East Cobb Business Archives

East Cobb retail update: Evereve, Drybar open at Avenue

November 17, 2023 3:49 PMNovember 17, 2023 12:47 PM by Wendy Parker

Evereve opens Avenue East Cobb

A couple more openings at Avenue East Cobb to note, in the clothing and hair care sectors:

On Tuesday women’s fashion retailer Evereve opened in a 3,500-square-foot space next to Warby Parker. Evereve features a mix of what it terms “exclusive, on-trend pieces for everyday style.” As part of the grand opening, customers will get 15 percent off their purchases through Saturday.

Evereve, based in Minnesota, also has stores at Avalon, Shops Around Lenox and Perimeter Mall.

Hours for Evereve at Avenue East Cobb are 10-8 Monday-Saturday and 12-6 Sunday.

On Saturday, Drybar, a blowout hair salon, will open next to Kendra Scott. A ribbon-cutting takes place at 10:30 a.m. followed by complimentary bites and beverages for guests throughout the day.

Based in California, Drybar has nearly 100 hair styling salons across the country, including seven others in metro Atlanta.

Hours for Drybar at Avenue East Cobb are 7-7 Monday-Friday, 7-8 Saturday and 9-7 Sunday.

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Urthy Scents opens at Woodlawn Square Shopping Center

November 14, 2023 6:59 PMNovember 14, 2023 11:52 AM by Wendy Parker

Urthy Scents opens East Cobb — *“We make everything ourselves,” Urthy co-owner Jen Rotondo said. ECN photos.*

The aromas—all 27 of them—are unmistakeable when you walk into Urthy Scents.

And they’re all natural, too.

On its grand opening day last week, the boutique body- and skincare store made shopping even more enticing with special discounts–some as much as 50 percent off.

The location at Woodlawn Square Shopping Center (1205 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 105, next to Half Price Books) is the second for Urthy Scents, which opened its first store last year in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., near Sarasota.

Jen Rotondo and her sister Ali East developed the idea of making and selling non-scented body products because thy both have autoimmune issues and can’t use any traditionally manufactured scents.

Their venture started out as a hobby, as they began making clean-burning coconut wax candles during COVID-19. Quickly they began to expand their product line along the same concept using clean, scented non-toxic and naturally-derived plant ingredients.

Those include an olive squalane oil, firming lupin seed extract, and healing chamomile bisabolol. They’re part of what the sisters are calling their KWENCH body products line, emphasizing moisture and hydration.

Urthy Scents opens East Cobb

“Everything we sell is non-toxic,” said Rotondo, who lives in Sandy Springs. “It’s all plastic-free.”

The decision to drop all phthalates—chemicals that make plastics more durable—means that all the products are made on-site.

“We make everything ourselves,” said Rotondo, as her staff milled about the 1,600-square-foot space, helping customers.

Those includes body lotions, scrubs and oils, perfumes, bath bombs, scent notes, candles, scent towers, as well as room sprays and diffusers.

The scents are organized into eight different groups, ranging from mystic sea, lavendar and cactus bloom to midnight sky, velvet orchid and blushing goddess.

(If you want to know what scents suit you, Urthy has put together a scent quiz.)

And about those coconut wax candles? Rotondo said because they burn slower, they last longer, with the 12-ounce candle lasting up to 60 hours.

Urthy Scents is featuring holiday candles and other holiday products as it opens, and has a loyalty program and online ordering.

Urthy Scents is open 10-6 Monday-Saturday and 11-4 Sunday. Phone: 770-857-3447. E-mail: info@urthyscents.com.

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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!

East Cobb Citizen of the Year is Cobb Collaborative director

November 9, 2023 1:57 PM by Wendy Parker

2023 East Cobb Citizen of the Year named — *From L-R: Sharon Mason, President & CEO of the Cobb Chamber; Irene Barton, 2023 East Cobb Citizen of the Year; Greg Teague, 2023 Cobb Chamber Chairman. Photo courtesy Cobb Chamber.*

Irene Barton, long active in East Cobb civic and community activities, has been named the East Cobb Citizen of the Year for 2023.

Barton, the executive director of the Cobb Collaborative, a non-profit agency, was honored Thursday morning by the East Cobb Area Council of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast at Indian Hills Country Club.

