East Cobb Business

Powers Ferry biz update: Kroger opening set for Aug. 2

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Powers Ferry biz update Kroger opening

The finishing touches are being put on the new Kroger Superstore that’s the centerpiece of the MarketPlace Terrell Mill development in the heart of the Powers Ferry Road corridor.

It’s one of the last components of the project to open, and a ribbon-cutting has been scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 2, at 8 a.m.

The store is a 90,000-square foot “superstore,” one of the largest for Kroger in the metro Atlanta area, and includes a drive-through pharmacy, a dedicated area for online pickups and a fuel center with 18 pumps that recently opened.

Kroger spokeswoman Tammie Young-Ennaemba said the public is invited to assemble for a rally at 7:30 a.m. before the ribbon-cutting.

The store will open to the public after that, leaving two restaurants as the final additions of the $120 million MarketPlace Terrell Mill, which replaced aging office buildings, retail space and the original campus of Brumby Elementary School and was developed by Connolly and Eden Rock Real Estate Partners.

The Los Abuelos Mexican Grill, with existing locations in Newnan and John Creek, was tentatively to have opened in June at the Shoppes At MarketPlace, but there’s not an update on a new timeline. The Terrell Mill location has a sign in the window indicating that a liquor license has been applied for.

The same is a couple doors down where The Brass Tap Craft Beer Bar is preparing for an opening in August. It’s a a Tampa-based chain with Atlanta-area locations at Perimeter Center, Milton and Hapeville.

Los Abuelos MarketPlace Terrell Mill

The Brass Tap MarketPlace Terrell Mill

A couple miles down Powers Ferry, the Rose and Crown Tavern is expected to reopen this summer, along with a companion restaurant between the new Bexley and Overture apartment complexes on what was Restaurant Row.

An update on the restaurant’s Facebook page was no more specific than this:

“Rose & Crown Tavern and R & C Kitchen coming to you this summer season.”

The tavern (1935 Powers Ferry Road), the last surviving business in Restaurant Row, closed in July 2019 for what was intended to be only two years.

But it’s been a little more than three, as COVID-19-related and other delays have kicked in. Owner Miquel Ayoub has directed customers to the Mojave restaurant he opened on Powers Ferry Road in Sandy Springs in early 2019.

East Cobb News has left a message seeking more information. Readers also asked for more specifics:

“Hurry up and open already!”

“Is Shrimp and Grits still on the menu?”

Not far up the street, a standalone building for the relocating Tasty China Restaurant (1808 Powers Ferry Road) also is nearing completion.

The popular Szechuan restaurant is moving from Franklin Gateway, where it opened in 1998, to the former site of La Frontera Restaurant. A tentative opening was for the spring, and there’s not an update beyond a liquor license application notice in a front window.

Rose & Crown Powers Ferry

Tasty China Powers Ferry

At Terrell Mill Village, the former Kouzina Christos space has a new occupant. It’s the forthcoming Milancho Fresh Market & Kitchen, part of a New Jersey-based chain of locations featuring European-style groceries and with a focus on traditional Bulgarian food products.

There was a Milancho grocery and cafe in Smyrna but that closed in early 2022.

And for the time being, the Starbucks on an outparcel facing Powers Ferry and Terrell Mill Road is closed, as the coffee shop is being renovated.

That includes the drive-through window, and there are cones blocking access to the parking lot and drive-through lanes.

Across Powers Ferry, the Jacobs Java Cafe (1350 Terrell Mill Road) serves up Chicago-style coffee, espressos, and smoothies as well as a variety of hot dogs. You can also buy bags of its coffee blend.

Malincho Fresh Market & Produce Terrell Mill Village

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After 15 years, Zéba Hair Salon finding new vibe, customers

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Zeba Hair Salon 15 years old
“COVID changed everything,” Zéba owner Sima Abbasi said. “Some for the better, some not.” ECN photos

In January, Zéba Hair Salon marked its 15th anniversary, a testament to the resilience of a small business that like many of its kind had to weather a devastating blow when it was closed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Making changes along the way was nothing new for owner Sima Abbasi, who started a hair-care and makeup business started at the Merchants Festival Shopping Center in 2008.

