East Cobb Business

Top East Cobb stories for 2019: Business openings, closings

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The Fresh Market East Cobb closing

A good number of retail, restaurant and service businesses opened in East Cobb during 2019, but it was the handful of closures that caught many locals by surprise.

Two of them in particular drew plenty of attention later in the fall. The Fresh Market at Woodlawn Square had a markdown sale as it closed its doors in October, and Egg Harbor Cafe shuttered in December after not being able to work out a new lease.

Read the stories

Also closing during the past year was the Loyal Q Tavern at Parkaire Landing Shopping Center and Once and Again Books on Shallowford Road.

The year 2019 was a healthy one for new fitness center openings, including Fit Body Boot Camp and SPENGA East Cobb, among others, as well as Explore Chiropractic at Parkaire.

Other new stores include The French Table and Pineapple Porch, home decor outlet, Frenchie’s Modern Nail Care and Code Ninjas, a coding school for kids.

Carwash USA, which had been located at Roswell Road and Old Canton Road, reopened at the former Wells Fargo Bank branch on Johnson Ferry Road at East Cobb Crossing Shopping Center.

Jennifer Cortez, a former manager at the now-closed Kaminsky Jewelry store on Post Oak Tritt Road, opened Jennifer Jewelers in the same spot.

The Credit Union of Georgia opened a branch on Johnson Ferry Road, and The Solana East Cobb, a senior living facility, marked the end of its first full year in business with a grand opening in November.

New restaurants and eateries in East Cobb include Jim ‘Nicks BBQ, the first business at the new Sandy Plains MarketPlace, Clean Juice at Woodlawn Square, Roll On In at Woodlawn Commons and Duck Donuts at Merchants Walk.

Perhaps the most anticipated opening—reopening, really—was the remodeled and expanded Chick-fil-A at Woodlawn Square, which was closed for several months.

Two other restaurant chains relocating to East Cobb won’t be opening until 2020. Mellow Mushroom will be taking the former Common Quarter space at Woodlawn Square, and Flying Biscuit Cafe is coming to Parkaire Landing by next spring.

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Coach, park advocate named East Cobb Citizens of the Year

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East Cobb citizens of the year
Tom Bills and Mack Cobb (center, with plaques) are joined by, from left, East Cobb Area Council president Dan Byers, Cobb Chamber CEO Sharon Mason and incoming Cobb Chamber president John Loud. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)

The new recipients of the East Cobb Citizen of the Year award have been revealed, and a long streak of keeping the news a surprise to the winners has been maintained.

At a Tuesday morning breakfast of the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, Mack Cobb wore a Pope letter sweater, with a light-blue P against a backdrop of darker blue. He was asked to speak about the youth football programs he’s been involved with for nearly 50 years.

Tom Bills was part of a special presentation about the past, present and future of East Cobb Park, as the organization’s first treasurer.

Both men did that, but as the co-citizens of the year, an honor that’s been shared only once since the award began in 1991.

“I don’t know what to say,” said Cobb, holding up papers with prepared remarks. “I came here to talk about football.”

He’s coached middle-school feeder football programs for Pope, Lassiter and Walton, as well as for the Cobb YMCA.

When asked later about why he’s coached sixth-through-eighth graders for so long, his reply was swift: “They’re kids,” Cobb said, with a spark in his eyes.

A favorite moment came during a practice when a player rushed to Cobb, put something in his hand and asked him to hold onto it. It was a bloody tooth.

“I want to put it under my pillow,” the boy told Cobb.

Mack Cobb, East Cobb Citizen of the Year
Mack Cobb poses with members of the Pope community, including head football coach Tab Griffin (back row, at right), who played for him as a middle-schooler.

One of his former players was in attendance at the event at Indian Hills Country Club. Tab Griffin, who’s been the Pope varsity coach for the past three years, said Cobb’s been one of the more influential figures in his life, far beyond football.

“He always taught you so much about non-football things,” Griffin said. “Hard work. Making good grades. Respecting others. You don’t realize how much you’ve learned from him until you’re out in the real world.”

Griffin said those life lessons came every day in practice and at games, not in any overbearing fashion, but as part of developing trusting relationships with other people. That was the strength of Cobb’s influence.

“Now that I’m a father and a coach, I try to instill them with the things that I learned from him,” Cobb said.

Tom Bill, East Cobb Citizen of the Year
Tom Bills was surprised at being named the East Cobb co-Citizen of the Year, as he is presented his plaque by 1992 recipient Johny Johnson.

Bills was an engineering consultant in private practice when he got involved with efforts nearly two decades ago to buy land to purchase what became East Cobb Park.

He lives in the nearby Mitsy Forest neighborhood, and served as the first treasurer of the Friends for the East Cobb Park.

Over the years, he’s served the non-profit board in various capacities, including president from 2003-05. Now, Bills is a senior construction project manager for the Cobb Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs.

“I always thought that my award was the park,” Bills said.

