The owners of Mingei World Arts gave us all quite a bit of notice and prepared us for this day, but it still isn’t easy.

Late last week an alert went out, letting regulars and followers know that this would be Mingei’s last weekend in business.

And then late yesterday, Mingei’s owners wrote on Facebook…

Peace out, Decatur! Mingei is CLOSED on Church Street. Thanks for the memories! Love you all–

End of a lovely, bright yellow era to be sure.  But don’t forget, the Decatur store may have closed but Mingei lives on!  From last week’s alert…

Remember- we are moving, not going out-of-business.  Make sure you are on our email list so you won’t miss news about our next chapter. (and our new location!)

Circa 2003 photo courtesy of Mingei’s Facebook page

Ann and Ellen at Mingei World Arts sent along this message late yesterday, which was subsequently sent out in their newsletter…

Dear Mingei Friends–

It is with great excitement and a bit of nostalgia that we announce that Mingei is changing. We are not going away but will be morphing into a different kind of business, one with a greater online presence, occasional and pop-up sales, and who knows what else? Our new Mingei will allow us to travel more, stay longer, and spend more time developing special products with our artisans. We will have the flexibility to head over to that faraway market, to return to that village and pick up an order, or to set down for a month someplace if we like to get a better feel for the work being done there.

Decatur has been wonderful to us, and we have loved being a part of the day-to-day business community there. We have made so many friends at the store and have loved sharing your stories and your lives as you have shopped with us for just the right gift, rewarded yourself with a special treat, or just come in for a visit and a browse. While we will not be physically behind the red lacquer door in that saffron- colored storefront, we will be around! Watch for more specifics in the months to come. We don’t want to lose you!

Our store on Church Street will be open for some more months. However, there are some exciting possibilities in the offing for that space. Watch for news! In the meantime, we will be open and doing business as usual. Come by and share a hug and a laugh. We’ll let you shop, too!

Ann and Ellen

Mingei World Arts

All the best Ann and Ellen!  The Decatur brick-and-mortar business landscape really won’t be the same without you!!

Lots of restaurant news lately.  Things things always seem to come in waves, don’t they?

Michael points to this interested blurb in a recent Mingei World Arts newsletter to customers…

Here’s why you shouldn’t miss this:

*Food from Calle Latina, a new restaurant coming to Church Street! We’ll get the first taste of the Latin street food that will be served at this new venture featuring women chefs and sponsored by Chef Michael Condon at Badda Bing! (Can’t wait!)

Assuming this new spot will be going into the existing Badda Bing space?

I just received this press release…

On Saturday, October 22, nearly 40 Decatur restaurants and retail shops will come together in support of 50 Cents. Period, a Decatur-based organization providing support for girls in developing countries and for refugee women in the Atlanta area.

50 Cents. Period’s mission is to help further the education of girls in or from developing countries by providing sanitary products, facilities and health education to young women who would otherwise miss a week of school a month during menstruation for lack of funds. The cost of these sanitary supplies at two pilot schools in Hyderabad, India, is just 50 cents a month per girl.

“50 cents can literally change the future for these girls,” said Ann VanSlyke of Mingei World Arts and a founder of 50 Cents. Period. “Typically, once the girls in poor communities begin their periods, they fall further and further behind in their studies, drop out and start having children. Something so simple as support for issues around menstruation can mean greater access to education, creating pathways out of poverty for whole families.”

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Across-the-street neighbor, Ann at Mingei World Arts, reports in that “Taste” – which has been closed since the beginning of the year – will reopen tomorrow.

Ellen and Ann at Mingei World Arts just sent out this alert…

On Thursday and Friday this week, Mingei will donate 10% of total sales to Partners in Health for earthquake relief. We will also be accepting cash and check donations which we will forward. This organization, founded by Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl, has been working in Haiti for many years. Please read about their work here.

With all the scams popping up out there, it makes sense to rely on your fellow residents with intimate knowledge and the right connections to make sure your donations are spent wisely.

If you know of other local businesses or organizations that are collecting funds to help the Haitians in Port-au-Prince, please post below.

Mingei World Arts writes in and lets everyone know that Atlanta INTown has a bunch of Decatur businesses on it’s multiple choice list of “Best of the Holidays” survey.

Hoopla, Greene’s, Heliotrope, Cook’s Warehouse and Mingei have all been nominated.

I noticed almost-Decatur Wag-a-Lot on there too.