She opened a second location at the Shallowford Falls Shopping Center in 2017 and developed a loyal staff and clientele. One of her stylists, Paige Whiffen, had come on board as a business partner, as Zéba built on being a L’Oréal Elite salon with other colorists specializing in Redken and INOA.

Then the unthinkable happened, when Gov. Brian Kemp’s emergency order kept many personal-care businesses, restaurants and other public-facing enterprises shuttered for weeks. To be declared non-essential, Abbasi, said, was a surreal experience.

Zeba Hair Salon 15 years
Zéba partner Paige Whiffen

“We were so numb,” she said, sitting down with Whiffen in a recent interview with East Cobb News. “COVID changed everything. Some for the better, some not.”

After being closed for two months, Zéba couldn’t reopen fully due to social-distance requirements, and it wasn’t until November that they “were okay again. But we could only see so many people.”

Business at Zéba’s two salons had barely rebounded when 2021 arrived in “one of the worst” stretches of time as the pandemic continued.

“It was a lot of everything” said Whiffen, who oversees the Shallowford Falls salon.

“People weren’t coming back to work so they didn’t need a haircut as much,” she said. And there were those who were still feeling apprehensive about returning to closed indoor spaces.

“Some couldn’t wait to get back, but others weren’t so sure, Whiffen explained. “We tried to do curbside service as much as possible.”

Zeba Hair Salon 15 years

Along the way, Zéba used the occasion to assess many aspects of the business.

“The biggest blessing was that it helped us re-establish our culture,” Whiffen said. “We needed to care care of these people [their employees].”

Along the way, a “better family dynamic” emerged, and there was the usual turnover that is standard in the hair-care industry. Zéba currently employs around 25 people at both locations.

More than anything, Whiffen said, she and Abbasi saw their employees and clients in a new way.

“It was cool to see how much you impact their lives,” Whiffen said. “We’re super fortunate that our new clients are more now that we have ever had. And the trends have completely changed.”

Among them are what Whiffen calls lived-in haircoloring that lasts longer and grows softer.

“A lot of pe0ple just want a more natural look,” she said.Zéba Hair Salon 15 years

She said some clients also come to get hair care less than before, but their appointments tend to last longer.

Zéba also has become dedicated to recycling many of its products, including shampoos and coloring materials, hiring a private service that does come with a cost.

“But people love it,” Abbasi said. “They care about the environment.”

The salons have several events during the year to help local charities, donating 10 percent of proceeds on a Saturday in the spring to the Atlanta Humane Society, and another Saturday in the fall to benefit MUST Ministries.

Zéba also invites women from a local homeless shelter to help themselves to shampoos and other products that are no longer for sale.

Zéba continues its emphasis on education for its staffers and especially its colorists, with the aim of helping them understand the broader dynamics of the business.

“It’s not just about doing hair,” Abbasi said. “It’s everything. It’s connecting with people.”

As her business passed a milestone, she said she attests Zéba’s staying power to “a lot of faith and hard work and persistence.

“I just want us to be better today than we were yesterday.”

Zéba Hair Salon 15 years

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Barnes and Noble East Cobb Update: Tentative opening delayed

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Barnes and Noble East Cobb opening delayed

It’s been relatively quiet since the news was announced in January that a Barnes and Noble bookstore would be coming to The Avenue East Cobb.

At the time, the bookselling chain said the opening would be in the summer.

We checked back recently and were told that that timeline has been pushed back to the fall.

A company spokesperson said in response to our message only that “renovations are moving along nicely, and we are targeting a mid-October opening. We will keep you posted on an opening date.”

When we went by earlier this week, we took the above photo, which is relatively unchanged in recent weeks.

Barnes and Noble is converting 15,0000 square feet of the former Bath Bed and Beyond space into a traditional-style bookstore with a cafe and featuring more local titles curated by managers.

It’s part of a concept of “smaller” stores and a gradual overhaul of the chain to offer more “differentiated” locations according to regional and local interests under CEO James Daunt, who’s done that with the Waterstones chain in his native United Kingdom.

“We’re spending real money and opening many more stores,” he told Barron’s magazine in a recent interview. “One thing we’re hoping to get measured by is bringing books to communities and providing careers for booksellers.”