He got involved in the volunteer group’s work, he said, because a park nearby “would be good for our neighborhood.”

It turned out to be a long-term commitment that included an ambitious fundraising project that continues today.

Before long, Sunny Walker, Mary Karras and Kim Paris—founding members and driving forces of the Friends group—got him fully involved, after initially asking him to evaluate an environmental impact study.

“Mary signed me up for 20 years,” he said.

He said as the organization’s treasurer, every single contribution, no matter the size, was important.

Among them were from kids who turned over big bags of change they solicited from golfers on the Indian Hills driving range.

“That meant as much to us” as the bigger checks, Bills said, “because it showed the support of the community.”

Bills’ other community work includes volunteering with activities at Walton High School, Keep Cobb Beautiful, and the Cobb Veterans Foundation.

 

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East Cobb bookstore’s longevity due to ‘reinventing yourself’

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Bookmiser, East Cobb bookstore
The Bookmiser store in East Cobb carries an ample supply of literary and popular fiction and has authors’ events. (East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)

When Annell Gerson and her husband Jim opened their first Bookmiser bookstore in Roswell in 1998, Borders was the chief competition.

That was three years after Amazon, then a little-known Seattle company, was modestly selling books online. As the Gersons expanded to open an East Cobb location on Roswell Road, the book industry would undergo profound changes.

By the time Borders went out of business in 2011 (including a store at The Avenue East Cobb), Amazon had become not just a virtual bookselling colossus but a dominant force in the online retail world.

“You just keep morphing, you just keep reinventing yourself,” said Annell Gerson on Small Business Saturday, referring to Bookmiser’s sustainability amid the changes.

It was nine years ago that American Express came up with the Small Business Saturday promotion to help small, independent retailers in the wake of Black Friday at the start of the holiday shopping season.

Bookmiser has taken part each year, and takes part in Independent Bookstore Day, the last Saturday in April. The Small Business Saturday logo adorns the store’s website, and a floor mat is situated at the checkout counter.

Gerson says the promotions are good for raising awareness long-term more than prompting same-day sales, but every little bit helps.

What started exclusively as a used bookstore with a trading program has expanded into providing required reading materials for school classes, New York Times bestsellers, special orders and authors’ events.

Every book is sold at a 20 percent discount, used or new, without any membership requirements. Bookmiser customers also get further discounts and sales offerings via the store’s e-mail newsletter, which included 25 percent off all this weekend.

“As a bookstore, you have to establish relationships with people,” Gerson said. “We know exactly what they like to read.”

The store at 3822 Roswell Road (at the eastern intersection of Robinson Road) includes a wide variety of literary and popular fiction. Many of the featured authors are what Gerson refers to as “women’s fiction,” and events at the Milton and Sandy Springs libraries feature local and national authors.

Bookmiser
New and bestselling books by featured authors are displayed in the front of the store.

Gerson said several years ago, as she was doing an event with former Congressman Tom Price, she counted up the number of bookstores in and around his north metro Atlanta base that had closed in recent years.

“Twenty-two,” she said.

Even with a focus on customer service (1-2 days for special orders to arrive, no delivery charges) and special event, the competitive challenges for indie bookstores have grown. While Bookmiser is located in an affluent, well-educated community, that’s not necessarily an advantage.

“It’s so easy to push the button,” she said, referring to Amazon. “It’s a David and Goliath story every day.”

Unlike Amazon and other online sellers, “we pay property tax. We pay school tax. We pay for air conditioning.”

And Bookmiser, like many small and independent businesses, chips in to partner with community organizations, including the Walton volleyball and baseball programs, Dance Stop, the Chattahoochee Nature Center and Curing Kids’ Cancer.

Bookmiser also took part in helping run the Milton Literary Festival until this year’s event. Last year, the Gersons closed the Roswell store (located on Sandy Plains Road near the Sandy Plains Village shopping center), and donated the last of its stock to the Friends of the Milton Library.

In 2016, Half-Price Books opened in East Cobb at the Woodlawn Square Shopping Center. While other indie book stores exist in East Cobb at the Book Exchange and the Book Nook, another used-bookstore, Once and Again Books, closed last year on Shallowford Road.

Gerson said continuing to adapt to the retail book market and customer demands are imperative. Starting in 2020, Bookmiser will gradually increase its new book stock to take up about half of the store.

“That’s what we’re seeing the community wants,” she said of the growing demand for new books. “And they want it now.”

Bookmiser is open from 10-7 Monday-Friday, 10-6 Saturday and 12-5 Sunday. Phone: (770) 509-5611.

Bookmiser

 

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East Cobb Citizen of the Year to be named at Chamber breakfast

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East Cobb Park

On Dec. 3, the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce will reveal its 2019 East Cobb Citizen of the Year at its last breakfast meeting of the year.

The event also includes a discussion about the past, present and future of East Cobb Park with founders and visionaries of the park, including Mary Karras, Kim Paris, Tom Bills and Lee O’Neal.

