Relics & Rarities Moving to Underground Atlanta
Decatur Metro | August 14, 2010Someone mentioned this in a comment a couple weeks back, but Dennis at Next Stop…Decatur has the scoop (pun intended).
The Decatur location was very good to him but he wanted more customers to see his unique collection. [Owner Warren Pickard] hates to leave Decatur, but business is business and with an offer he could not resist, he will be moving to Underground Atlanta soon.
Warren said: “After the CNN story, Relics and Rarities got a lot of interest from all over the country. In fact 97% of Relics and Rarities customers over the last year did not reside in Decatur.
Best of luck Warren!
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Bummer, hate to see this gem set sail. But it’d be cool to have a fond farewell visit. My kids love the ice cream. And I love checking out the old wheels.
I know plenty of folks, especially those with kids, enjoyed dropping by this place when they were open. It was a cool environment and experience but, based on Warren’s comment, it was clearly one being subsidized by destination visitors from outside Decatur.
On the flip side, during the round tables, there was no shortage of opinions that fell along the lines of “we’re a victim of our own success; our success is bringing in too many people from outside Decatur causing traffic/parking issues; etc.”
That’s got me thinking and hoping some of our local business owners will chime in. Here’s the question: Could our favorite businesses exist on Decatur patronage alone? This is not one of those “do your duty/live your values” type initiatives to shop local. I’m asking purely along economic lines. Do our retailers agree that we’ve maxed out on the amount of outsiders we want visiting or are such customers viewed as the lifeblood of ongoing operations and warmly encouraged?
I’m curious. Are you concerned about the traffic and parking issues?
Isn’t everyone, to some degree or another? Either way, I’m not asking a question about either of those things. I’m asking how many customers are necessary to sustain a main street retail or restaurant operation and if the amount of residents we have is sufficient. Or, do they need to pull from a larger area.
Any of our shop owners available to chime in?
As often as this is brought up, we can count on zero fingers the times downtown Decatur has run out of adequate parking.Yes there are some traffic choke points especially around the rail crossings.Yes drivers do have to slow down near the pedestrian heavy areas on Ponce and Trinity. That’s by design- and a good thing.
Not to be a negative Nellie, but I hope this turns out to be a wise move for this business owner. As someone who works at the Fulton County courthouse, I have a daily opportunity to trek to/past the Underground…….for those of you who haven’t ventured in a few years, it’s not the same as it once was. I think the moving of the World of Coke has resulted in a massive drop in visitors. Gone are the “mall type” shops that actually brought folks to the Underground. It now more resembles a down and out mall, replete with dollar stores and convenience-type stores. Yes, on the inside. I can not imagine that the regular clientele of the underground would have much interest in the lovely old cars….the parking decks are seeing increasing crime and the panhandlers are in full force. More than I’ve seen in the past; I know, a consequence of the economy, and I’m not trying to open a political discussion. I am saying that I see folks who are obviously tourists make an obvious decision to vacate the premises pretty quickly.
I, too, am sorry to hear that R&R is leaving. I liked the one of a kind nature of the place. I wish he’d change his mind and stay.
Best of luck to Warren. I thought he had a great idea and energy but the awkward location and signage opportunities were hard to get past. I’m not sure that Underground is going to be any better.
Why would anyone move a successful business to Underground? One shooting or stabbing and well you know the story. Why not look at cheaper leases over at Laredo and Rio?
If I was visiting Atlanta I would rather go to Decatur than Underground!! Hope it works !
Hope the hours match the sign too!
Underground Atlanta is where businesses go to slowly expire. Hope Warren can achieve success, but I seriously doubt the viability of ANY business in Underground…EXCEPT A CASINO!
I sure wish Relics & Rarities well….Hoping for the owner that he’s going to find lots of ice cream lovin’ car enthusiasts at Underground.
If he ever does opt to go for a “3rd time’s the charm” move, I’d love to see it near the Waffle House Museum. Nostalgia + ice cream= happiness!
I was never able to get in there! The numerous times I tried it was closed!
I have to question that stat – how was it compiled? Our family went multiple times, and we were never asked if we live in Decatur or not. And I talked with Warren every time I saw him there.
I don’t have a problem with him moving on to Underground, I always wondered how he could make any money to cover expenses from just ice cream sales. We never spent more than $5-6 per visit, and there was almost never anyone else there.