While Barnes and Noble is trying to incorporate the spirit of an independent bookstore, some critics aren’t buying the new pitch:

“They are putting on the costume and language of a pretty neighborhood independent bookstore, but their inner mechanics are still all big-box chain corporation. They’re trying to disguise their profit-driven corporate decisions behind pretty warm-lit curtains.”

Several independent bookstores are close by in East Cobb, including Bookmiser on Roswell Road near Robinson Road East and the Book Exchange on Canton Road.

There’s a Half Price Books location on Johnson Ferry Road in the Woodlawn Commons Shopping Center.

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East Cobb resident reappointed to Cobb Development Authority

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Karen Hallacy

Karen Hallacy, an East Cobb resident who’s been active in various civic activities, has been reappointed to serve on the Development Authority of Cobb County.

The authority is a seven-member body appointed by the Cobb Board of Commissioners that approves bond requests and other incentive packages for businesses and corporations.

Hallacy, a former lobbyist for the Cobb County School District who lives in the Walton High School area, has been on the Development Authority since 2013.

She was reappointed to another term by the full Cobb Board of Commissioners on Tuesday in a 4-0 vote, with Chairwoman Lisa Cupid absent. Most recently, Hallacy had been serving as the authority’s secretary/treasurer.

Hallacy hasn’t always supported some of the more high-profile and controversial tax abatement requests that have come before the authority.

Among those she opposed was for the Kroger superstore that’s set to open later this summer at the MarketPlace Terrell Mill on Powers Ferry Road, and she cited setting a precedent for retail businesses.

Hallacy also has been a member of the Cobb Elder Abuse Task Force and is a former president of the Georgia PTA.

Also on Tuesday, commissioners voted $4-0 to spend $495,292 for design work for the Johnson Ferry Road-Shallowford Road intersection project (previous ECN post here).

Kimley-Horn of Atlanta will develop the design concept for the $15 million project, most of which is coming from federal sources.

Commissioners also voted Tuesday to spend $8.132 million to purchase two vacant office buildings in an industrial park. The buildings are on 10 acres on West Oak Circle and West Oak Parkway and include 85,000 square feet. They would house official documents that are required for the Cobb County Records Services Division to retain and archive.

The records are currently held at a number of facilities around the county. Renovations are expected to cost another $1.362 million.

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East Cobb medical assistant training center offers scholarships

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East Cobb medical assistant training center offers scholarships

The H.E.R.O Institute, a medical assistant training center with offices in East Cobb, is offering scholarships to help with tuition costs for those pursuing careers as medical and health care assistants.

The organization, based at the East Lake Shopping Center on Roswell Road, stands for Healthcare Education Reimagined Online, and conducts a variety of professional training programs.

The scholarships will pay up to 60 percent of the tuition costs in the center’s day medical assistant training program for “eligible individuals who demonstrate academic potential, financial need, and a commitment to community service or volunteer work related to healthcare or medical assisting,” according to an H.E.R.O. Institute release.

“We believe that education is a key factor in improving the quality of healthcare and the lives of patients, and we want to empower individuals to pursue their dreams of becoming medical assistants and contribute to the improvement of patient care.”

The next 25-week training program begins in August, and the deadline to apply is July 23. Classes will take place Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Students must be Cobb County residents and U.S. citizens who demonstrate financial need and academic potential. Candidates also must submit a personal essay explaining their interest in a career as a medical assistant, as well as letters of recommendation.

More information about criteria can be found by clicking here.

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Cobb Commission Chairwoman to address Cobb Chamber luncheon

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Cupid state of county address Cobb ChamberCobb Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid will deliver the 2023 State of the County Address to the Cobb Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

The event begins at 11:15 a.m. Monday at the Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre in The Battery Atlanta.

She will “discuss the county’s biggest successes and milestones from 2022, as well as her goals for 2023 to continue moving the county forward,” the Chamber said in a release.

The address before the business group had been the signature “state of the county” event for her predecessors.

But when she took office in 2021, Cupid created a separate event that has included other county and elected officials and representatives from the Atlanta Regional Commission and community organizations.

