While many festivals and community events continue to be scratched from the calendar in East Cobb into the fall, Sunday will provide a chance to get out and about (weather permitting) in an actual public gathering designed to follow ongoing health protocols.
The Avenue East Cobb is holding what it calls a “Cruise, Brunch, Shop” event from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sunday. The first part of that is a reference to a custom car show that will be on display, with restaurants and shops also open as retailers there start to drum up some regular business.
There’s no cost to come out and look around, and the organizers are estimating that more than 100 custom cars and trucks will be on hand for your perusal.
The retail center at 4475 Roswell Road was almost completely closed for several weeks, with the exception of a few non-essential-designated businesses, during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Around 40 retailers and restaurants will be open Sunday morning.
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Time’s running out for small businesses impacted by COVID-19 to apply for federal relief grants administered by SelectCobb, the economic development arm of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
The deadline is this Friday, June 26, at 5 p.m., and you’re eligible if you are a Cobb-based business with 100 employees or less. Home-based businesses also are eligible.
A total of $50 million in grant funding comes through the federal CARES Act and was approved by the Cobb Board of Commissioners. Money can be used for payroll and other business expenses. A short video on the program can be seen here.
Here’s more from the county on how the grant program breaks down:
One to ten employees: up to $20,000
11 to 50 employees: up to $30,000
51 to 100 employees: up to $40,000
For information on this grant, qualifications, how to apply, documents needed and more, visit selectcobb.com/grants.
An independent panel appointed by Select Cobb will review all applications, and priority will not be given to Cobb Chamber members.
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A Tokyo Valentino sign has gone up over the doors of what had been a Mattress Firm store at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb.
But there’s nothing in public documents that indicates a change of business from what had been applied for and is listed in Cobb County new business filings and state business formation documents as a clothing store.
East Cobb Newsfirst reported on May 25 that Michael S. Morrison, owner of the Atlanta-based Tokyo Valentino adult store chain, was named in Georgia Secretary of State’s records as the organizer and authorizer of a new business at that address to be called 1290 Clothing Co., LLC.
That’s the same name of a general retail store that was granted a new business license by the Cobb Community Development Agency on March 13.
Initially Morrison denied he knew anything about 1290 Clothing Co., saying he had a Tokyo Valentino store in Marietta.
But he later said he wasn’t sure what was going to go in the Johnson Ferry space, which would be his first venture in East Cobb.
East Cobb News has left a message with Morrison seeking comment about the Tokyo Valentino sign in East Cobb.
The five Tokyo Valentino stores and another store owned by Morrison called Stardust in Brookhaven sell a variety of adult books, DVDs, sex toys, adult lingerie and “smoking accessories.”
The Sandy Springs Tokyo Valentino store opened last December, also in a former Mattress Firm store. Initial filings indicated it would be for dancers’ clothes, but it opened as Tokyo Valentino. After a dispute with the city, he added non-adult items to meet code requirements.
A permit was also required for renovation from what had been the Mattress Firm in East Cobb. County building records showed an application was filed on May 14 by Pembroke Real Estate Partners, LLC, in Miami.
That’s the new owner of the building at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road. Pembroke’s principal is Frank Koretsky, a Miami-based entrepreneur who has holdings in adult lingerie and sex toy businesses.
According to Cobb tax records and previously reported by East Cobb News, Pembroke purchased the 0.53 acres and building at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road on Feb. 4 for $1.5 million.
Cobb building permit records show an inspection was completed on May 29 at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road, and that a certificate of occupancy was issued last Thursday, June 11.
There’s no mention in those records of a business named Tokyo Valentino, only 1290 Clothing Co.
There’s also no indication of a name change with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, where business incorporation papers are filed.
Businesses that have previously received licenses in Cobb County and want to change their names can do so for a $10 fee.
As of Friday, the last day new business licenses and business name changes were publicly listed, there was nothing to indicate a change at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road.
Commissioner Bob Ott has said that because of a general commercial zoning classification that goes back to the 1970s, there’s nothing the county can do about an adult store moving in at that location—as long as there are no code violations.