The breakfast is from 7:30-9 a.m. at Indian Hills Country Club (4001 Clubland Drive). The cost is $25 for Chamber members and $35 for guests. Online registration ends on Nov. 29 (click here).

Each of the area councils of the Cobb chamber honor a citizen for work in the community with the Citizen of the Year designation. Last year, the East Cobb Citizen of the Year was Brenda Rhodes of Simple Needs GA, and in 2017 the recipient was U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.

East Cobb Park opened on Roswell Road in 2003, after years of community advocacy and the purchase of what had been farmland belonging to the Tritt family. The all-volunteer non-profit Friends for the East Cobb Park was organized for that task, and to provide programs and events and assist with maintenance of the park, which is part of the Cobb Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Affairs.

Last year, Cobb commissioners voted to spend $8.3 million in park bond funds to purchase 22 acres of adjoining Tritt property, with plans to preserve it as greenspace and eventually expand East Cobb Park.

The Friends for the East Cobb Park contributed more than $100,000 from its endowment to complete the purchase, and launched a fundraising drive. In August, the county reimbursed $90,000 to the group.

 

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East Cobb Biz Scene: ECBA names business person of the year

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Butch Carter, ECBA business person of the year
Butch Carter of Honest-1 Auto Care is flanked by Jim Harris, ECBA president, and Cynthia Rozzo, publisher of the EAST COBBER magazine. (ECN photo)

When Butch Carter left the corporate world after a long career in sales, he took a very different turn as a business owner.

“I didn’t have background in automotive,” said Carter, the owner of the Honest-1 Auto Care repair service in East Cobb. He wanted to run his own business, and worked with a business coach to forge his entrepreneurial path.

When Carter opened in the fall of 2013 at a former Napa store on East Cobb Drive (behind where the Trader Joe’s is now located) Carter sought to fulfill the franchise’s promise “to build long-term relationships and give back to the community.”

Carter was named the 2019 business person of the year last week by the East Cobb Business Association, which honored him during a luncheon (that included an East Cobb cityhood debate) at the Olde Towne Athletic Club.

It’s the second year for the award, whose inaugural winner was Cynthia Rozzo, publisher of the EAST COBBER magazine.

A native of North Carolina, Carter was an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force, then earned an MBA before entering the business world.

Carter had been a pharmaceutical sales representative for Pfizer, Otsuka and Stryker Medical and a sales manager for Axcan/Aptalis Pharma, with a personal business philosophy “that if you treat your customers right, you’re going to be successful.”

While Carter has taken that approach with him as a business owner, he credited his “phenomenal front desk staff. They’re the face of the business.” Those involved in the customer service aspect of Honest-1, he said, “are the driving force behind the success of our business.”

Carter has opened a second Honest-1 location in Johns Creek, and in East Cobb he has plunged into community service work. He’s a member of the Rotary Club of East Cobb, and he’s involved his business in projects that include more than 25 organizations.

Honest-1 has held a cookout for veterans in association with East Cobb-based United Military Care (more here about the work of this organization), has contributed to the food pantry at Brumby Elementary School and benefitted the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Carter also is a big believer in supporting other local businesses in East Cobb, using many of them for vendors for a variety of functions, including marketing, social media and website management.

The other finalists for the ECBA’s business person of the year are Cindy Trow, a health coach with Wellness Now, Ann Lafferty of Rakers Junk Removal, and Tom Gonter, the development director for MUST Ministries.

Righteous Que on the MoveRighteous Que Moving Sign

The Righteous Que BBQ restaurant in the Piedmont Commons Shopping Center (1050 E. Piedmont Road) has outgrown its tiny space, and is in the process of moving three doors down, where El Taco Mexican recently closed.

A sign on the Righteous Que door notes it will be closed this week while the move is in progress, and they’re taking applications for the expanded business.

Roll On In Sets Opening Date

The first day of business for Roll On In Sushi Burrito & Bowls at Woodlawn Point (1100 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 365) will be Saturday, Dec. 7. The Asian concept franchise is owned by East Cobb residents Monte and Suzanne Petty Jump. You can track the progress at the store’s Facebook page.

 

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East Cobb Business Association cityhood forum limited to 250

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Some more details on next Tuesday’s East Cobb Business Association forum on the subject of East Cobb cityhood that we first noted a couple weeks ago:East Cobb Business Association cityhood forum

The ECBA says that to ensure you get a seat, you must make a reservation online, ideally by Sunday, when the cost goes up.

The forum featuring representatives from the Committee for Cityhood in East Cobb and the anti-cityhood East Cobb Alliance is part of the ECBA’s monthly luncheon event, from 11-1 on Nov. 12 at the Olde Towne Athletic Club (4950 Olde Towne Parkway).

Seating will be limited to the first 250 people (most ECBA luncheons are around 100) who register and pay online. You can pay at the door, but the cost does go up and there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to get in.