The theme of those addresses has been “All In,” and at the Jennie Anderson Theatre last month she responded to her critics, including some citizens who have spoken during public comment sessions at Cobb Board of Commissioners meetings.

In addition to Cupid’s address, the Cobb Chamber’s Cobb Executive Women program will present the 2023 Woman of Distinction award.

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Activate IV and Cryotherapy opens at Providence Square

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Activate IV and Cryotherapy opens Providence Square
General manager Hope Smith demonstrates a compression therapy machine in a cryo room. East Cobb News photos

The third Georgia location of Activate IV and Cryotherapy, a wellness and recovery spa, opened recently at the Providence Square Shopping Center in East Cobb.

It’s a membership-based business for patients who want to treat a variety of ailments with a combination of non-medical treatments, including hydration, compression, vitamin infusion and cryotherapy, which uses a combination of heat and cold elements to reduce body flab.

There’s a medical doctor who oversees the operations, and there’s either a trained paramedic or a registered nurse on duty at all times.

A ribbon-cutting took place last week, and general manager Hope Smith said a soft opening has been underway for a couple of weeks.

She said patients don’t need a doctor’s referral and most insurance does not cover the services provided.

Activate IV’s IV Hydration Therapy includes a variety of intravenous drips to introduce electrolytes, minerals and amino acids directly into the body, as well as oxygen.

Other drips treat the flu, migraines, athletic ailments, menstrual issues and even hangovers.

In addition to a cryo room, Activate IV has a cryo booth with a temperature of -124 Fahrenheit. Patients can stay inside for up to four minutes.

“It helps reduce inflammation, gives you energy, helps you sleep better and address weight gain and pain,” Smith said. “I’ve lost five pounds in a week.”

A red light room offers red light therapy, and Smith said patients use it for athletic injury recovery and as a sleeping aid, among other benefits, including reduced swelling and inflammation and increased collagen production.

Those sessions last 10 minutes, and there’s a separate membership for that.

Lori Rambo, who was a paramedic in the city of Atlanta and worked at Grady Memorial Hospital, is one of the certified staff members at the East Cobb location.

She said patients must fill out a form indicating that they haven’t had a seizure or major heart issues in the last six months.

Activate IV and Cryotherapy is open at 4101 Roswell Road, Suite 310, from Monday-Thursday 10-7, Friday-Saturday from 10-4 and Sunday from 12-4. Phone: 678-398-9499.

Activate IV and Cryotherapy opens East Cobb

Activate IV and Cryotherapy opens East Cobb

Activate IV and Cryotherapy opens East Cobb

Activate IV and Cryotherapy opens East Cobb

Activate IV and Cryotherapy opens East Cobb

Activate IV and Cryotherapy opens East Cobb

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East Cobb resident named to Forbes wealth advisors list

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Submitted information and photo:East Cobb resident named Forbes wealth advisors list

Local Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Financial Advisor Benny Varzi was recently named to the 2023 Forbes “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list.

Benny lives in East Cobb and attended Kennesaw State University. He is a Senior Vice President, Wealth Management Advisor, Senior Portfolio Manager with the Varzi Group and this is the fifth consecutive year he has been named to this list.

Since the beginning of his financial services career in 1981, Benny’s area of emphasis has been portfolio management. His focus has been on the implementation of investment policy statements, asset allocation recommendations and portfolio construction/security selection.  Benny holds the designation of Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) awarded by the Investments & Wealth Institute™ (The Institute) and taught in conjunction with the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Kennesaw State University and has Certifications of Portfolio Management from The Babson School of Executive Education in Boston, DePaul University in Chicago and The University of Chicago Booths School of Business.

In his spare time Benny serves on the Alliance Theatre of The Woodruff Art Center and previously served on The Board of Trustees of the Atlanta International School. Benny and his wife, Roxanne, have two children, Leila and Sofia. His hobbies include skiing, mountain biking and traveling.

Merrill holds the No. 1 position for all firms, with 1,820 total advisors recognized on the published list. Additionally, Merrill has 23 advisors recognized as No. 1 in their state. This was the sixth consecutive year Merrill has ranked No. 1.

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The Avenue East Cobb update: Summer events; redevelopment

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The Avenue redevelopment continues

The summer schedule of special events at The Avenue East Cobb will be getting underway next week as redevelopment continues.