Ott told East Cobb News Tuesday evening that’s still the case, but that “I have staff looking into what options the county may have moving forward.”
Nearby citizens have spoken out at a commissioners’ meeting and organized an online petition against an adult store in East Cobb.
One of those citizens, Lisa Sims, said she had seen the Tokyo Valentino sign and wasn’t surprised but was “very disappointed.”
Morrison has battled local governments for years over his stores, going back to the late 1990s, especially his original store on Cheshire Bridge Road in Atlanta.
Last year the City of Atlanta sought to shut down that store, which has video booths and private rooms. Morrison is legally challenging the city’s adult entertainment ordinance.
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The Cobb Board of Commissioners, with a 5-0 vote, approved funding for a $50 million Small Business Grant Program designed to help struggling businesses recover from the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding will come out of the $132 million allocated to Cobb in the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
The agenda item provides $500,000 to the “Select Cobb” division of the Cobb Chamber to administer the grant program. That group will educate, advertise and administer the program with a board comprised of a diverse group of business interests. Only companies with fewer than 101 employees will be able to apply.
The applications will be reviewed by commission district so all areas of the county are equally represented in the number of companies approved for grants. The amount of funding awarded to an individual small business will vary based on business size:
One to ten employees – up to $20,000
11 to 50 employees – up to $30,000
51 to 100 employees – up to $40,000
A Cobb Chamber survey recently found that 32% of Cobb businesses worry the COVID-19 situation will put them out of business and 60 percent say they will need some sort of financial assistance to continue.
The process for the application is as follows:
The application will be uploaded at 10:00 a.m. on June 8
The application portal will be open until June 26 at 5:00 p.m.
All grants submitted in that time frame will be evaluated. This is not first come first served.
On Wednesday, June 10 from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m., join Select Cobb to have your questions answered and to discuss the application and review process for the SelectCobb Small Business Relief Grants. Speakers for the webinar will include:
John Loud, President, LOUD Security & 2020 Cobb Chamber Chairman
Commissioner Bob Ott, District 2 Commissioner, Cobb County
Kevin Greiner, President & CEO, Gas South & SelectCobb Chairman
Jason Gaines, Planning and Economic Development Division Manager, Cobb County Community Development Agency
Dana Johnson, COO, Cobb Chamber & Executive Director, SelectCobb
Sharon Mason, President & CEO, Cobb Chamber
Please note that you do not have to be a member of the Cobb Chamber to apply or receive funding as part of the SelectCobb Small Business Relief Grant Program. No preferential consideration will be given for Cobb Chamber members. For more information on the SelectCobb Small Business Relief Grants, visit selectcobb.com/grants.
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A few more business reopenings to note, as more restaurants are now serving in their dining rooms, gyms are welcoming back clients for in-person classes and more.
Dan Edmonds, general manager of the East Cobb Tavern (Shallowford Corners) says starting Monday, you can sit down and eat inside, with regular hours back to 11 a.m. to p.m.. They’re also continuing takeout and curbside service, which continues from 3-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Also on Monday, Mezza Luna Pasta & Seafood (Pavilions at East Lake) is reopening its dining room with limited seating and reservations only
The CycleBar East Cobb (Parkaire Landing) reopened over the Memorial Day weekend, and is gradually adding classes and offering summer specials to students and teachers;
At Paradise Grille (Highland Plaza), the indoor dining room is closed, but starting tonight they’re having weekly live music on the patio. South of the Border’s dining room has reopened.
The dining rooms of all 3 East Cobb locations of J. Christopher’s have reopened, for usual breakfast-lunch-brunch service between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.;
When the pandemic struck McCray’s Tavern was making plans to move into the former Loyal Q space at Parkaire Landing. After several weeks, there’s no specific opening date that’s been announced yet but they’ve been conducting interviews and are saying for now they’re opening soon.
Proprietor Scott McCray also has been busy preparing his new Marietta Square restaurant, Mac’s Chophouse, to open in the former Shilling’s space.
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If you have Coronavirus-related event changes, business openings or closings to share with the public, e-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
Contact us at the same e-mail address for news about efforts to assist those in need, health care workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of combatting Coronavirus in East Cobb.