Jen Starks of the ECBA said 78 people have registered thus far.

This is the only time pro- and anti-cityhood groups have appeared together in a forum-style event; the cityhood group is having a town hall meeting on Nov. 11 at Wheeler High School.

The advance registration cost (click here to sign up) is $20 for ECBA members and $25 for guests. After midnight Sunday and up to the door, the respective costs are $25 and $30.

The same event will honor the ECBA’s 2019 business person of the year, which was started last year. The finalists are:

  • Cindy Trow, health coach, Wellness Now
  • Tom Gonter, development officer, MUST Ministries
  • Butch Carter, owner, Honest-1 Auto Care East Cobb
  • Ann Lafferty, owner, Rakers Junk Removal

NCBA Events

The Northeast Cobb Business Association is holding two events this month, a Nov. 14 Alive After Five networking event from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Governor’s Gun Club (1005 Cobb Place Blvd., Kennesaw) that’s free to attend with registration.

The NCBA monthly luncheon is Nov. 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Piedmont Church (570 Piedmont Road), and the guest speaker is Sharon Mason, CEO of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. For details and to sign up, click here.

East Cobb Citizen of the Year breakfast

On Dec. 3 the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce will  have its annual East Cobb Citizen of the Year breakfast.

Last year’s winner was Brenda Rhodes of Simple Needs GA, and the award goes to individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership and community service.

The breakfast is from 7:30-9 a.m. at Indian Hills Country Club (4001 Clubland Drive). The cost is $25 for Chamber members and $25 for guests. To sign up, click here.

 

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The Fresh Market announces East Cobb store closing sale

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The Fresh Market East Cobb closing

Following up last week’s story about The Fresh Market closing in East Cobb: Here’s what’s posted at the store entrance now.

All sales of beer and wine are 25 percent off and 30 percent off everything else; all sales are final.

The special closing sale hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The tentative closing date is Nov. 18.

(1205 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 109)

Related story

 

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KSU economist downplays election-year recession fears

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Roger Tutterow of Kennesaw State University said while housing starts are “quite strong,” he’s concerned about an overbuilt stock of new multi-family units. (ECN file)

The U.S. economy has experienced 121 consecutive months of economic expansion, nearly a full decade since the 2008-09 recession began to fade.

That streak, noted Kennesaw State University economist Roger Tutterow, “is the longest of the post-World War II era.”

According to some forecasts, Tutterow said in remarks before the East Cobb Business Association last week, “that means we must be due for a recession.

“I don’t think that’s necessarily true.”

The year 2020 is a presidential election year in the United States, which typically brings with it economic concerns. Some economists are rating the chance of a recession at 50-50 or higher.

Tutterow, an economic forecaster, said that in election years, the risk of a recession is “elevated,” but thinks there could be a one-in-three chance of an American economic backslide.

“Most likely,” Tutterow said, there will be “a continued trajectory of growth” in the U.S. economy.

What bolsters his view is that “consumers are keeping the economy humming on all cylinders.

“It’s confidence in the consumer sector that’s keeping us out of a recession,” Tutterow said.

Roger Tutterow, KSU economist
Roger Tutterow

There are some trouble signs, though, including the manufacturing sector, which Tutterow said “is under a lot of stress.”

The impact of Trump Administration-imposed tariffs on the economy also figures to create some uncertainty, especially as the president will be running for re-election.

Tutterow, who describes himself as a free trader, said Trump “believes he needs to level the playing field that he believes is unfair for American producers.

“That raises the prices for goods you buy from overseas.”

A stronger American dollar also has affected trade; Tutterow said its value has grown by a third since 2011.

“A strong dollar doesn’t help those things that we export,” he said.

As for the housing market, Tutterow  said that it’s “quite strong.” A total of 1.4 million new starts since the recession is “not bad, but we’re nowhere near we were from 2005 to 2007.”

He said the Cobb housing market is maturing, and that the rate of growth for the moment isn’t as much as it has been in the past.

“I am worried that multi-family housing is being overbuilt,” Tutterow said.

Overall in the Atlanta area that’s not true, he said, but locally there’s “too much vertical high-priced housing” that is coming online.

As for the 2020 elections, primaries get underway in February, with the Democratic presidential nominee likely to be determined by the spring.

The presidential campaign, “Tutterow said, “will be a debate about the fundamental direction of the country.”

 

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Report: Lidl to replace The Fresh Market store in East Cobb

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Lidl East Cobb, The Fresh Market East Cobb

Two years after being thwarted in a bid to enter the East Cobb grocery market, Lidl appears headed for the Johnson Ferry Road corridor.

ToNeTo Atlanta is reporting that the German-based discount chain will be coming to the Woodlawn Square Shopping Center, replacing The Fresh Market, which is set to close Nov. 18.

Lidl, which has opened two other locations in Cobb, is slated to open in East Cobb next summer, according to the report.

