Speaking of roundabouts!   An Emory Village update via the Clairmont Heights Civic Association…

Roundabout Update :

DeKalb County’s new roundabout and streetscape project in Emory Village is on the near horizon. A contractor has been selected and following the final Georgia Department of Transportation approvals, the roadwork will begin as soon as this May. Check back with AIEV (www.emoryvillage.org) for updates.

Burbanck Park Work Day in March

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The “Quick Bites” section in this week’s Atlanta Intown paper whispers…

Rumor has it that Twisted Taco is planning to open a new location in the old Emory University bookstore space in Emory Village in the spring.  Watch its web site at www.twistedtaco.com for updates.

Caribou, Inman Perk, Method…Can anyone other than Starbucks make a living brewing coffee in Emory Village?

Carl tweets that the latest contender in Emory Village’s rotating coffee space, Method, is out, and westside coffee joint, Octane Coffee, is in.

There have always been a lot of stories swirling around about this space.  When Inman Perk left, the owners claimed the issue was a grease-trap, but then the Emory Wheel told a different story.  One thing’s for sure, coffee ain’t easy in that spot.  I hope Octane has the magic formula to make it work.

I wrote on this topic a couple days ago in my oft-celebrated “Emory Smorgasbord” post, but Macarolina inquired into giving it a little more exposure.

We’ve talked a lot about movie theaters over the past few months, lamenting lost buildings downtown and wondering whether the city could support a new one.  However, now it turns out we may not need to put in the effort…just reap the sweet rewards.

The Alliance to Improve Emory Village is working with Goizueta to gauge interest in a movie theater as part of the complete redesign of Emory Village.

What do people think of the idea and what kind of theater would you hope it would be?

Personally, I think something like Midtown Arts would be great.

Lots going on in ol’ Emory Village lately, as evidenced by the obstacle course of car-eating street ditches.  And now that the under-grads are gone, the village can once again be reclaimed by year-round residents!

So in preparation…three items of note for ya…

1.  From Clairmont Heights Civic Association’s website…

Water main work continues — DeKalb County continues to replace an antiquated water main that runs through Emory Village and should complete their work this month. At the close of this project, Georgia Power will begin work to bury power lines in the Village, which will remove unsightly utility wires and wooden poles in the commercial district. After the power lines are buried, DeKalb County will begin work on the Village roadwork and roundabout. Thank you to all for your patience during this project, and please continue to patronize Village merchants during this time.

2.  Daily Candy features Sprouts Green Cafe, that opens tomorrow in the old One Hot Cookie/Cold Stone Creamery location (h/t: the misses)…

Honor your temple with organic, local, tasty fare — no nitrates, phosphates, MSG, antibiotics, or fryin’ done here. A seasonal menu rotates rice bowls, wraps, and specialty features like house-made guac. Hydrate with refreshers like green tea; lemonade; and H2O infused with mint, fruit slices, and herbs grown in the greenhouse.

Auto bathroom lights, lime-colored chairs, and a maple bar (carved from a single Georgia tree) round out the eco touches.

3.  Apparently I never posted this when I first originally saw it, and though its kinda old news now, its still pretty interesting.

Emory’s Goizueta Business School recently did a survey to gauge local interest in opening a movie theater in the new and much larger Emory Village rebuild (artist’s rendering).  The survey is now closed, but with all the recent interest in local, artsy movie theaters, I thought folks would be interested that it was even being considered.

In a recent story, highlighting a trip to the new Method Coffee and Tea Lounge in Emory Village, Emory Wheel reporter, Ranjani Prabhakar, tells this story about its predecessors…

“It is interesting to see such a progressive shop emerge as a consequence of its predecessors. Caribou Coffee closed its doors only two years ago because the cozy space didn’t fit into an expansive corporate plan. The company’s new requirements called for drive-thru windows and massive square footage, neither of which came with the Emory Village setting.

Caribou’s successor, Inman Perk, only occupied the Village space for about a year. The small café was only filling the space as a temporary location before it too moved on to a bigger space in the nearby Toco Hills shopping center.

With luck, Method will not also become a victim of circumstance or move on to a bigger and so-called “better” location. The intimate space suits it.”