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The program is called the Select Cobb Small Business Grants, after the chamber’s economic development arm, which will distribute grants to qualifying businesses in amounts ranging from $20,000 to $40,000. The funding can be used on personnel, rent, utilities and acquiring PPE for employee safety.
Here’s what SelectCobb sent out late Thursday afternoon:
Applications will open on June 8, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. and close on June 26, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. A full list of eligibility requirements and more information about the application process will be available at www.selectcobb.com on June 1. The website and email address for this program—www.selectcobb.com/grants and grants@selectcobb.com—will be available on June 1. Also, a webinar on how to apply for the small business grants will be held on June 10th at 10:00 am through the Cobb Chamber.
“Maintaining jobs and promoting growth within Cobb County has been and always will be our number one priority for our small business community,” said Kevin Greiner, president and CEO of Gas South and Chairman of SelectCobb for the Cobb Chamber. “The SelectCobb Small Business Relief Grants will allow Cobb’s small businesses to stand strong during this pandemic and continue to meet necessary business expenses, as well as providing capital to acquire PPE and other resources to ensure a safe working environment for their employees.”
To be considered for the SelectCobb Small Business Relief Grant, small businesses must meet the following requirements:
Business must be an existing for-profit corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship;
Business headquarters or primary location must be within Cobb County;
Business must have 100 or fewer full-time, W-2 employees, i.e., employees working at least 30 hours per week or 130 hours per month;
Business must have been in continuous operation for a minimum of 1 year prior to March 13, 2020;
Business must have a current business license issued by Cobb County Government, City of Acworth, City of Austell, City of Kennesaw, City of Marietta, City of Powder Springs, or City of Smyrna;
Business must be current on all local taxes;
Business may be home-based or located in an owned or leased commercial space;
Business must certify if they have received PPP funds as of time of application submittal; and
Business cannot be a publicly traded company.
Grant funding will be available in three different tiers based upon the number of full-time, W-2 employees employed by the company as of March 12, 2020. The tiers of grant funding include, up to $20,000 for 1 to 10 employees; up to $30,000 for 11 to 50 employees; and up to $40,000 for 51 to 100 employees.
“I’m gratified that the board came together to address an important segment of our community, the small business community,” said Chairman Mike Boyce after the vote. “It demonstrates when it is all said and done, this board has the best interest of the county at heart. We work every day to do the best we can with the money we have—whether it is county money, state money, or federal money—we all have a duty to make sure the taxpayer’s money is spent appropriately and I think this is one action that reflects that.”
SelectCobb staff will review each application to ensure that all eligibility requirements are met. Once applications are closed, an independent committee of business representatives will review each eligible application and decide which companies will receive grant funds and how much will be provided, up to the maximum allowed by each tier. The committee will be comprised of individuals from all areas of Cobb, and will include a diverse group of industries being represented, including banking, certified public accountants, law, small business and county government.
The committee will review applications per Commission District so that all areas are equally represented in the number of companies being assisted. Once determinations are made, a public announcement of grants funds will be made by representatives of the selection committee, SelectCobb, Cobb Chamber, and Cobb County Government.
“Cobb County should be applauded for creating one of the largest small business grants in the region,” said Dana Johnson, executive director of SelectCobb. “I want to thank the Board of Commissioners for their leadership and commitment to ensuring that Cobb County remains one of the top destinations for small businesses.”
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After some discussion Tuesday morning, the Cobb Board of Commissioners approved using more than $50 million of federal COVID-19 stimulus funds to help small businesses and low-income renters facing evictions.
In the case of the small business grants, a total of $50 million will be earmarked to help businesses retain employees and meet other expenses to stay open.
The proposal would limit eligible business to those with 100 employees or less and stipulated that they must own or lease commercial property for their operations in Cobb County.
But commissioner Lisa Cupid of South Cobb got her colleagues to agree to expand the criteria to those who have home-based businesses.
She also wanted to cap the number of eligible business with up to 20 employees.
Select Cobb, the development arm of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, will oversee the selection of the businesses to get the grants. Starting next Monday, more information will be available on its website about the application and eligibility process.