Above is an aerial photo taken for the retail center, which has set a general timetable for completion by this summer.

Marketing manager Madison Murphey told East Cobb News there’s no more specific estimate for unveiling the new look, which will include two “jewel box” buildings with restaurant and retail space and a public plaza.

The project got underway in December, and in February, North American Properties, which manages The Avenue, announced some new restaurants: Press Waffle Co. will occupy one of the jewel boxes, and Peach State Pizza is coming to the former Stockyard Burgers space.

Murphey said there are no updates about those projects, as well as the upcoming opening of Barnes and Noble at the former Bed Bath and Beyond location. A summertime opening was announced and renovations are underway.

As for the summer “signature events,” they include family-friendly comedy the first Monday of the month, kids’ activities the last Tuesday of the month, fitness events every Wednesday and live music every Friday.

A weekly cornhole league and cooking classes at the Olea Oliva! store are continuing.

Details and the full schedule can be found by clicking here.

The Avenue East Cobb construction update

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East Cobb Biz Update: Ribbon-cutting for LM Frame and Gallery

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LM Frame and Gallery Ribbon-Cutting

The LM Frame and Gallery celebrated expanded space at its location at the Shops of Woodlawn (1062 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 150) last Thursday with an art exhibit and a special ribbon-cutting with members of the East Cobb Business Association.

The custom framing store and contemporary art gallery is owned by Christophe and Caroline Choquart. Framing work includes traditional paintings, 3D objects, needlework, posters and more.

Hours are 10-5 Monday-Saturday, with an emphasis on contemporary art and fine art paintings by local artists, as well as photography. The current exhibit features Aboriginal art from Australia.

You can take a virtual tour by clicking here.

All photographs were taken by Stuart Hasson of Hasson Photography.

LM Frame and Gallery Ribbon-Cutting

LM Frame and Gallery Ribbon-Cutting

LM Frame and Gallery Ribbon-Cutting

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Hand and Stone moves into new space at The Avenue East Cobb

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Hand and Stone moves The Avenue East Cobb

The Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa had to relocate for the redevelopment project underway at The Avenue East Cobb, and the move has been ideal for the business that first opened in the retail center in 2016.

Last week staff held a grand reopening, treating visitors to mini-massages and refreshments, and showing them around the expanded new space in Suite 900, in the former location of the Sunglass Hut, adjacent to one of the new “jewel box” restaurant buildings that’s under construction.

Hand and Stone ‘s new quarters feature 4,500 square feet with 17 rooms—most of them private suites for massages—in April, and the relocation took place the day after Easter, with the reopening the following day.

“Moving seven years in one day—I don’t think we’ll ever do that again,” said Amy O’Nell, the spa’s senior operations manager. “But it’s been incredible.”

In addition to its core services, Hand and Stone offers waxing, cryoskin treatment and other esthetic services

There’s an introductory tier for massages (Swedish, hot stone and Himalayan salt) and facials (Clarity and Dermalogica) for men, women and teens.

Specialty massages include deep tissue, prenatal and for sports and there are a number of options for cryoskin therapy, which is a non-invasive treatment and freezes and destroys fat cells.

O’Neill said all of the spa’s massage therapists are licensed in the state of Georgia, and one of the private rooms includes two beds for a “couple’s massage.”

She said those often include a mother and daughter, sisters or friends.

Hand and Stone also offers a membership program and accepts walk-in customers, but recommends reservations.

The spa is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For information call 770-565-0808.

Hand and Stone moves The Avenue East Cobb

Hand and Stone moves The Avenue East Cobb

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Hand and Stone grand reopening set for The Avenue East Cobb

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Hand and Stone The Avenue East Cobb grand reopening

A number of stores are on the move at The Avenue East Cobb as redevelopment work continues.

One of those businesses affected by the construction of “jewel box” restaurants and a public plaza is Hand and Stone  Massage and Facial Spa.

It’s now located in Suite 900, between the Loft and Bath and Body Works, and on Friday will have a grand reopening celebration from 4-8 p.m.

The event is open house style and is open to the public, with refreshments, guided tours, raffle prizes and exclusive offers.