She’s been in that post since 2018, and her work has included launching the Connecting Cobb Veterans program (previous ECN post here), brought mental health, suicide prevention and trauma-credentialed training to more than 4,000 individuals through the Mind Your Mind mental health awareness campaign, distributed more than 8,300 books to children, installed more than 50 Little Free Libraries across the county and grown the membership from 78 to 125.

Barton is a member of the East Cobb Civitan Club and is currently its president.

She has been a board member of the McCleskey Family-East Cobb YMCA Board of Directors and the creation care team at the Catholic Church of St. Ann.

Barton also has been involved with the Georgia PTA, Cobb Community Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse, Get Georgia Reading Cabinet, Cobb Executive Women,and Honorary Commanders Alumni Association.

Barton, a member of the Leadership Cobb Class of 2024, “has consistently put service above self in all she does, dedicating herself to helping improve the quality of life in East Cobb” in 25 years in the community, the Chamber said in a release.

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Beyond Skin holistic studio opens on Powers Ferry Road

November 6, 2023 5:11 PMNovember 6, 2023 10:02 AM by Wendy Parker

Beyond Skin holistic studio opens on Powers Ferry Road

Beyond Skin, an holistic skin care studio, has opened on Powers Ferry Road in the East Cobb area.

The studio specializes in customized facials, acne solutions, Nano-needling and plant-based skin care.

The owner is Frankie Coker, a licensed holistic esthetician, who said the objective is to “provide a tranquil and pampering experience, making each visit a journey towards relaxation and self-care.

“We are excited to bring the art of healing, touch, in connection to the skin to Marietta,” Coker said in a release. “I am dedicated to helping our clients achieve beautiful and healthy skin, and I can’t wait to share my passion with the community.”

Beyond Skin held a grand opening on Monday, and is continuing to offer promotions for first-time clients.

For more information, please visit the booking site https://beyondskinesthetics.as.me/schedule.php or contact hello@beyondskinesthetics.com.

Beyond Skin is located at 119 Powers Ferry Road Suite 105.

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PHOTOS: Barnes and Noble store opens at Avenue East Cobb

November 1, 2023 12:17 PMNovember 1, 2023 11:36 AM by Wendy Parker

Barnes and Noble opens Avenue East Cobb

A few dozen book fans braved freezing temperatures Wednesday morning, patiently sipping coffee.

Right at 9 a.m., Georgia-based mystery author Mary Kay Andrews cut the ribbon for the new Barnes and Noble store at Avenue East Cobb.

She just published her 30th novel, “Bright Lights, Big Christmas,” and has attended many bookstore events.

But this is the first time she’s been asked to perform a ribbon-cutting, along with Barnes and Noble managers and Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat.

“It’s a beautiful new store,” said Andrews—the pen name of former Atlanta journalist Kathy Trocheck—at the end of a book-signing session during the store’s first hour of business.

“Any time a bookstore opens, an angel sings.”

Barnes and Noble also has invited a number of authors for signing events during the first few weeks. Among the events is a Cat in the Hat storytime for children Saturday from 9-10 a.m.

You can read through the full schedule by clicking here.

Barnes and Noble opens Avenue East Cobb

For Barnes and Noble, the 15,000-square-foot space—where Bed Bath and Beyond was located—is part of a new concept.

It’s a smaller footprint, but features a more open and airy floor plan, with sunshine beaming through large windows at the front. The café area—which was used for the book-signing—has a full-length window.

On Wednesday, customers were treated to coffee, bagels and cookies. The seating area will include a variety of tables, and there will be seating at the bar as well.

There also are browsing seats scattered around.

But the essential new feature is a more locally curated book selection, what management calls “the best of books.”

“We look at the demographics of an area—synagogues, schools, etc., and also look at what our closest stores are selling,” said Moné Fair, Barnes and Noble’s Georgia area manager.

The “best of” is also determined by sales figures, according to inventory control specialist David Mason.

He’s in charge of ordering books directly—another departure for Barnes and Noble—and will be looking at real-time data to further refine the selections for local customers.

Previously, books were ordered via company headquarters in New York. Mason, who moved about the new store Wednesday with a tablet device bearing data, said Barnes and Noble has been using this approach for three years.

He said it won’t be long “before we’ll know what sells here. We’ll have a really good sense about what an East Cobb store will look like.”

Managers said they didn’t know how many books were on display, but they have spent the last week or so unloading 75,000 pounds of books.