In 2017, Cobb commissioners turned down Lidl’s rezoning request to convert the Park 12 Cobb theater on Gordy Parkway into a grocery store after heated community opposition.

Nearby residents complained of traffic issues, but an attorney for Lidl noted during the zoning hearing that some “want to keep the movie theater as much as anything.”

The Fresh Market, a gourmet foods chain, has been at Woodlawn Square since 2003 and has been closing some of its stores around the country in the last couple of years.

Lidl, which operates 10,000 stores, mostly in Europe, made its foray in the U.S. in 2017 along the East Coast.

The Cobb stores are on Powder Springs Road, near the East-West Connector, and on Floyd Road in Mableton.

Another Lidl store was recently approved for Whitlock Avenue in Marietta, after the Marietta City Council rejected an initial rezoning request in 2017.

The only other Georgia store for now is in Snellville. ToNeTo has reported that Lidl is planning stores in Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Peachtree Corners, Roswell, Lawrenceville and Suwanee.

Lidl is a rival to Aldi, another German discount grocer, which has a store at the East Lake Shopping Center in East Cobb (2125 Roswell Road, Suite 30).

 

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Business group to hold East Cobb cityhood forum in November

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East Cobb cityhood forum
Bill Simon, left, a leader of the East Cobb Alliance, which opposes cityhood, talks with David Birdwell of Committee for Cityhood in East Cobb at an April town. (ECN file)

The East Cobb Business Association announced Tuesday it’s holding a forum in mid-November on the East Cobb cityhood issue.

The forum will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 12, during the ECBA’s monthly luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Olde Towne Athletic Club (4950 Olde Towne Parkway).

According to Rosann Hall, who heads the ECBA’s speakers and program committee, the forum will include representatives of the Committee for Cityhood in East Cobb, which supports incorporation, and the East Cobb Alliance, which opposes cityhood.

“Whether we become a city or whether we don’t, this is going to impact us a lot as business owners and as citizens,” ECBA president Jim Harris said at Tuesday’s luncheon.

Related coverage

The pro-cityhood group held two town hall meetings and spoke at another civic meeting in the spring, after State Rep. Matt Dollar (R-East Cobb) sponsored legislation (read HB 718 here) that, if passed next year, would call for a cityhood referendum, also in 2020.

The cityhood group wants to carve out a portion of unincorporated Cobb, mostly below Sandy Plains Road, and create a city of around 100,000, citing public safety and development reasons.

The proposal has been controversial from the beginning and has generated plenty of skepticism in the community. East Cobb cityhood forum

The East Cobb Alliance was formed recently to launch organized opposition, questioning a financial feasibility study conducted for the pro-cityhood forces and what it calls a lack of transparency by those pushing for a city.

In September, an independent group of finance and legal experts reviewed the feasibility study and concluded it was fiscally sound, but recommended any City of East Cobb not start with police services.

(The review group’s summary and full report).

David Birdwell, a leader of the cityhood committee, said the review confirmed that cityhood is financially viable, and that a new city can provide better services without raising property taxes.

The East Cobb Alliance hasn’t formally responded to the independent review report, but it has examined various portions of the feasibility study, including public safety, franchise fees and inter-governmental agreements.

Most recently, the group posted a graphic on its Facebook page of a hungry-looking raptor with the message that “while the Raptor is fictional….the ‘City of East Cobb’ is a government horror that will slowly eat you alive for years.”

The cityhood group has redirected its original website to one with the domain of communityofeastcobb.com that includes much of the same information it has been discussing in recent months:

  • East Cobb’s Precinct 4 police staffing of 53 patrol officers that is 24 fewer than has been allocated;
  • Claiming property tax rates wouldn’t be higher than they are now in unincorporated Cobb;
  • Promising more prompt road repairs;
  • And “passing zonings without interference of votes from outside the city.”

Rob Eble, another leader of the cityhood group, said it’s looking to have a town hall tentatively on Nov. 11, but a venue has not been confirmed.

East Cobb cityhood forum

 

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East Cobb Biz Notes: Pineapple Porch, AJ’s Oyster Bar open

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East Cobb business openings, Pineapple Porch Boutique

Catching up to some recent retail and other openings in East Cobb, as well as new business just getting their licenses:

At the Market Plaza Shopping Center (1255 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 40), Pineapple Porch Boutique is open next to Los Bravos, owned by Kentucky native Jeanette Culling and featuring home furnishings, decor, accessories, fragrances, Bourbon barrel foods and more. Hours: Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 12-6.

As we noted recently, AJ’s Famous Seafood and Po Boys is adding an oyster bar, and that has opened adjacent to the main restaurant at the Pavilions at East Lake (2100 Roswell Road, Suite 2148) that’s open Tues-Sun 11:30a-9p.

What used to be known as Thompson’s Frame and Gallery at the Shops at Woodlawn (1062 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite C) has been renamed the LM Frame and Gallery with a remodeling for “a more contemporary look and feel and will have a special focus on local and emerging artists.” Hours are daily 10-6.