You’re asked to RSVP at this link.

A few other moves at The Avenue: The College Station store that was located in Suite 1520 near the Gap is now next to Lenscrafters in Suite 425; and Faced the Facial Studio has opened in Suite 200, between Warby Parker and the forthcoming Barnes and Noble bookstore.

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Delta Community Credit Union names new East Cobb branch manager

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Tina Nelson, Delta Credit Union East Cobb branch manager

The Delta Community Credit Union has named Tina Nelson the new branch manager at its East Cobb location on Johnson Ferry Road.

She has nearly 24 years of banking and management experience and was previously a branch manager with the Bank of Montreal in her native Canada and the Regions Bank branch in Dallas, Ga., and was a mortgage loan officer with Security Mortgage Company prior to joining Delta Community.

Nelson moved to the U.S. in 2014 after her husband, an American military veteran, retired after serving at a local installation.

“I’m looking forward to incorporating my industry knowledge to bring a positive impact to our credit union team and our members in Marietta and Cobb County,” Nelson said.

Based in Atlanta, the Delta Community Credit Union has more than 484,000 members and nearly 30 locations in the metro area and north Georgia.

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LM Frame and Gallery to hold ribbon-cutting for expanded space

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LM Frame and Gallery expanding

The LM Frame and Gallery is opening expanded gallery space at its existing location at the Shops of Woodlawn (1062 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 150) and will hold a special ribbon-cutting ceremony later this month to celebrate.

The ribbon-cutting, which is being held in association with the East Cobb Business Association, takes place on May 18 at 5:30 p.m. and the event will include a special art exhibit of local artists featuring Aboriginal works.

The custom framing store and contemporary art gallery is owned by Christophe and Caroline Choquart. Framing work includes traditional paintings, 3D objects, needlework, posters and more.

New Businesses

The following businesses in East Cobb were granted licenses in April by the Cobb Community Development Agency:

  • Cindy’s Stitch Studio, 4901 Olde Towne Parkway, Suite 100 (tutoring services)
  • Drea Nicole Photography, 2000 Powers Ferry Road, Suites 1-4 (photography studio)
  • Larry’s Kitchen, 3910 Canton Road, Suite 140 (restaurant)
  • PT Solutions Physical Therapy, 4401 Shallowford Road, Suite 100 (physical therapy)
  • Scooter’s Coffee, 2943 Canton Road, Suite 1600 (coffee and tea store)

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East Cobb bookstores taking part in Independent Bookstore Day

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Bookmiser

When we posted earlier this year about a Barnes and Noble store coming to The Avenue East Cobb, quite a few readers mentioned that the community has a number of smaller, mostly independent bookstores.

For the last 10 years, there’s been an Independent Bookstore Day across the country on the last Saturday in April, and this Saturday three East Cobb stores will be taking part.

It’s the culmination of Independent Bookstore Week, as stores offer special discounts, prizes and other incentives, designed to help the moms and pops of the book retailing world to counter the dominance of Amazon and national chains.

Bookmiser (3822 Roswell Road), the Book Exchange (3932 Canton Road, Suite 230) have and All Things Inspirational (2745 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 156) are among the 20+ stores participating in the Georgia Indie Bookshop Hop, which also has store prizes and a grand prize.

Participants can purchase items from as many bookstores as they choose and submit their receipts to be entered into prize drawings.

Bookmiser (marking its 25th anniversary this year) and the Book Exchange have been in the community for a while. All Things Inspiration is a newcomer, expanding from its original Mableton location to The Corners Shopping Center last fall, and specializes in Christian-oriented books, Bibles, study materials, greeting cards and gifts.

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East Cobb businesses named Chamber small business finalists

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The Music Studio Atlanta East Cobb

The Music Studio Atlanta, which opened an East Cobb location last fall, has been named a finalist for 2023 small business of the year by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.

The Music Studio Atlanta, based in Vinings, offers a wide range of musical instruction to children and adults.

The East Cobb studio is located at the Pavilions of East Lake shopping center on Roswell Road.

Another finalist for small business of the year is Manay CPA, with offices located on Shallowford Road near Lassiter High School, with a clientele of small businesses, startups and businesses and growth companies.