There are also toys, games, and puzzles with an educational focus for children, and even a display with a variety vinyl albums.

“For every CD we sell, we sell 10 vinyl records,” Mason said.

The reason? It’s an immersive feeling, he said, just like picking up a book, and turning the pages.

Barnes and Noble is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Barnes and Noble opens Avenue East Cobb

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Untangled Mind, Dynamic Growth Counseling open in East Cobb

October 30, 2023 10:58 AM by Wendy Parker

Untangled Mind and Dynamic Growth Counseling open in East Cobb — *All photos by Stuart Hasson, Hasson Photography*

Submitted information and photos:

Untangled Mind, LLC and Dynamic Growth Counseling and Consulting Services, LLC are thrilled to announce their new joint business venture opening in East Cobb. The need for mental health care has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the owners of these two businesses have created a holistic approach to mental health care called the Dynamic Mind Approach. This model incorporates Adlerian psychology and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for the most effective and holistic care of individuals.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place Oct. 19 at 1501 Johnson Ferry, Road, Suite 104, with members of the East Cobb Business Association as Dr. Susan Belangee and Piper Harris, M.A., highlighted the growing need for quality, holistic mental health counseling and consulting services in the greater Atlanta area.

Untangled Mind, LLC and Dynamic Growth Counseling and Consulting Services, LLC aim to become active members of the East Cobb community and look forward to collaborating with local organizations to promote mental health awareness, education, and well-being. Both companies are fully committed to providing compassionate care for anxiety, trauma, and grief and consulting services to effect organizational change, personalized treatment plans, and a nurturing environment for clients to thrive.

Untangled Mind and Dynamic Growth Counseling open in East Cobb

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Barnes and Noble to open at Avenue East Cobb on Nov. 1

October 19, 2023 4:00 PM by Wendy Parker

Barnes and Noble opening Avenue East Cobb

Barnes and Noble has set an official opening date for the store at Avenue East Cobb, and it’s less than two weeks away.

That date is Wednesday, Nov. 1, with a ribbon-cutting at 9 a.m. and store unveiling.

Lauren Ness of North American Properties, which manages Avenue East Cobb, said the event will include a meet-and-greet with local author Mary Kay Andrews, whose new novel is “Bright Lights, Big Christmas.” Barnes and Noble opening Avenue East Cobb

Other book-signing events that day include Georgia-native authors Vanessa Riley (2023 Georgia Author of the Year), Delilah S. Dawson, and Krista & Becca Ritchie.

More author events in the first few days of the store opening can be found by clicking here.

The Barnes and Noble store posted Wednesday that books are starting to be shipped to the 15,000-square-foot space (formerly Bed Bath and Beyond) on what it calls “turnover day.”

“That’s the day the store is turned over from construction to the booksellers! Here we are inside! It’s beautiful, y’all!”

The store will include a cafe and is the first in Georgia in a new Barnes and Noble concept with a smaller store size that focuses on local and regional recommendations curated by store managers.

locally curated recommendations from store managers

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The Wig Dr. relocates in East Cobb to Parkaire Medical Center

October 19, 2023 11:14 AM by Wendy Parker

Submitted information and photo:

“The Wig Dr., formerly located at the Parkaire Shopping Center in Marietta, has relocated to a larger space at Parkaire Medical Center, 4939 Lower Roswell Rd, Ste B-202, Marietta, GA 30068, to provide even more services for women who are undergoing chemotherapy or who have had a mastectomy. In addition to the custom fittings and beautiful wigs that Dr. Erica Gamble has previously provided for years to breast cancer survivors in East Cobb and throughout Atlanta, the new location will also offer specialized mastectomy prosthetic fittings, bras, swimwear, compression sleeves for lymphedema and hair rejuvenating scalp massage.

“Dr. Gamble saw the need for compassionate and knowledgeable care for breast cancer survivors. The Wig Dr is a place where a woman, losing a part of herself…her femininity…can come and feel whole again. ‘Some of my clients are still working and don’t want to be viewed with sympathetic smiles. And since each fitting is by appointment only, I take the time these brave women need to share their stories and help them find a look that’s unique to them. Since we have hundreds of styles and colors from which to choose, I can find them something similar to their previous look, or something completely different.’