Select Cobb and commissioners will appoint an independent committee representing a variety of industries and business sectors to choose the grant recipients.
An equitable number of businesses will be chosen from the four commission districts, and they will be eligible for funding as follows:
1 to 10 employees – up to $20,000;
11 to 50 employees – up to $30,000;
51 to 100 employees – up to $40,000.
Select Cobb will receive $500,000 in stimulus funding to oversee the selection and distribution process.
Also Tuesday, commissioners approved spending $1.5 million of the federal stimulus funds to help tenants work out agreements with landlords for back rent in order to avoid eviction.
Star-C, an Atlanta non-profit with offices in Cobb County, will administer that funding. Under the plan, low-income apartment dwellers facing evictions would receive a “scholarship” of up to 70 percent of their overdue payment total. The remaining 20 percent would be paid by the tenant and the landlord would be asked to pay the remaining 10 percent and waive the late fee.
Cobb County has received $132 million in funding from the federal CARES Act, and earlier this month approved spending $1 million to reimburse Cobb non-profits who’ve been providing emergency food supplies.
Also on Tuesday, commissioners designated several categories to spend the rest of the money, and these are subject to change.
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Commercially-zoned property with a building that housed a Mattress Firm store at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road was purchased in February for $1.55 million (ECN photo)
A vacant retail building located in the heart of East Cobb has a new owner and is being renovated for a new use.
What that use may end up being has been the subject of a flurry of social media chatter in recent days about whether a sex shop is on the way.
Specifically, the subject of that speculation is that a new location of Atlanta-based Tokyo Valentino—with five adult retail stores in the metro area, including the city of Marietta—is replacing the former Mattress Firm store at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road, across from Merchant’s Walk.
Cobb County business license records and a pending building permit application indicate plans for a retail store at that address called 1290 Clothing Co.
That business also has registered as a corporation with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office as 1290 Clothing, LLC, and lists the same registered agent as Cheshire Bridge Holdings, LLC, the parent company of Tokyo Valentino.
Michael Morrison, the Tokyo Valentino owner who has battled the city of Atlanta and other local jurisdictions for years over his businesses, is named in the 1290 Clothing Co. business formation documents as organizer and authorizer.
But he denied he is opening a new store in East Cobb.
In a public statement issued Monday, Cobb Commissioner Bob Ott said he has received more than 500 messages from citizens about the subject, and said there is nothing the county can do if a sex shop is coming to that building on Johnson Ferry Road.
The half-acre on which it sits is zoned general commercial, the broadest of the commercial zoning categories in Cobb County, and includes most kinds of retail shops.
“Unfortunately, due to the zoning already in place on the property dating back to the late 70s, it appears that the retail shop meets all county code requirements,” Ott said in his message. “The U.S. Constitution doesn’t allow a county to come in and arbitrarily change existing zoning and/or add stipulations.”
He also said that contrary to some of the citizens’ queries he’s received, the matter will not come before the Cobb Board of Commissioners during its Tuesday regular meeting.
“That is not true,” Ott said. “There is nothing on the agenda tomorrow related to this store.”
A new business license was granted by the Cobb Community Development Agency on March 11 for 1290 Clothing Co., at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road, to an applicant named Tomika Hugley.
According to Cobb building permit records, an application for a renovation at that same address was filed on May 14 by Pembroke Real Estate Partners, LLC, in Miami.
That’s the company listed in Cobb Tax Assessors Office records as the Feb. 4 buyer of 0.53 acres and a building with 5,444 square feet at 1290 Johnson Ferry Road, for $1.55 million.
Building permit records indicate the renovation project is described as a “move-in only” for the tenant “1290 Clothing Co.” but no inspection has been conducted.
When contacted by East Cobb News Friday about whether he’s opening a store in East Cobb, Morrison said, “I have no idea what you are referring to.”
He said that “any applications that we submit for future stores have my name on them” and noted his store in Marietta, and that he was not involved with the 1290 Clothing Co. enterprise.