The fitness studio SPENGA East Cobb held its grand opening last weekend at Merchants Walk (1311 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 404). The emphasis is on cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility training in scheduled classes.

Also at Market Plaza, and also in the fitness studio realm, is MOTION Stretch Studio (1255 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 26). A one-on-one stretching concept aims to increase flexibility and range of motion with the guidance of stretch coaches.

At The Avenue East Cobb, a pop-up shop called Solstice has opened (4475 Roswell Road, Suite 1030) selling metaphysical and eco-friendly items, including artisan gifts, jewelry, pottery, mixed-media artwork, lotions, candles and teas. A grand opening takes place Friday from 7-9 p.m.; hours are Mon-Sat 9-9, Sun 12-6 and it will be open through Dec. 31.

New retail/restaurant/service businesses granted licenses in the last couple of weeks or that have just opened include the following:

  • Precision Krav Maga at North Johnson Ferry Place (3000 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 210), is open, and offers classes in Krav Maga, kickboxing, karate, weapons, women’s self-defense, and other martial arts programs;
  • Sunny Day Spa at Parkaire Landing (4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 430), located next to Tuesday morning;
  • Happy Tails Animal Hospital (4970 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 12).

 

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4th annual ECBA Expo celebrates East Cobb local businesses

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ECBA Expo

For the fourth year, local and small businesses in East Cobb will gather to network and tell their stories to the public at the East Cobb Business Association Expo.

The expo takes place Tuesday, Oct. 1, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Olde Towne Athletic Club (4950 Olde Towne Parkway), and the event is open to the public.

In addition to learning about businesses in the area, guests can enjoy free food and beverages, door prizes, drawings, giveaways and more.

Bring plenty of business cards for networking and make sure to register (sign up at this link). At the door, admission is $1 with advance registration and $2 without advance registration. Admission proceeds go to the East Cobb Public Safety Appreciation dinner sponsored by the ECBA.

Each admission ticket comes with a raffle ticket for each of the grand prize drawings.

ECBA membership for the year 2020 is underway, along with year-end membership specials. Visit the ECBA website for information.

East Cobb News is a proud ECBA member and will be at the Expo, too, just as we were in 2018. Please make sure to stop by our table to say hello and learn more about East Cobb’s only daily all-local news source.

We’re grateful to serve East Cobb by providing local news and information and be part of an organization that supports and strengthens our community with a growing network of local businesses and entrepreneurs who really care about what happens here.

Come find out what we’re all about at the ECBA Expo!

ECBA Expo, East Cobb News table

 

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East Cobb public safety dinner fundraising drive continues

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Precinct 4 officers honored at the East Cobb Business Association’s Public Safety Appreciation Dinner.

The fourth annual East Cobb public safety dinner is set to take place in early November, and organizers are seeking donations from the public.

The dinner treats Cobb Police Precinct 4 officers, staff and their spouses to a night out, with dinner, gift certificates, door prizes and entertainment.

Susan Hampton of East Cobb, one of the event’s organizers, said the dinner “has become a big deal” in the local law enforcement community, with around 97 percent participation.

The East Cobb Business Association has been behind the dinner since its inception, and Hampton continues to lead the effort as a member of the new Cobb County Public Safety Foundation.

The ECBA organizes a similar dinner for the full Cobb Fire and Emergency Services department in the spring.

Hampton said door prizes, which are donated by local businesses, are especially popular. The suggested individual donations are $25, $50 and $100 in the “Thank A Hero” category. The donor’s name is listed on the event program.

Sponsorship levels are $250, $500, $1,000 and $2,500. According to the donation form:

“We are blessed to live, work and raise our families in this wonderful community. We appreciate the continued support of our co-host organizations, the East Cobb Business Association, the Cobb Chamber’s East Cobb Area Council and the Cobb County Public Safety Foundation. These organizations are represented on the event committee, which also includes individuals from East Cobb civic clubs, representatives from the police and fire departments and past East Cobb Citizen of the Year recipients.”

For information and to donate visit the ECBA website, or the Cobb County Public Safety Foundation website.

 

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East Cobb biz notes: Reveille Cafe wins Golden Spatula Award

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Reveille Golden Spatula Award

A few restaurants in East Cobb get perfect scores of 100 on their health inspections. But only one in metro Atlanta gets a local media outlet’s Golden Spatula Award every week.

In early September, Reveille Cafe in East Cobb was presented with the award, which is given out by CBS46 Atlanta. The breakfast, brunch and lunch spot, located at the Sandy Plains Centre, was inspected on July 10 by the Cobb health department (here’s the report).

Since then, only two East Cobb restaurants have had perfect 100 scores, although a number have scores in the 90s.

Reveille Cafe is part of the J. Christopher’s group, opened in 2013.