“Joining Dr. Gamble at the new location, is Erica Driver, a stage IV breast cancer survivor and trained mastectomy bra fitter, and Patty Prifti, a wig fitter with The Wig Dr. for over two years. These three women look forward to working with clients who are going through the most difficult times in their lives and giving them an empowering experience where they can take back a part of themselves. The Wig Dr. client and breast cancer survivor Anne Parke says that she enjoyed the personalized attention in a relaxed atmosphere. ‘But more importantly, I now look like my partner’s contemporary…in age and appearance. I have bald spots and thinning hair due to my chemo, and the new wigs make me feel more like myself again.’ ”

For additional information about The Wig Dr. or Dr. Gamble, visit https://fb.watch/nDI9cyovLB/?mibextid=E87lkY

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East Cobb Biz Scene: Cafe Rivkah holds special ribbon-cutting

October 13, 2023 5:01 PMOctober 13, 2023 8:57 AM by Wendy Parker

Cafe Rivkah ribbon cutting

Back in April we visited Cafe Rivkah when it opened at the Pavilions at East Lake Shopping Center, serving up Middle Eastern breakfast/lunch/brunch fare featuring homemade artisanal baked goods.

Earlier this week owner Vicky Savrin and her husband Phil, who helps out on the business side, treated guests from the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, Visit Marietta and the East Cobb Business Association for a special ribbon-cutting event.

Local business associations have been making the rounds like this on a regular basis, and the Savrins’ ties to Marietta go deep.

She began selling homemade pastries and bakery at the Marietta Farmers Market, and regular customers wondered if she would ever consider a cafe.

While doughnuts, bagels and breads come in many varieties, the menu also features Mediterranean dishes such as shakshuka and a Lebanese chicken tawook wrap.

Cafe Rivkah (website) also was honored at the Taste of East Cobb festival in the best overall taste category. Vicky Savrin still features at the Marietta Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, and does catering as well.

Upon the cafe’s six-month anniversary, she noted on her Facebook page that “it has been a satisfying experience so far. No regrets. We learn new things everyday and we know that we made mistakes and they will happen (unfortunately) because there are so many parts to our efforts that has to work 100 percent to make the overall experience for the customers satisfying.”

The photos come from Gina Duncan, Visit Marietta’s marketing and PR manager.

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Strongvibe Grand Opening

As we noted in our profile earlier this week of the new Strongvibe electrical muscular therapy studio, a grand opening is set for next Thursday, is from 5-7 (more info and RSVP here).

The event includes giveaways, demos, food and wellness information from Plasker Chiropractic, Meridian Health and Wellness and more, and Strongvibe membership discounts will be 25 percent off.

Strongvibe is located at 147 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 4110. Phone: 770-573-4010.

Send Your Biz News!

East Cobb News loves to tell the community about new businesses, and those marking milestones or undergoing major changes, as well as profiling local business owners and their employees.

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Strongvibe studio features electrical muscular therapy workouts

October 9, 2023 4:24 PM by Wendy Parker

Strongvibe fitness studio opens

East Cobb is home to a myriad of fitness, health and wellness studios.

What’s new to the area is the emerging genre of businesses and treatment centers offering electrical muscular stimulation (EMS) therapy.

Among them is Strongvibe, an independent studio at Paper Mill Village that’s had a soft opening for several weeks and which will hold a grand opening Oct. 19.

(Another new EMS studio in East Cobb is BODY20, a franchise at Woodlawn Point Shopping Center.)

Strongvibe owner Erica Manning said her business offers one-to-one personal training for clients who haven’t worked out for a while and those with chronic pain whose ability to work out is limited.

Electrical muscular therapy involves the transmission of mild electrical pulses to treat injured, weak or diseases muscles.

Manning said she came up with the name for her studio because “I wanted to describe what you feel and what you’re getting.”

Clients schedule 20-minute customized workouts, ideally twice a week, to stimulate muscles in their arms, legs, and abdominal areas.

They are connected to a vest-like device that sends currents into muscular areas to produce 85 contractions per second, activating most major muscle groups in the body at the same time.

For those who have difficulty with high-impact exercise, the aim of EMS is to help develop muscle tone and strength for anyone at any fitness level, including the aging dealing with the effects of osteoporosis.

“I like the idea of helping people who can’t do those intense workouts,” said Manning, who has a marketing background and who is certified as a personal trainer and in EMS.

Among them is her grandmother, who suffered from hard falls and needed therapy to stabilize her body. She’s in a chair the entire time of her workouts, and Manning said after a month her back pain was gone.