According to a Georgia Secretary of State’s business filing, 1290 Clothing Co. LLC was registered on Jan. 21, 2020. The filing names Michael Morrison as the 1290 Clothing Co. organizer and authorizer, with an Atlanta residential address located off LaVista Road in DeKalb County.
East Cobb News has been unable to reach Hugley or Rebecca Crider, the registered agent for the new store on Johnson Ferry Road. Crider also is the registered agent for other Tokyo Valentino businesses, including the Marietta store, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
Many of the social media comments about the new Johnson Ferry Road store have come on a Facebook group, East Cobb Moms Exchange. East Cobb News has been contacted by some members of the group and other citizens, but none could provide further information.
An online petition urging readers to contact Ott has received more than 1,000 signatures.
In 1998, the city of Atlanta first tried to shut down Morrison’s original store on Cheshire Bridge Road, which opened in 1995 and was called Inserection, because of its video booths, massage rooms and private bedrooms.
In 2014, Morrison—who served two-and-a-half years in prison for federal income tax invasion in the mid-2000s—rebranded his business Tokyo Valentino and opened new locations.
Last year Morrison opened a store in Sandy Springs, also in an abandoned mattress store building, initially saying it would be a dancer clothing store under a different name.
The city claimed the store violated its merchandising code by having more than a quarter of its square footage space devoted to adult merchandise sales.
Morrison, who also has had legal disputes with Brookhaven over his Stardust adult retail store, eventually complied in December by adding non-adult items at the Sandy Springs store, now called Tokyo Valentino.
There are two other Tokyo Valentino stores, on Northside Drive in Buckhead and on Pleasant Hill Road in Gwinnett County.
Ott said his staff visited the Tokyo Valentino store in Marietta, at 345 South Cobb Parkway, and said it’s strictly a retail store, unlike what’s on Cheshire Bridge Road.
The Marietta location sells adult lingerie, sex toys, body art and jewelry, books and DVDs, smoking accessories and novelty gifts and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.
The Tokyo Valentino store in Marietta is located at Cobb Parkway and Frey’s Gin Road, across from the Marietta Diner. (ECN photo)
Pembroke Real Estate Partners, the new owner of the 1290 Johnson Ferry Road property, is a registered corporation in Florida, and whose principal is listed as Frank Koretsky.
According to his personal website, Koretsky has added real estate investing and philanthropy to his business interests.
He has sold consumer electronics and video tapes and built up two adult video distribution companies, International Video Distribution and East Coast News, which “now exist as the largest entities in their respective industries.”
Koretsky also is a holder in adult lingerie and sex toy businesses.
On Monday Ott reminded East Cobb residents of community opposition to a We Buy Gold store on Lower Roswell Road near Johnson Ferry Road several years ago.
“There was a large outcry about that store coming to East Cobb,” he said. “Then, like now, there wasn’t anything the county could do because it met all the code requirements. That store is now an ice cream shop in large part because in a very short period it became obvious to the owners that the people weren’t interested in having that business in their community.”
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Next Wednesday two of the three East Cobb restaurants run by Doug Turbush—Seed Kitchen and Bar at Merchant’s Walk and the Drift Fish House and Oyster Bar at The Avenue—will be reopening, but not their dining rooms.
Seed, Drift and the Stem Wine Bar adjacent to Seed have been closed entirely since March 17.
In a message issued Friday, Turbush said Seed and Drift will reopen with limited hours, from Wednesday-Sunday from 5-9 p.m., and with only takeout/pickup/delivery service available.
There are new takeout menus that have been prepared, including some offerings from Stem, with appetizers and family meals that can be ordered. A statement issued by Turbush’s publicists didn’t indicate when dining room service would resume, but he did say this:
“We have been working diligently to reopen in a way that is both safe and responsible and in the best interest of our employees, guests and community. Our entire team appreciates the support we’ve received over the last two months, and we can’t wait to be back in the kitchen and serving guests in our neighborhood again.”
Diners can call ahead starting at 12 noon at Seed at 678-214-6888 and at Drift at 770-635-7641. Delivery is available via DoorDash.