The French Table opens on Lower Roswell

On Sept. 7 The French Table, a French-themed furniture and home decor store, held a grand opening event at 4665 Lower Roswell Road. That’s in the small retail center with Ming’s Asian Kitchen at the intersection of Woodlawn Drive.

The owner is Tracy Kreiner Barnes, a real estate agent and CEO of Luxury Homes Atlanta.

Fit Body Boot Camp opening soon

On Sept. 30, the indoor fitness chain Fit Body Boot Camp will open an East Cobb location. It will be at 1062 Johnson Ferry Road, in the Shops at Woodlawn. The local owner and operator is Anan Tanneeru, a longtime IT professional.

According to company literature, Fit Body Boot Camp “that combines bodyweight exercises and minimal equipment to create a low risk, high reward workout.”

For information, click here.

 

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Pita Mediterranean Street Food chain coming to East Cobb

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East Cobb Pita Mediterranean Street Food

A location of the growing Atlanta-based Pita Mediterranean Street Food chain is coming to East Cobb.

This is at the Sandy Plains Centre (2960 Shallowford Road), in Suite 112 formerly occupied by Teriyaki Madness. Last week, Pita got an alcohol license. There’s no opening date that’s been announced yet.

Pita began in 2011 with a store in Peachtree City, and has since expanded to 20 stores in metro Atlanta and north Georgia. The East Cobb location, which is one of several slated to open soon, would be close to existing Pita restaurants near Town Center and the Marietta Square.

The eatery features Greek menu items, including pita and gyro options, and well as Middle Eastern specialties including shawarma, falafel, kafta, hummus, ganoush, rice bowls, salads, kids’ plates and desserts.

The entrees range from $7.95 to $13.99.

Related stories

 

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East Cobb business news: Mellow Mushroom gets alcohol license

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Johnson Ferry Mellow Mushroom opening

The planned Mellow Mushroom at Woodlawn Commons on Johnson Ferry Road is still in progress (opening is slated for later in the fall), but last month the restaurant did receive an alcohol pouring license.

The following businesses also were granted licenses during August and the first week of September by the Cobb Community Development Agency:

  • MRE East Cobb Express LLC, 2204 Roswell Road (land developer)
  • Fire Protection Services LLC, 2030 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 100 (sprinkler system contractor)
  • Flashback Games Retro Arcade, 2800 Canton Road, Suite 1600 (game room)
  • Ginny Maries, 4475 Roswell Road, Suite 900 (women’s clothing and accessories)
  • $20 Chiropractic, 2421 Shallowford, Suite 116 (chiropractor)
  • Sharper Minds Academy, 3535 Roswell Road, Suite 2 (tutoring services)
  • Tommy’s Tires, 2690 Sandy Plains Road (tire dealer)
  • J & J Auto Group, 4757 Canton Road, Suite 206 (used auto dealer)
  • Mellow Mushroom Pizza, 1205 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 101 (restaurant, alcohol license; see related ECN story)
  • Nuleaf, 4750 Alabama Road, Suite 116 (vitamin food store)
  • Frenchie’s Modern Nail Care Salon, 3154 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 102 (beauty shop)
  • Jim N Nick’s Bar B Q, 3420 Sandy Plains Road (restaurant; alcohol license)
  • Rite Care Pharmacy, 2986 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 116 (drug store)
  • Sally Beauty Supply, 2960 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 307 (beauty supply)
  • Sleep Better Marietta, 2551 Roswell Road, Suite 100 (dental clinic)
  • Mi Casa Restaurante Y Panaderia, 3920 Canton Road, Suite 140 (restaurant)
  • New Leaf Family Chiropractic, 1899 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 170 (chiropractor)
  • Road to Recovery, 2255 Sewell Mill Road, Suite 120 (family and individual counseling)

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Cheerscape studio opening in East Cobb in September

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Cheerscape East Cobb, Xdrenaline

Angela Kirby of Cheerscape—which offers instruction in the artistry and chereography of cheer—writes in to say that her studio will be opening in September at the Xdrenaline trampoline park and kids’ fun center (1611 Roswell Road).

What is Cheerscape? Kirby says “we focus on cheers, chants, basic positions while building on core strength, flexibility, coordination, balance and memory skills while incorporating movement and dance concepts.”

Just as important, she notes, what it’s NOT: “No stunts, no tumbles, and no competitive spirit.”

Cheerscape will offer classes based on age/grade range, with groups ranging from K-2, 3-5 and 6-8. A 12-week session includes an hour of practice weekly in cheer bow, spirit poms and megaphone.

For information e-mail: cheerscape@gmail.com or call 678-478-3002.

Send us your business news!

If you’re opening a business or have some news to share about it, we’ll be glad to post it here. Send your items (including photos), to: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

If you’d like to promote your business at East Cobb News (we’re surpassing 30,000 unique visitors a month and growing!), shoot us an e-mail at: advertising@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll pass along a media kit with our flexible, affordable options for display and newsletter ads, sponsored posts and advertorials.