In addition to the EMS equipment, Strongvibe has a treadmill and dumbbells as well as a rowing machine.

Manning said her emphasis is on customizing workouts for clients to make sure they’re getting exactly what they need. Like many fitness studios in the area, membership is required, and Strongvibe is offering a free introductory session.

“I’m not just trying to get them through the door,” she said. “I love to be part of their journey.”

She also wants to stress community ties. She and her husband, who works from home in the marketing field, moved to East Cobb from Smyrna and have children ages 14, 12 and 10.

The Oct. 19 grand opening is from 5-7 (more info and RSVP here) and includes giveaways, demos, food and wellness information from Plasker Chiropractic, Meridian Health and Wellness and more.

Strongvibe is located at 147 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 4110. Phone: 770-573-4010.

Strongvibe studio opens

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!

Strongvibe is located at 147 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 4110. Phone 770-573-4010.

Roswell-Johnson Ferry oil change project getting underway

October 6, 2023 2:20 PMOctober 6, 2023 10:19 AM by Wendy Parker

Roswell-Johnson Ferry oil change project

About a year and a half after getting a site plan change approved by the county, Valvoline Instant Oil Change is beginning to break ground for a new facility on the former site of a Chevron gas station at Roswell Road and Johnson Ferry Road.

Crews have been digging up what’s left of the Chevron pavement in the northwest corner of one of East Cobb’s busiest intersections and we noticed this sign for the first time on Friday.

As we reported last year, Valvoline needed to run a site plan amendment by Cobb commissioners to convert the 0.95-acre tract into a three-bay oil change facility totalling 2,088 square feet.

Plans call for a landscaping plan and 15 parking spaces, and access will be right-in and right-out only on Roswell Road westbound.

The Chevron station that opened in the 1970s closed in late 2020, and was demolished in early 2021. The property has sat largely untouched ever since.

The Valvoline filings and county property tax records indicate that the two parcels making up the 0.95 acres have a combined appraised value of $822,240.

The owner one of those tracts, Ruth McLaughlin, the former Chevron owner, also owns 0.71 acres directly behind it that’s valued at $1.24 million.

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American Family Care Urgent Care opening East Cobb location

September 28, 2023 7:40 AM by Wendy Parker

There’s still some staff training and final checks to undergo, but the American Family Care Urgent Care location in East Cobb should be open by later this week.

That’s the estimate that Dr. Leia Dawson, the new clinic’s medical director, said after a ribbon-cutting celebration on Tuesday.

The 3,600-square-foot facility at Merchant’s Festival Shopping Center (1401 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 390) is in the space of an urgent care facility that was bought out by Wellstar Health System.

It will provide a wide range of urgent and primary care walk-in services for adults and urgent care needs for minors, seven days a week.

Dawson, who’s headed a Floyd Urgent Care location in Rockmart and an AllCare location in Dallas, Ga., said AFC Urgent Care’s goal is simple.

“We want to ease some of the pressure off the ER,” said Dawson, who holds a Doctor of Osteopathy degree and is board-certified in family medicine.

“Our goal is to have you in and out in an hour.”

She said the time can depend upon the nature of an injury or service need.

AFC Urgent Care’s services include diagnostics tests with on-site equipment, including an X-ray machine, an on-site laboratory, occupational health exams and worker’s comp cases and “point of care” treatment for the flu, COVID and other illnesses.

AFC, based in Birmingham, has other Urgent Care locations in metro Atlanta, including near Town Center and in Roswell, among its 350 franchised locations around the country.

Dawson’s husband Brandon is the East Cobb clinic’s director of business development. They live in North Cobb with their two children.

AFC’s mission, according to Laura Bradbury, the company’s vice president of franchise operations, “is to bring health care to the community. That’s what makes us successful.”

Dawson noted a shortage of nurses and other medical personnel at facilities that has resulted in extended waiting and service times.

“It’s an economical option for people who don’t want to go to the hospital,” said Jack Norton, who’s doing media and public relations for the East Cobb facility.

The AFC Urgent Care location in East Cobb will include 14 staffers in addition to Dawson, including two nurse-practitioners. There also will be another medical doctor on call.

The location accepts most health insurance coverage. No appointments are needed.

