Signs of Life at W. College and Mead
Scott | May 6, 2012
After years of decay, attempted renewal, thwarted renewal, partial demolition, abandonment, bankruptcy, and forced sale, the curious commercial corner at the intersection of West College Avenue and Mead Road is finally showing some signs of life.
As of yesterday afternoon, work crews had taken down the tired blue awnings and stripped away the stucco veneer, revealing the simpler, more timeless and, to me, more interesting building that, unknown to its Oakhurst neighbors, has apparently been hiding underneath all these years.
Mrs. Scott heard rumor of a dog food store and a bike shop as pending tenants but I have absolutely no actual facts at my disposal to back that up. The adjacent lot on Mead, last occupied by an abandoned house until the city ordered it demolished, is apparently still for sale.
Anyone got the inside scoop?
Latest from Decaturish
I talked to Brian, an Oakhurst resident, who was pulling away from the building on Sunday afternoon. He said hIm and another guy who lives in Candler Park bought it. And he did say a bike shop was one of the people they have been talking to. But more importantly, a piece of property that had done nothing in the 15 years we have lived in Decatur, finally has owners that care. Also what that space offers is parking as they got the land to the left of the building too.
Is the “guy who lives in Candler Park” who bought it the same guy who owns the Mojo’s/Oakhurst Cleaners/Mezcalito’s building? I am at a loss for his actual name right not.
Pete Whitlock
No scoop per se but when we were looking for space for Decatur Screenprint, we looked seriously at the space with the white board covering the broken out window. We had it inspected and it was in terrible shape with a sagging roof (HVAC unit was about to fall through the roof) and substantial water leaks – it was an awesome space, though. It had underground storage which would have been perfect for a darkroom! At the time it was owned by the notorious Inman Park Properties and it was near foreclosure so we stopped the negotiations for fear of being a landlord-less tenant with lots of issues on our hands that we would have to fix on our own.
However, the space is screaming for redevelopment – the bones of this building are amazing, especially the space on the far left, and this looks like a soon-to-be great renewed addition to Decatur!
Never knew there was basement space in that building – cool!
caviar bar!
caviar bar!
Marty – I do not know.
This is very exciting to see! What all used to be there?
a cabinet shop used to occupy most of the building, but that closed years ago.
the angled portion on the right was most recently a hair salon.
From the looks of the insides, the middle space – the largest space – was a staffing service. They had a ton of telephone lines in there and still had employee handbooks, telephone books, office supplies, even boxes of software and markerboards with meeting notes still laying about from when they closed in 2005 (deduced from the year on the telephone books).
For a brief time in the late 90s, one of those middle spaces was this quirky, cheap little meat-n-three hole in the wall called, if I still have any memory left, “Smokey Bones Barbecue.” It was opened by this seemingly tough as nails woman who apparently did everything — cook, serve, clean — all by herself. Probably ahead of the market by quite a few years but, man, I’d kill for a place like that now.
While at Avellinos recently they expressed interest in it for they want a larger space, not sure how serious that is although those words came from the manager and owner..can’t agree more about the exposed brick being much more attractive..good luck to the new owners..
Big news. I just signed a lease for the space.
This fall I’ll be opening Yo Hot Yo Stationary Food Truck: Atlanta’s only immobile mobile destination for frozen yogurt cooked in an imported Italian clay oven and served exclusively in 64 oz growlers.
But will it be a gastropub with tacos of unusual variety?
I hope this means what I think it means – hot alcoholic yogurt.
Maybe this woman would care to move south:
http://gothamist.com/2012/05/05/long_island_woman_sells_sex_hot_dog.php
Sex and hot dogs? What on earth does that have to do with hot yogurt?
I would reply to this comment but I’m pretty sure you’d just moderate it.
LOL. Yeah I sorta teed that one up for ya, didn’t I?
Will you Bag We Bag at Yo Hot Yo?
There is always a discount for Bag We Bag.
Fantasy storefront: one side has four booths and 6-8 four-tops, serves breakfast and lunch (meat-and-three with same daily specials every week); old-fashioned soda fountain with about four stools; children warmly welcomed but promptly evicted if they misbehave; other side is a general store with merchandise behind the counter and a magic lava lamp. You can go in needing any random thing — a ream of laser paper, a bottle of Aleve, some AAAA batteries, a roll of toilet paper, a pound of fresh-roasted coffee beans, a spool of fishing line, a bottle of 1% milk, a bag of zip ties, medicated baby powder, some super glue, a pound of bacon, a half-skein of whatever yarn you are trying to finish a project with (in the exact color and dye lot you need), anything you need but no more than two items per visit — and they will produce it from behind the counter if you are worthy. You rub the magic lava lamp to find out if you are worthy. The price for anything will be the average price that particular item fetches in all stores that sell it within a 100-mile radius. If you arrive at the store by means other than driving or riding in a personal vehicle powered by gasoline (or diesel), you get a 35% discount on anything you buy. If you are over 55, you get an extra 10% discount and if you are over 75 you get another 10% off. (If you try to lie about your eligibility for any of the discounts, the magic lamp will know and will add the corresponding amount to what you owe.) The owners make a reasonably good living (although it’s likely they also have other magic to fall back on). The store is open 7 days/week, but on Sundays they only sell alcoholic beverages (for off-premise consumption); they don’t sell the booze any other day of the week.
If it is after hours and you really, really need a particular thing, you ring the magic doorbell which will determine if your need is genuinely urgent. If it is, someone will let you in and sell you the thing you need.
“You can go in needing any random thing — a ream of laser paper, a bottle of Aleve, some AAAA batteries, a roll of toilet paper, a pound of fresh-roasted coffee beans, a spool of fishing line, a bottle of 1% milk, a bag of zip ties, medicated baby powder, some super glue, a pound of bacon, a half-skein of whatever yarn you are trying to finish a project with (in the exact color and dye lot you need)…”
I believe this is an exact description of Best Time on the square.
Funny. I thought it was a description of Walmart. Except for the lava lamp. Walmart don’t need no lamp because EVERYONE is worthy in the land of Sam Walton. Perhaps there will just be an elevator that goes down into the sub-sub-basement where the giant subterranean Morlock Walmart has actually been located for eons.
Whatever it ends up being, I hope it is exactly what *I* want because I live in one of the 10 houses closest to it.
Seriously, though, I really *DO* hope the fellow in the house next door on College is a little more congenial this go-around. He sort of blocked the last legitimate attempt to develop this site right before Inman Park Properties bought it. An attempt was made to convert the empty lot (712 W. College) between him and the cabinet shop building from residential to commercial in order to put in a parking lot. When it didn’t happen, the prospective buyer walked away. It was too bad because the buyer really wanted to do something that fit with the neighborhood. They even came to Oakhurst Neighborhood meetings to exchange ideas and seek input.
Its actually a great description of the nicer, newer Dollar General stores. Just sayin’.
You’ve been watching Once Upon a Time, haven’t you?
yep, although I’m 4-5 episodes behind at the moment.
The cabinet shop was in the building to the left that was torn down. I heard a rumor that the gentleman won a lottery and quit working. And there was a temp agency and hair salon but I don’t remember any kind of food business though.
He did win the Lottery – I used to rent the house next door back in ’94. He bought everyone in his family new cars and they all drove up and had a party next to the shop.
Avelino’s…..please check into the old Vinocity location in downtown Kirkwood. What a match that would be. Not sure about current status and how long the Kirkwood Bar and Grill can keep it open selling daily specials. They lost their liquor license a few months ago and stopped running it as a night club.