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Commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb is proposing that $50 million of the $132.6 million in federal Coronavirus-related stimulus funding the county is getting be used to help small businesses get back on their feet.
He’s proposed a spending measure to be considered at Tuesday’s regular business meeting that would call for the creation of an independent body to select the businesses receiving the assistance and for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce to administer the grants, which are provided through the federal CARES Act.
Eligible businesses would have 100 or fewer employees and may not have received previous funding from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or Small Business Administration loans available through the CARES Act.
In addition, 60 percent of the grant money for each small business must go toward hiring or maintaining employees. The businesses cannot be publicly traded and must have a primary or branch location in Cobb County.
The amount of funding selected businesses would receive including the following:
The Chamber would receive $500,000 of stimulus funds to administer the grants, which would be selected evenly across the four commissioners districts by a committee chosen by commissioners and the Chamber.
Ott also has proposed spending $1.5 million in CARES Act money for eviction relief that would be administered through Star-C Communities, an Atlanta based non-profit that works to reduce transiency in affordable housing communities.
The organization would receive $120,000 to administer the assistance program. As drawn up in the proposal, low-income apartment dwellers facing evictions would receive a “scholarship” of up to 70 percent of their overdue payment total. The remaining 20 percent would be paid by the tenant and the landlord would be asked to pay the remaining 10 percent and waive the late fee.
Those items will come up for consideration after a related measure asking commissioners to designate several categories for spending the federal stimulus funding.
They include the following:
Disaster Relief/County Preparedness
Economic Development/Business Loans
Emergency Food Program
Emergency Shelter Program
School Assistance Programs
Job Training
County Contingency
Commissioners could add and change the categories at a later time. Last week they approved the first amount of CARES Act funding, $1 million in reimbursements for non-profit agencies like MUST Ministries that have been providing emergency food aid to those in need.
This Tuesday’s meeting starts at a special time, 1:30 p.m., and this will be a virtual meeting streamed on the county’s YouTube and Facebook pages and Website as well as the Cobb TV23 public access cable channel on Comcast.
Public comment also is available and those who wish to take part by phone or computer must sign up at this link.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
We’re starting another updated list of business reopenings—mostly restaurants but any others—as more dining rooms start to welcome guests.
Kathyrn Brown at Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q (2550 Sandy Plains Road) checked in to say the dining room has reopened at a reduced capacity, and that they’re staffing up for Memorial Day and catering for home graduation parties, etc.
All locations of Moxie Burger and Moxie Taco are open for dining room service for lunch only for now, also with limited tables for social distancing reasons. When you order to eat in (they encourage you to call in ahead of time), you’ll get your food and drinks in to-go containers.
Dinner hours (4 p.m.-close) are remaining takeout/curbside, and reopening “will depend largely on the success of the guidelines being followed during lunch.” The new hours are Sunday–Thursday 11 – 8; Friday—Saturday 11– 8:30.
Paradise Grille (3605 Sandy Plains Road) reopened for dinner Monday and continues takeout/curbside/pickup. The hours are 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and the kitchen closes at 9 p.m.
Fuji Hana East Cobb (1255 Johnson Ferry) has reopened for lunch (11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.) and dinner 4:30-10 p.m., takeout/delivery) 678-570-8071;
Open for dining room takeout/curbside/delivery is Hong Kong Star(4719 Lower Roswell Road), which has removed tables to meet social distancing guidelines.
Bay Breeze Seafood (2418 Canton Road) has reopened, and is offering dining room, patio and curbside/takeout service.
A restaurant that has been closed since the COVID-19 outbreak is Stockyard Burgers and Bones at The Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road), which is now open again for dining room service from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Curbside pickup and takeout service is still available.
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If you have Coronavirus-related event changes, business openings or closings to share with the public, e-mail us: editor@eastcobbnews.com.
Contact us at the same e-mail address for news about efforts to assist those in need, health care workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of combatting Coronavirus in East Cobb.
Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!
The Cobb Board of Commissioners, with a 5-0 vote, approved funding for a $50 million Small Business Grant Program designed to help struggling businesses recover from the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding will come out of the $132 million allocated to Cobb in the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