Hours are fro 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Phone: 470-250-1492

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East Cobb Barber Shop stylist gets 20th anniversary surprise

September 19, 2023 1:01 PMSeptember 19, 2023 8:09 AM by Wendy Parker

East Cobb Barber Shop stylist 20th anniversary — *One of Jerri Heacock’s regular customers is East Cobb resident John Galt. ECN photo.*

As Jerri Heacock began her job at the East Cobb Barber Shop Saturday morning, she was greeted by customers without appointments.

They weren’t walk-up clients, but regulars whose hair she had just cut, and she wondered what was up.

Some were bearing gifts and roses, and before long her co-workers had rolled out some cupcakes, balloons, and a signed card.

Her boss, owner Dee Reitz, had organized a surprise to mark Heacock’s 20th anniversary working for the old-style barber shop, and kept the secret well.

“I kind of had a hint,” Heacock said, but admitted she was still surprised when the full party complement was unveiled.

She’s the longest-serving stylist under Reitz, who took over the more than 37-year-old business in 2000. Heacock has the honor of working at “the first chair.”

That’s literally the first person customers see when they walk in the doors of the 600-square-foot space at Merchants Festival Shopping Center.

Usually that goes to a barber shop owner, but Reitz said Heacock has earned it.

“She just always has a smile, really knows how to build a rapport with customers. That’s why she’s the first chair.”

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Heacock attended Roffler’s Barber College and had worked at other barber shops when she heard about an opening at East Cobb Barber Shop.

“I just called and said I needed a job,” said Heacock, who was a single mother at the time.

That was on a Thursday, and two days later, she was working a chair on a trial basis. Initially she worked three days a week, but has been full time for many years.

The East Cobb Barber Shop, Heacock said, “just became family. It’s homey.”

She and Reitz are best friends, and when “you spend so much time with them they become family. It feels like home.”

Reitz and her staff of three stylists were rocked when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020. The shop was closed for a month, but Heacock came back after two months, bored at home and itching to see her clients.

“I missed my customers,” she said. “You get real close to them, and that’s why I love to do what I do.”

Customer John Galt, Heacock’s last of the day on Saturday, is among the regulars. He said he’s not coming as frequently as he once did—around every three weeks or so—but knows who he wants to see when he does come.

“I first started coming because it was so convenient,” said Galt, who lives in East Cobb. “Jerri has been good to me.”

He’s also a retired from the U.S. Army, and East Cobb Barber Shop reaches out to military veterans.

Reitz said she’s appreciated Heacock’s longevity not just because of her work ethic and the time it takes time to build up a loyal clientele, but also because it’s difficult to hire and keep good stylists.

“I’ve had several people where it just didn’t work out,” Reitz said. “I don’t like turnover.”

Having a reliable, friendly and familiar face “makes people feel comfortable.”

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East Cobb Biz Scene: Olea Oliva! closing at Avenue East Cobb

September 20, 2023 5:39 PMSeptember 18, 2023 5:17 PM by Wendy Parker

Olea Oliva! store closing Avenue East Cobb — *“My heart is full,” Olea Oliva! owner Smita Daya said as she and her husband plan to retire in Italy. ECN photo*

The Olea Oliva! store at Avenue East Cobb, which sells gourmet olive oils, balsamic vinegars, spices, herbal teas and other artisanal food items, is closing.

The married couple of owner Smita Daya and her husband Dilip Daya are retiring and moving to Italy, where they have been frequently spending time in the nearly eight years since they opened the store.

The last day of business is Oct. 15, and a closing sale is underway, with 30 percent off full purchases using the promo code OLEAVIP30.

Smita Daya, who opened Olea Oiva! after a career handling commercial closings for a law firm, said she and her husband, both natives of rural areas of Africa, “are going back to the farm life.”

They’ve had a co-share housing arrangement near Florence, Italy, where they cultivated expertise in the olives, vinegars and wines that they featured in the store. (Dilip Daya, who has had a career in information technology, helps at the store and is an olive oil sommelier.)

“It’s time,” Daya said of her decision to close Olea Oliva!, which has been several months in the making. “I think I’ve had a good run. When it’s time, it’s time, and in my heart I feel it’s time.”

Daya and her husband raised two daughters who are Walton High School graduates, one of whom is a medical doctor.

She said she’s proud of what she learned and put to use as a business owner in a retail world that was challenging even before COVID-19.

Daya said she looks at her decision to close the store “not as a failure but as an experience. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to make so many friends and connecting with local business owners. I have grown as a woman and as an entrepreneur.”

