Big News!  The AJC just reported that Trader Joe’s will be opening a 6th Atlanta store!

What quirky locale did the alt-grocery store pick this time to go with its off-beat, Midtown, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Marietta, and Norcross locations?  Buckhead!

So, if you didn’t want to listen to me before, maybe you might turn an ear my way this time: Decatur, Trader Joe’s ain’t interested.

For all of its funky marketing, organic hummus and insane bell-ringing, Trader Joe’s has little desire to stray outside of the flatout rich, predominantly WASP areas of Atlanta, where they can open a huge store in a sea of parking and be the only funky outlet for millions of decidedly un-funky people.  For those more diversified masses who just want a decent frozen meal, we’ll have to drive to the Midtown location, comfortably bouyed between Ansley Park and Virginia-Highland.

That’s tough love for ya’.

Cherie sends along this humorous list from a Facebook page maintained by a former DHS student called “You Might Be From Decatur, GA If…”. Numbers 5, 7, 10 and 22 are my favorites.

You might be from Decatur, GA if…

1) you think Gwinettians and Cobbites are horrible drivers.
2) you’ve played on that huge vent thing in the Square when you were little.
3) you struggle to come up with traits that people from Decatur have in common.
4) you have ever contemplated stealing from the CVS (note: this is not condoning theft from said store)
5) you know tons of shortcuts to get from Clairemont to Scott, Scott to Church, Church to Ponce, etc.
6) you drive in a huge circle around the square even if you’re destination is right on the other side of it.
7) you or your parents have fought over school funding, city elections, or development like it was a matter of life or death.
8 ) you’ve ever executed questionably legal maneuvers to avoid sitting for 15 minutes at a red light.
9) you’ve ever had a really butch woman ask you where “Her sister’s room” is.
10) you’ve ever been told off for being on a playground at a highly inappropriate age/time of night.

Read numbers 11-33 after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »

First on Decatur Metro…

Commissioner Fred Boykin sent this message to the neighborhood listservs last night…

The Decatur Court developers have asked for “an indefinite deferral” of their project and are asking the Development Authority and Planning Commission “to convene a series of open meetings at which the project can be discussed and alternatives for addressing concerns can be considered.”

Thanks to Cherie for forwarding. See a message from Duane Truex in response after the jump…

No commentary from me for now. Just want to get it out there first. Read the rest of this entry »