Comments on: By Hand South Closing

By: Amy and Bill at the Seen Gallery

Amy and Bill at the Seen Gallery — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:58:45 +0000

Often, when a ‘shop’ of the caliper of By Hand South closes, its because the owners are ready to retire and move on to other things. We can not fathom, given the high quality and style of their artists’ works, that sales were not holding steady.. down perhaps..but holding steady. We do hope this was the case and not a more serious set back. The really sad thing to us is that we will be losing much more than a ‘shop’. By Hand South satisfied a very broad range of customers but the common thread that ran through each item they had for sale was quality. And, not just quality of the material, but the quality of the work itself. Each piece was done by a true artist. Not ‘craftsperson’ but ‘artist’ for those of us who are in the art community and can’t tell one from the other on a consistent basis :). Perhaps because I’m biased, but perhaps I see it as a loss to everyone wishing to see a diverse variety of shops and restaurants within and area, with art being crutial to the development of a cultural enriched environment where our children can grow up in an area not totally dominated by restaurants and bars (not that I have anything agaisnt them.. they are critical). This will be the FORTH arts related business to close down in the last year, all for different reasons, some of which was not the economy. In the meantime, a new one opened and we moved to downtown. Sorry, I can not support another restaurant going into that space, and call on whoever has some influence in the matter to attempt to get another ‘art related’ business in that space. They can never replace By Hand South, but they can at least provide a part of Decatur’s culture that is becoming more and more scarce.

By: nelliebelle1197

nelliebelle1197 — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:36:06 +0000

Or a yogurt store. How about a pizzeria/yogurterium? Bueller?

By: Marc

Marc — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:02:53 +0000

This is a terrible news for Decatur. I don’t think the Square has encountered such an irreparable blow since the theater was demolished. If you were looking for a bottom to this economic mess we are in, it can’t get much worse than this.

By: FM Fats

FM Fats — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:00:28 +0000

Hey, that would be a great spot for a pizzeria.

By: Angel Broadnax

Angel Broadnax — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:20:47 +0000

When we moved to Atlanta in 2002, I searched for an arts and craft store similar to those to which I had frequented when we lived in other cities (D.C., Rochester, NY, Cambridge, MA, etc). I discovered a website that identified the best retail craft stores, by geographic area, and there in print was By Hand South. I called for directions and found myself in Decatur about a week later. I was thrilled to find the quality and quantity of beautifully crafted gifts. While I generally went to get a gift for someone else, I often brought our out-of-town guests to just show off this gem. When we moved from Atlanta last year, I continued to shop at BHS, first ordering rugs for our new home and just last week receiving additions to my glassware. I, like everyone else, am heartbroken. The best of luck Brenda, Ellen, and all others.