The Chamber names 25 businesses around the county each year as its top small businesses, and will announce the overall winner in May.

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East Cobb restaurant update: MarketPlace Terrell Mill news

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MarketPlace Terrell Mill restaurant news
The Brass Tap Craft Beer Bar site.

The small retail building at the new MarketPlace Terrell Mill development is half-occupied, with a dentist and nail salon.

The plans were to include some restaurant space, and elsewhere on the property a Wendy’s, Chick-Fil-A and Panera Bread have opened.

The Power Ferry Corridor Alliance civic group reports that two restaurants will be coming soon to the open spots at the Shoppes, which fronts the MarketPlace Village apartment building.

Los Abuelos Mexican Grill will be opening in June, the chain’s first location outside of its base in Newnan.

The other space will be taken up by a location of the Brass Tap Craft Beer Bar, a Tampa-based chain with Atlanta-area locations at Perimeter Center, Milton and Hapeville.

The Brass Tap’s parent company, FSC Franchise Co., also runs the Beef O’Brady’s restaurant chain.

There’s no signage yet at either of the forthcoming restaurants. They’ll be among the final pieces of the MarketPlace project to be filled along with the anchor Kroger superstore (90,000 square feet) that’s still under construction.

There’s fencing around that building—where the former Brumby Elementary School once stood—and an accompanying Kroger gas station will be fronting Powers Ferry Road. That’ slated to open next month.

The new Kroger store is expected to relocate from the Delk-Powers Ferry intersection by the fall.

The Powers Ferry Corridor Alliance is having an Adopt-A-Mile cleanup day April 15 from 9-10:30 a.m. at the Powers Ferry-Terrell Mill intersection. They’re springing for a free Starbucks there at 8:45 a.m. for those who volunteer, and you can sign up by clicking here.

MarketPlace Terrell Mill restaurant news
The Los Abuelos site.

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Cobb Chamber to hear The Avenue East Cobb redevelopment plans

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The Avenue East Cobb redevelopment

Two officials with North American Properties will be discussing the current redevelopment of The Avenue East Cobb at a Thursday breakfast meeting of the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.

The breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m. at Indian Hills Country Club (4001 Clubland Drive) and admission is $30 for Chamber members and $40 for non-members. Walk-up admissions and payment cannot be granted.

The speakers are Mike Lant, a redevelopment executive with NAP, and Cayley Mullen, who leads a guest experience team for the management company.

The East Cobb Area Council holds three breakfast luncheons per year at Indian Hills.

For more information on Area Councils, contact Katie Guice at kguice@cobbchamber.org.

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East Cobb biz updates: East Lake Starbucks; Chick-Fil-A Lassiter

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East Lake Starbucks opens

Over the weekend we saw the finishing touches being put on a new standalone Starbucks at the East Lake Shopping Center (2135 Roswell Road).

A reader sent us word on Sunday that it’s now open. The hours are 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

This is the ninth Starbucks in the East Cobb area, and it’s right across the street from a smaller Starbucks inside the Kroger at the Pavilions at East Lake, and a mile or so from another Starbucks at Roswell and East Piedmont.

(See the map for more details.)

The new East Lake location was built on the site of a former bank, and is near the Los Bravos Mexican restaurant.

There’s a drive-through and indoor seating, as well as mobile app ordering and Wi-Fi.

Another standalone Starbucks is in the works at Paper Mill Village, with a delayed rezoning case requesting demolition of the existing small coffee shop for a 5,000-square-foot, two-story building.

That first hearing is tentatively scheduled for April 3 before the Cobb Planning Commission.

Back in service

What was supposed to be a short closure in February to expand drive-through service turned into be a longer hiatus for the Chick-Fil-A Lassiter (3046 Shallowford Road).

Store management announced on Friday that it’s reopened at its usual hours, after “a few unforeseen delays.”

The store had scheduled a Daddy Daughter Date Night but due to the closure that’s been rescheduled for March 25.

