A late effort by residents in the Lake Claire/Candler Park neighborhoods to save a half-acre of greenspace on DeKalb Ave is reportedly going before the Atlanta Tree Commission. Thomas Wheatley is good enough to alert us to his lastest posting on the matter.

It remains to be seen whether this last ditch effort by residents can save the area for cyclists that need a moment to regroup after seeing their lives flash before their eyes after trying to pedal down DeKalb Ave. Personally, I don’t think that any sort of bicycling should be promoted on that road unless it is entirely redesigned. It’s just too damn unsafe. Stick to McClendon instead.

Wheatley also reports that neighbors are on 24-hour watch to make sure that nothing sneaky occurs before the Tree Commission has its say. Seriously, where were all these passionate folks all the years this property sat vacant with a “For Sale” sign on it?

Shawn Mullins is scheduled to play three concerts at Eddie’s Attic on March 7th and 8th to celebrate the release of his newest album, Honeydew. Also Saturday is his birthday, so he’ll have twice as much to celebrate! While tables are sold out, it seems that their are still individual tickets available for the Friday 8p, Saturday 7p and 9:30p concerts. Buy them here. Should be a great time.

To tide you over ’til then, here’s a live performance of “Cabbagetown”, which can be found on the new album.

You can also find video interviews with Shawn about the new album on his MySpace page. Enjoy.

(Photo Courtesy of Eddie’s Attic website)

From the Emory Wheel…

“If Bob Elphin has his way, Decatur could be a household name. Last month Elphin, the owner of Eddie’s Attic, a small music venue based in this Atlanta suburb, teamed up with Crawford Communications, an Atlanta production and broadcast company, and began work on a TV pilot that the two hope will convince media outlets to back the creation of a syndicated television show featuring live performances at the Attic.

For the Attic’s first foray into television, Elphin began by reaching out to regular venue performers like Shawn Mullins, Caroline Herring and Kitty Snyder, Telegram and the Everybody Fields, asking them to play a filmed performance for the pilot. Although these artists may not be big names, Elphin said in an interview with the Wheel that they have “a real understanding of [what] Eddie’s Attic is and have a real desire to help us be successful.”

According to the article, owner Bob Elphin is also working with Georgia Public Broadcasting to put together a monthly radio show from the Attic, in addition to looking at the possibilities of internet radio.

Seems like we made enough noise about The Angel and Derek Lawford Pubs for the AJC to sit up and take notice.

Today’s paper confirms many of the rumblings we have heard about the metro chain over the past month or so and notes the “local blogs” that have been so vocal about it. (That’s us!…with the help of Around Midtown reporting on the other closed location, Prince of Wales.)

So, which “rumblings” did the article get clarity on?

1. Prince of Wales and The Angel are closed. However, the company is still contemplating reopening The Angel as a “chef-driven restaurant”. (That’s why Karen at The Chocolate Bar was rebuffed when inquiring about the space.)

2. All Derek Lawford Pub locations were closed at the beginning of the year due to expired liquor licenses. Only The Angel and Prince of Wales didn’t eventually reopen.

3. The pubs’ parent company has serious money problems. Here’s an except…

“[Co-owner Steven] Welch and four of the pubs are being sued by the lender, Kennesaw-based AdvanceMe Inc., that claims it is owed more than $565,000, according to court documents. Welch disputed the claims in the lawsuit, saying they are without merit.

The federal government says that another business owned by Welch and his partner owes more than $1.5 million in back taxes since 2002. That entity, Derek Lawford Co., filed for bankruptcy protection two weeks ago. Welch declined to talk about the bankruptcy other than to say he’s challenging the figure.”

Welsh also says in the article that he misread the Decatur market as a place for singles (like VA-Hi), when in fact we’re a community of tea-totaling soccer dads and moms. (Yeah, I think the Brick Store’s success alone negates this rationale. In fact, the Brick Store might be a big part of why The Angel couldn’t survive.)

Up until now, I’ve held back (for the most part) on giving my opinion on The Angel’s closing since we were dealing with a lot of rumors and speculation. But now that the AJC has been kind enough to do some digging (seriously, thank you AJC) I’m ready to get it all out there.

Read the rest of this entry »

One of Decatur Metro’s best sources, Rus, reports that Worthmore Jewelers at Amsterdam Walk is planning a second location at the old Square Roots location on the Square.

Though this may be just the latest indication that Decatur continues go more upscale, from what I can gather from online reviews and the company’s website, this shop ain’t no Shane Co. Just check out the Amsterdam picture and an excerpt from a Yelp review below for proof.

“Not your average jewelry store. Going to Worthmore is like stepping into a beach boardwalk shop without the sand. The ambiance is cool and energetic, perfect for shopping. It’s so laid back that even the sales associates wear casual clothing like cut off t-shirts, jeans and shorts.

Basically, Worthmore has a variety of designer brands. Jewels in display are wedding and engagement rings, watches, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and other accessories. This place also has custom jewelry and mostly all of the pieces are slightly discounted. When I went everyone was extremely helpful. Prices range from less than a hundred to the thousands based on the type, cut and jewelry design.”

Welcome Worthmore!