Daya’s passion for healthy eating—a plant-based diet infused with olive oil—was at the heart Olea Oliva!

Her cookbook, “An Odyssey of Flavors,” was published in 2018, and when she moved the store to larger space at Avenue East Cobb, she conducted cooking workshops and wine tastings on-site.

“I love food and it has been a passion,” she said. “I took it to a different place.”

There’s a final wine-tasting and four=course Mediterranean meal this Saturday, with three spots left, and she’s donating all the proceeds to APTERS Zambia, a non-profit charity started by her daughter Annika that provides mobility aids for children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities in the African country.

The cost is $100 each and you can sign up by clicking here.

After the store closes, Daya said she’ll take a few months to prepare for the move to Italy, and to take stock of what she’s done with Olea Oliva!

“I feel so blessed,” she said. “My heart is full.”

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!

Barnes and Noble continues renovations at Avenue East Cobb

September 16, 2023 5:55 PM by Wendy Parker

Barnes and Noble Avenue East Cobb renovations continue

The last update we got from Barnes and Noble in June about its forthcoming bookstore at Avenue East Cobb targeted an October opening, and that’s still the case.

The company released some photos of the interior below, and we took the above shot that’s showing a bit more progress.

There’s still not a specific opening date for the book retailer’s 15,000-square-foot occupancy of a portion of the former Bed Bath and Beyond space.

It’s a smaller footprint than the traditional Barnes and Noble store (typically they’re around 25,000 square feet) and will feature more locally curated recommendations from store managers and a cafe.

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East Cobb Biz Scene: Elegance Events holds ribbon-cutting

September 11, 2023 2:26 PM by Wendy Parker

Elegance Events Ribbon Cutting

The former Zaxby’s restaurant across from the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center has been transformed into special event space.

Last week Nazanin Moradimehr (with scissors), owner of Elegance Events (2080 Lower Roswell Road) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

A Wheeler High School graduate, she has more than two decades in the restaurant and catering industry, and opened Elegance Events in June with a grand opening.

Elegance Events, located in the Newmarket Shopping Center, caters mostly to weddings, but also is available for baby showers, birthdays, anniversaries, bar/bat mitzvahs and corporate events.

The facility ideally holds 120 guests but can expand to 200 and includes outdoor space. Inside, features include gold-draped tables, a large bar and a wall-to-wall projection screen.

Services include customized music, table settings and floral arrangements, balloon arches, sculptures, photography, disc jockeys, lighting and audio and event set-up.

Catering items featuring Mediterranean, Persian, Moroccan and other international cuisines in a fully-stocked kitchen.

Moradimehr was an exhibitor at the recent Georgia Bridal Show at the Cobb Galleria Centre and the Atlanta Wedding Extravaganza, and has organized special events at other locations.

For information and to schedule a tour call 813-817-4659 or e-mail info@eleganceeventsatl.com.

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Botanical Sciences medical cannabis dispensary opens in Cobb

September 11, 2023 2:33 PMSeptember 11, 2023 10:31 AM by Wendy Parker

Botanical Sciences opens Cobb medical cannabis dispensary

Botanical Sciences, a physician-owned medical cannabis provider, held a grand opening event this week at its new Cobb location at 2468 Windy Hill Road.

The company grows, manufactures and dispenses medical cannabis and has plans to operate five dispensaries in metro Atlanta and Georgia.

The Cobb dispensary is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for patients using medical cannabis for a variety of health issues, ranging from autism and cancer to Parkinson’s Disease and Tourette’s Syndrome.

It’s the second such medical cannabis dispensary in Cobb, opening not long after Trulieve’s Marietta Medical Dispensary on Cobb Parkway near Whitewater.

Botanical Services (website here), which was founded in 2020, sells a variety of tinctures, capsules and topicals for home use by patients approved to use medical cannabis.

For more information, visit the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission.

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New Avenue public plaza dubbed ‘East Cobb’s hometown hangout’

September 8, 2023 2:55 PMSeptember 8, 2023 8:45 AM by Wendy Parker

Avenue East Cobb celebration

A few hundred spectators decked out in garden-party attire watched as a large green curtain was pulled down Thursday to reveal a new public plaza at Avenue East Cobb.

The centerpiece of the retail center’s redevelopment also features a live music stage, and a high-energy cover band rocked the venue for a couple of hours after that, as guests munched on appetizers from current and forthcoming restaurants, enjoyed cocktails and danced.