 

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Frenchies Modern Nail Care franchise opening in East Cobb

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Frenchies Modern Nail Care East Cobb

Rhoda Gunnigle, the franchisee for a forthcoming Frenchies Modern Nail Care location in East Cobb, writes in to say the opening date is Aug. 16.

The business will located at 3154 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 102, in the Shallowford Falls Shopping Center in a small strip facing Johnson Ferry.

In addition to offering manicures and pedicures, the Frenchies also is available for private parties.

East Cobb is one of three new or soon-to-open locations in Georgia for Frenchies, which started in 2014 in Colorado and operates 26 franchises. Gunnigle said the East Cobb store will be the flagship in metro Atlanta, with future locations planned for Woodstock, Sandy Springs/Dunwoody, Cumming, Roswell and Milton/Alpharetta.

She and her husband Grant are the East Cobb franchisees, and they’re parents to a special-needs son. One of her objectives with this business, she tells us, is “is to provide part-time employment for this population as well as our seasoned nail specialists.”

More information and e-mail sign-up for discounts and specials is available at the Frenchies East Cobb site, and they’ve also got a Facebook page with more frequent updates.

“I want to offer clean, natural and affordable nail care to Marietta, and also create healthy career opportunities for cosmetologists and nail specialists,” Gunnigle says. “Frenchies offers a modern, clean and social vibe, with services at prices that make regular visits accessible.”

Send us your business news!

If you’re opening a business or have some news to share about it, we’ll be glad to post it here. Send your items (including photos), to: editor@eastcobbnews.com.

If you’d like to promote your business at East Cobb News (we’re reaching 30,000 unique visitors a month and growing!), shoot us an e-mail at: advertising@eastcobbnews.com and we’ll pass along a media kit with our flexible, affordable options for display and newsletter ads, sponsored posts and advertorials.

 

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East Cobb biz notes: Clean Juice opening Saturday at Woodlawn Square

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Clean Juice East Cobb

A few weeks ago we saw the renovations underway for a new Clean Juice organic smoothie and juice location at Woodlawn Square Shopping Center (1205 Johnson Ferry Road), in the former space of Edward Johns Jewelers)

The store is announcing this week that its grand opening will take place on Saturday from 10-6. Free smoothies and Açaí Bowls are among the day-long promotions they’ll be giving away. More updates on its Facebook page.

Clean Juice is a Charlotte, N.C.-based company with nearly 60 franchises in 18 states, including stores in Alpharetta, Sandy Springs and Westside Atlanta.

The East Cobb opening hours will be Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 8-8 and Sunday 9-6.

Get your Sushi Burrito fix

Tomorrow’s News Today reports that Roll On In, an Ohio-based franchise eatery specializing in sushi burritos and bowls, will be opening soon (likely by the end of the summer, according to the store’s Facebook page) at Woodlawn Commons Shopping Center (1100 Johnson Ferry Road), next to La Vida Massage.

The store is one of three planned for the Asian Fusion chain’s foray into Atlanta, with others slated for Alpharetta and Roswell.

 

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East Cobb branch of Delta Community Credit Union names new manager

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East Cobb Delta Credit Union branch
Jill Dent, the branch manager of the Delta Community Credit Union branch on Johnson Ferry Road, and Regional Manager Eddie Johnson, the former East Cobb manager.

Submitted information and photo:

The Delta Community Credit Union branch at 1205 Johnson Ferry Road has a new manager. While the role is new to Jill Dent, her passion for serving members, especially at this branch, is not. She worked in customer service positions for more than a decade before coming to work for the Cobb County-based credit union.

“I’ve also been a member of Delta Community for more than 20 years, so I knew that any credit union that takes such good care of me as a customer would also be a good employer,” explained Dent. “I came to work in our Johnson Ferry Branch in 2016, and now I love this team, and I love this community.”

After beginning her career at Delta Community as a Member Service Agent, Dent was promoted to Assistant Manager of the Johnson Ferry branch in 2017. This month, she was tapped for the manager position after former manager Eddie Johnson was promoted to oversee all the Delta Community locations in North Fulton and Cobb County.

“We have a large number of business members who do their company’s banking here, thanks to the large number of nearby restaurants, retail stores and medical offices in East Cobb,” said Johnson. “Our members have very high expectations for hands-on customer service, and many of them will ask for a specific teller by name, and are willing to wait to see their favorite. Jill is well prepared to address members’ needs for trustworthy, dependable financial advice and products.”

Dent says she plans to continue being involved in community events, such as the East Cobber Festival, and partnerships with nearby schools like Walton and Pope High. But most of all, she’s excited to continue offering the superior service to our members they have come to expect.

“Many of our members visit on a regular basis – sometimes twice a week,” added Dent. “We have many wonderful opportunities to help them with their day-to-day banking needs, and also with those more complex, ‘lifetime’ milestones, such as buying a new home, or opening a business. I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity to help.”

 

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