Wow…that sure is a different story than the one told to us by the owner of Inman Perk back in May, which involved $20,000 in needed renovation and a predatory landlord.

So 1) Where did the above story come from? and 2) who’s blowing smoke?

It looks like a new coffee place called “Method Coffee Bar and Tea Lounge” is moving into the Emory Village spot most recently occupied by Inman Perk. I snapped the above pic on a recent walk by the location.  I believe the brown paper bags held by the gentleman on the left are filled with coffee beans.

I certainly hope that Method has resolved the $20k grease trap issue with the landlord that Inman Perk’s owner raised to Decatur Metro after they moved out.

Good luck Method!  May your grease be minimal and your Emory students plentiful.

So I noticed last night that Inman Perk had deserted its spot at the old Caribou location in Emory Village, next to Everybody’s, and was ready to chalk it up to students favoring the Starbucks down the plaza.

But a check of the coffee shop’s blog tells a different, story.

“Sadly, our torrid love affair with Emory Village has come to an early end. Last week we learned of a failing infrastructure problem in our building that is beyond our control . . . and unfortunately, this has required us to close down our doors at Emory. We know it was a short stint, but we’ll miss you! We’ve had a great time getting to know the Emory community . . . and we hope you’ll bridge the short gap and come visit us in Inman Park!”

Uh oh.  Failing infrastructure?  That’s not good.

That building is one of 4 ( I think) historic buildings in that strip (the other 3 are Everybody’s, Supercuts, and Evolve) that were to be preserved when the monster redevelopment of Emory Village occurred.  I wonder how this new development changes things…because Druid Hills has some pretty darn strict historic preservation ordinances, but failing infrastructure is failing infrastructure.

Keep your eyes open.

If you’ve ever found yourself cruising the Emory Village strip some random Wednesday night, looking for a place to down a couple of cold ones with your buddies, you’ve recognized the general lack of establishments at which to partake in this time-honored tradition. Now that Park Bench is long gone, you probably found yourself at Everybody’s. And while I do enjoy their pies and appreciate their local brews, its far from the perfect hangout for someone looking to forget about grad school finals for a few hours.

So what the hell? Supply and demand implies that Emory Village should be crammed full of bars, crammed full of Emory students from across that vast five-way intersection. Well, see that church up on the hill yonder? That’s why.

“Whaa?” you might mumble.

Well, apparently there’s a DeKalb County ordinance which states that “distilled beverages” cannot be served within 200 yards of a church or school (I like to think of it as keepin’ the drink away from preachers and teachers). Whaa? “But what about Everybody’s?” you retort. Umm…I guess it got an exemption because its a restaurant and not a bar? “What about Park Bench?” you counter. Umm…I have no idea. I’m just as confused as you are. Read this AJC article to understand how vague and hollow the ordinance really is.

Well that brings us to last week when Julia Ann Griffith, a Druid Hills resident against the revitalization, called on Emory in the AJC to support the existing ordinance “for the health and safety of Emory students”.

Well, to Emory Wheel Senior Staff Writer Steven Stein, Griffith’s message reeked of ulterior motives. So he responded in his own paper thusly…

“Griffith, advancing the same type of logic that made the Prohibition so successful, writes that college-age drinking is bad. Apparently there’s a big brouhaha over whether alcohol should be sold in Emory Village. Griffith believes the demon whisky (and beer… and wine…) should be banned from that stamp-sized stretch of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Griffith and some of her Alliance to Improve Emory Village cronies claim to be looking out for the well-being of us young’uns. It seems more likely that they’re trying to protect the integrity of the “historical Druid Hills neighborhood” (read: property values). This is why, when Dave’s Cosmic Subs moved into its shack at the edge of the Village, a bunch of Alliancers tried to shut it down. It was an “eyesore,” delicious subs be damned.

Griffith’s solution to the epidemic (plague…scourge…) of college-age drinking is as absurd as the idea of Soulja Boy doing the Lindy Hop. Think about it: Griffith wants to get rid of all the places students can walk to for a drink.”

Stein has a lot of fun with the Griffith in his article, but I agree with his point. There are many good reasons to be against the redevelopment of Emory Village, but I wouldn’t be so bold as to argue that my opposition is based on the health and well-being of Emory students.

A strip of hopping bars within walking distance might actually make them safer.