More than a year in the making, the new open-air plaza signals a new phase for Avenue, which has been rebranded as it has been re-energized.

An official from North American Properties, which signed on as a management partner last year, calls it “East Cobb’s hometown hangout,” with the purpose tied to getting the public to come, and stay.

Two new “jewel box” restaurants are still under construction, and some outdoor seating has been set up in front of Round Trip Brewing Co., which will be opening a German-style taproom next spring.

Avenue East Cobb celebration

But the plaza is officially open to the public, and continuing events such as Friday night live music are on tap. That includes “Electric Avenue” concerts every Friday from 6-8 p.m. through October.

The plaza features a variety of comfortable chairs and sofas and two bar areas, along with a green turf in front of the stage suitable for spreading out blankets.

Avenue East Cobb celebration — *Rev. Dr. Ike Reighard, CEO of MUST Ministries, thanked the attendees.*

The venue also includes optional valet parking, which some cocktail party guests took advantage of at Thursday’s event.

The cost was $75 a person, but all the proceeds went to MUST Ministries.

CEO Ike Reighard said the result was $10,000 for the Marietta non-profit, which typically served around 300 homeless clients per night before COVID-19.

That figure shot up to 1,500 a night during the height of the pandemic.

“The only thing that exceeded the level of need was the level of generosity, and that’s what you did,” he said.

Reighard, who’s also senior pastor at Piedmont Church, told the audience that “you won’t hear a minister saying ‘drink up,’ but thank you.”

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Stretch Zone opens fitness studio at East Cobb Crossing

September 6, 2023 3:15 PMSeptember 4, 2023 11:53 AM by Wendy Parker

Stretch Zone opens East Cobb

Kelly Boatright, who with husband Kyle Boatright is a co-0wner of a new Stretch Zone fitness studio in East Cobb, has passed the information and photos marking its grand opening.

It’s located in the East Cobb Crossing Shopping Center (4371 Roswell Road) near Dog City Bakery.

Stretch Zone features a special method “to reeducate the nervous system to increase the active range of motion,” according to a company release.

The goal is to maximize flexibility regardless of athletic ability or body type, and the instructors are certified in the method.

Stretch Zone, which has 300 locations, including Acworth, Kennesaw and Roswell, is utilized by professional athletes for training, competition and recovery, and has a partnership with former NFL quarterback Drew Brees.

Those who sign up for a package through September will enter a drawing for a jersey signed by Brees

“I started my relationship with Stretch Zone on the table, when I started receiving treatment to alleviate my hip pain,” Kelly Boatright says. “I’ve seen firsthand the difference this practice can make in mobility and wellness, and we are extremely excited to share those differences with our neighbors in the East Cobb community.”

She said the new East Cobb location is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. It’s closed on Sunday.

First visits are free and customers can begin earning Flex Points, Stretch Zone’s rewards program, upon sign-up.

For more information, call 770-282-7941 or visit www.stretchzone.com/locations/east-cobb-ga or www.facebook.com/stretchzoneeastcobb.

Stretch Zone opens East Cobb

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2023 Cobb Youth Leadership class includes East Cobb students

August 29, 2023 5:16 PMAugust 29, 2023 12:04 PM by Wendy Parker

Seven students from high schools in East Cobb have been named to the 2023 class of Cobb Youth Leadership, a development program from high school juniors.

The Cobb Chamber of Commerce said in a release that the program is sponsored by the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and includes interactive participation.

The students recently had their orientation session and will be introduced to community leaders and activities in public safety, public service, business and entrepreneurship, arts and culture, health and sports and armed forces:

“Through six evening programs during the course of the school year participants in the CYL program are introduced to local, state, and national leaders. They also receive information on the responsibility, ethics, and tools for effective leadership, as well as potential career paths for after graduation. The monthly programs run from August through April. They cover topics such as community service, arts & culture, armed forces, and business. Students also participate in one overnight retreat where they focus on team building and personality inventories.”

This year there are 55 students participating, and they include the following from East Cobb schools:

Josh Markwood and Kali Sweeney, Wheeler High School
Aidan Matthews, Walton High School
Ryan Duckett, Lassiter High School
Sam Moon and Rebekah Ives, Sprayberry High School
Dylan Tolchinski, Pope High School

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