New Businesses

The following businesses in East Cobb were granted licenses by the Cobb Community Development Agency the last few weeks:

  • ASE Ventures, 2501 East Piedmont Road, Suite 204 (antique sales)
  • Blossom Locs, 2790 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 100-A (hair braiding)
  • Family Dental Care of Marietta, 2525 Shallowford Road, Suite 100 (dentist)
  • Ferrara Medical Aesthetics, 1000 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite E-25 (physician)
  • Settle for Glam, 2790 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 100-A (beauty shop)
  • Top Massage, 2200 Roswell Road, Suite 150 (health club/spa)

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East Cobb Biz Notes: Pure Barre Grand Opening; ECBA After Hours; more

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Pure Barre East Cobb opens

The new Pure Barre Studio at Parkaire Landing Shopping Center (4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 790) is holding several grand opening events this week, after a few months of a soft opening.

The main events are this weekend—from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday—and include free classes, membership specials, raffle prizes and giveaways, vendors and more.

The raffle prizes come from IceboxCryotherapy, Athelta, McCray’s Tavern, Blo Blow Dry Bar and others, and there will be local juice places in the studio and B12 shots on Saturday from wHydrate, a hydration therapy spa.

Updates are being posted on the studio’s Facebook page, and owner Jenna Scearce says that if you want to take part in a free class, you’ll need to reserve a spot by phone/text (770-283-0278) or e-mail (eastcobb@purebarre.com).

Those class times are 8:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 11 am. and 12:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and are  Foundations or Classic classes “so good for newbies,” general manager Chad Stone said.

Barre is a fitness concept that incorporates ballet, yoga and Pilates into a full-body, muscle endurance workout (intro info here).

Pure Barre, which has more than 600 locations in North America. Jenna Scearce and her husband Chad operate Pure Barre locations in Roswell, Alpharetta and Milton and will be opening another in Suwanee in the fall.

ECBA Resumes After Hours

The East Cobb Business Association is holding its first After Hours networking event of 2023 this week.

The event is from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday at Tijuana Joe’s Cantina (690 Johnson Ferry Road) and is open to ECBA members, their guests and visitors.

The cost is $5 for members and $10 for guests and visitors and includes one drink ticket and appetizers. You’re asked to register in advance to get an accurate headcount.

The ECBA also has a monthly luncheon for women this week. The group is called the Professional Women of East Cobb, and they also meet at Tijuana Joe’s for lunch the first Friday of each month, from 11:30-1 p.m.

The cost is $20 for members and $25 for non-members and advance online registration is required.

ECBA also holds a weekly open networking event every Friday from 7:30-8:30 a.m. at the IHOP (3130 Johnson Ferry Road). There’s no registration required; you pay for whatever you may eat or drink.

New Businesses

The following businesses in East Cobb were granted licenses by the Cobb Community Development Agency in recent weeks:

  • AM A Joy Designs, 4556 Steinhauer Road (merchandise and service broker)
  • Berry Good Realty Group, 2686 Jamerson Road (real estate and property management)
  • Blinds & Designs Ltd., 2993 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 110 (drapery and blind installation)
  • Burmeister & Associates PC, 1827 Powers Ferry Road, Suites 10-200 (CPA)
  • Cinetable Light Tight Films Inc., 4880 Surrey Drive (video and film production)
  • Elegance Events, 2080 Lower Roswell Road (catering service)
  • Isakson Living, 4994 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 16 (real estate and property management)
  • Peach Renovations, 652 Powers Ferry Road (roofing and siding contractor)
  • Phil Cool Heating and Cooling, 1751 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 3
  • Pretty By Kitty, 3000 Windy Hill Road, Suite 109 (beauty shop)
  • Primary Fence of Georgia, 890 Blackwell Road (fencing contractor)
  • Professional Auto Repair Marietta, 1770 Lower Roswell Road (auto repair)
  • Roses Brazilian Bakery, 3349 Canton Road, Suite 219
  • SMG Motors, 4757 Canton Road, Suite 218B (used auto dealer)
  • The L Room, 2217 Roswell Road, Suite 132 (event venue)
  • Uncle Dave’s Automotive Repair, 3086 Canton Road
  • Visionworks, 4250 Roswell Road, Suite 520 (optical supplies)
  • Zen Dry Restoration, 111 Village Parkway, Bldg 2, Suite 100 (waterproofing contractor)

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