The old Bowen Press building at 312 Church Street is one of the more unique buildings in Downtown Decatur.

Bowen operated out of the space until the early 1970s, according to local residents.  (See a 1943 exterior photo of the building here and 1927 interior photo here)

For years the building space behind the street front retail locations (Sapori, the coming Brushstroke Sushi Izakaya, Re/Max) has been rather hidden from the general public, serving as an offices for SafeCo Insurance and most recently a temporary City of Decatur office space.

However, we learned with much fanfare late last year that Guy Wong would soon be opening up a new restaurant, Big Boss Chinese, in part of the space off the street.  And now we learn – via the Decatur Focus – that Trinity Mercantile & Design is moving into and renovating the space, exposing the old barrel vaulted ceilings.

Trinity Mercantile & Design is also growing. Owners Lisa Turner and Wallace Bryan are moving the business across the street into a bigger location adjacent to Big Peach Running Co. The new store can be accessed from Church Street or Trinity Place. The new space, once occupied by SafeCo Insurance and used for several years as temporary office space by the City of Decatur, takes advantage of the beautiful, historic architecture of the building.

Take a peek inside and feast your eyes on the gorgeous barrel vaulted ceiling they have exposed.

The city goes on to describe the building a “retail and restaurant center that will bring more energy and foot traffic to this side of the square”.  The blurb also notes that neighboring Sapori di Napoli will also soon be adding a covered patio.

It sure will be interesting to see this space when it’s all built out.

Looks like FM Fats was on to something back in late January!  The March issue of the Decatur Focus reports…

If you like peanut butter in your smoothies, then you’re in luck too. Smoothie King is opening a location at The Artisan in the former Chocolate Bar space.

Also, they report a new yoga studio opening in the iconic two-story brick commercial building at 302 East Howard…

Solstice, a yoga and pilates studio, will open this spring at 302 E. Howard Ave. The studio will offer yoga, pilates, barre, kids’ classes, on-site childcare, parenting resourc- es, workshops, and support groups.

Guy Wong has been waiting patiently to get access to his new space in Decatur at the former book bindery at 312 Church Street, behind the Avenue Realty office and former Houndstooth Road space.  A year-ago in a DM comment, Wong described the space as “a long straight building with arched ceilings.” The city had been utilizing the space up until recently.

Well, we received word over the weekend that Wong has finally gotten the keys to the space and that the restaurant renovation should commence soon.

In that same comment from October 2013, Wong described the venture thusly…

I plan to offer authentic Cantonese recipes from my parents former restaurant Sam’s Gourmet, which was one of the first true authentic restaurants in Atlanta. It was an honor for me to learn these dishes and I can’t wait to share it in BBC.d

We will be offering lunch, dinner, and late night. You can expect live seafood tanks, Chinese BBQ station, and private “your friends basement style” karaoke rooms. Dim Sum is a strong possibility.

Smith Hanes is the designer tasked at creating the space. I would describe as a Chinese cross between Roberta’s and Hotel Delmano in Brooklyn.

Photo courtesy of Google Streetview

Catherine Lee with the City of Decatur writes in with this big news for Decatur restaurant watchers, who have been waiting for confirmation of this since a report back in May.  Here it is…

Guy Wong has signed a lease at 312 Church St. and will open up Big Boss Chinese in late 2014. It’s going to be amazing – affordable (and delicious) Chinese food, great drinks, and possibly some karaoke.

Ms. Lee notes the space will be a bit hidden from the street.  I believe it’s the space in the old book bindery building behind Sapori di Napoli, but I’m still working to confirm that.

Photo courtesy of Google Streetview

From Tomorrow’s News Today…

Guy will also open Big Boss Chinese in Decatur later this fall. Big Boss, an ode to the 1971 Bruce Lee film of the same name, will feature authentic Cantonese cuisine in a full service restaurant. The kitchen will be helmed by Guy’s uncle who is relocating from China to open the restaurant. Guy will cook part time at Big Boss but will remain full time at Miso. The restaurant will also feature dim sum and other Chinese favorites.

Big Boss will be 2200 square feet and open near the intersection of Church Street and East Ponce de Leon Avenue. Guy hopes to have the restaurant open late this fall.

Intersection of Church and East Ponce?  What’s available around there?

photo courtesy of Starchefs.com