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.

Walk on up to the courthouse tomorrow if you’re itchin’ to ask any of the DeKalb CEO candidates a question. Perhaps something along the lines of “Why does the county refuse to give its cities its fair share of HOST taxes?”

From a DeKalb History Center Press Release…

The Champion Newspaper and the DeKalb History Center are hosting a DeKalb CEO Candidates Forum on Thursday, June 26. The forum is scheduled to take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the historic DeKalb County Courthouse, 101 E. Court Square in Decatur.

All candidates vying for the CEO position-Joe Bembry, county Commissioner Burrell Ellis, former state Sen. Steen Miles, state Rep. Stan Watson and Ann Kimbrough, chief of staff to the current CEO-have confirmed their intention to participate.

Candidates will be given the opportunity to make brief opening statements followed by a series of questions-some provided by the audience. The forum will be moderated by Gale Horton Gay, Managing Editor of ACE III Communications, Inc., publishers of The Champion.

On its first day, Decatur eLife’s new online education channel “Decatur EDtv has an excellent 9 1/2 minute summation of Decatur’s charter school journey up to the recent approval by the state. The telecast features extensive interviews with CSD Superintendent Dr. Phyllis Edwards, GA Dept of Education Charter Schools Office Director Andrew Broy, and GA Rep. Stephanie Benfield.

Even for someone like me that’s followed this process so closely, this was a very informative video. I especially appreciated the insight from the Charter Schools Director.

The next episode promises to detail the new roles within Decatur’s “Shining Star” Charter System.

How many school systems have a video channel dedicated to keeping parents and citizens informed about goings on at the public schools? I, for one, think its pretty cool.

P.S. There’s also a few other school related video’s already on Decatur EDtv’s main page if you’re interested.

Marla is good enough to point out this note on the Moxie Java website…

Closing Our Doors!

This Saturday Will Be Our Last Day!

Unfortunately, times are difficult to keep such a large place open.   Currently we are looking for someone to buy the bistro from us to keep our establishment up and running.  The economy and gas prices  has left us no choice but to pull out and take our losses.

It pains us more than you can imagine to have to lose all that we have done for the area, city of Decatur and all of our regulars that return for something new each day!  We hope that in the next few months something else will arise that will put us back on the map!

You all know how to keep in touch, so please do so!

Take care

Michael and Renee

A little unsettling to say the least.  It only opened last November!

What happened?  Was it the location or just the slowing economy?

At a press conference this morning, the Decatur Book Festival announced details of its 2008 festival, which as you can see from above will take place August 29th-31st. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the PR event, but Lenz Marketing’s Ryan Klee was good enough to send along all the details.

This year’s keynote speaker will be U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. And if that weren’t enough…

“Notable participants this year include John Dean, former White House Counsel to Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal; Jed Horne, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist from the New Orleans Times-Picayune; Oprah Book Club author Pearl Cleage; John Bemelmans Marciano, author of the first new “Madeline” book in 50 years, and grandson of the original series author; and Sara Shepard, author of the “Pretty Little Liars” series.”

Personally I was excited to see poet Coleman Barks on the invite list. To find your favorites checkout the full list of 225 author’s on the festival’s newly launched ’08 website here.

New this year will be a “Big Read” event where everyone is encouraged to read “The Great Gatsby” and then discuss. But what fun is having everyone read about Gatsby, Daisy and Nick without recreating a small piece of East Egg? Luckily, the DBF’s got this covered too. This year’s event will have a “flapper-themed” kick-off party “complete with period-appropriate libations and dancers doing the Charleston”. I wonder if that’s invitation-only.

Also, as previously announced (and posted), this will be the first year that the DBF will host the annual Southern Independent Booksellers Association Awards.

Additionally there will be new teen-oriented programming under the title of “The Escape”, a Harry Potter quiz, and a “better and gooder” writer’s conference at Agnes Scott.

Sounds like another jam-packed year of events! Decatur’s newest festival is quickly becoming one of year’s most-anticipated events (at least to me!)