Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Bits & Bites

A new Papi's Cuban & Caribbean Grill is reportedly opening "soon" at Emory Point, despite no perceptible work having been completed.  The restaurant, which will open in the 4,300 square foot former Bonefish Grill, was first announced late last month. There are currently six other Papi's in Atlanta including locations in Tucker, Midtown, Kennesaw and at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.    

After months of renovations (and a few delays) Out of The Closet is now open on Cheshire Bridge Road.  The new thrift store and pharmacy offers free HIV testing and free condoms.  Proceeds benefit the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The store is located at 1858 Cheshire Bridge Road, across the street from The Colonnade Restaurant.       

Crazy Cuban, the popular Cuban restaurant located on 14th Street, has closed after after a "neighbor's fire" damaged the restaurant.   The neighbor, 14th Street Convenience Store, is also closed, with the fire allegedly being investigated as arson. The most severe damage was to the restaurant's roof which will reportedly need to be replaced. According to the Crazy Cuban's facebook page, ownership hopes to be serving again "before Christmas."   

Brokn' Egg Bistro, later known as Yolk Bistro, on Satellite Boulevard in Duluth has closed.  The restaurant, which offered "chef inspired brunch," opened in June only to close July 1st for "much needed renovations."  At the time, ownership said they would reopen in "mid August," but that never happened.  The restaurant was operated by  "The Cuisson Co." a Lawrenceville-based catering company.  While a locally owned brunch spot could do well in Duluth, the location selected had failure written all over it from the start.  I never like to see businesses fail, but to locate within a strip center on Satellite Boulevard with little else around you but a check cashing business, food mart and some take out eateries is just plain foolish.      

Soho Bakery & Deli on Sandy Springs Circle has discontinued their retail operation.  The bakery, which replaced the Little European Bakery and Hofer’s Bakery before that, will continue to produce baked goods for wholesale clients.  The property has been operated as various bakeries for over 30 years.      

Sabot has relocated from Irby Avenue in Buckhead West Village to Powers Ferry Square on Roswell Road.  The women's clothing and accessories boutique occupies a roughly 1,400 square foot space near bartaco and Bon Glaze, a gourmet doughnut shop.  Sabot's new space was previously occupied by Tuxedo Frame Gallery, which itself relocated down Roswell Road to the same center as The Big Ketch.  Sabot's former neighbors on Irby Avenue, Razzle Dazzle and Beth Ann, both closed earlier this year after rent increases from new landlord Edens forced them to cease operations after a combined nearly 70 years in business. 

World of Beer is finally "coming soon" to Perimeter Place in Dunwoody.  The restaurant, which I first announced would be coming last October, will open in the former Cheeseburger in Paradise space that has been vacant for years. World of Beer currently operates four Georgia locations in Midtown, Kennesaw, Savannah and Augusta.    

Pet Supplies Plus is planning to open a new store at the Kroger-anchored The Crossings shopping center on South Cobb Drive in Smyrna.     

In other pet store news, Unleashed by Petco will soon be rebranded as simply Petco.  The stores, which were smaller versions of the flagship store, began to open in 2009 and came to metro Atlanta in 2013.  Among the Atlanta area stores were locations on Howell Mill Road in Buckhead and on South Cobb Drive in Smyrna.    

$1.99 Dry Cleaners is now the $1.99 CASH Dry Cleaners.  Rather than change the businesses's name, the owners sneakily snuck the word cash into the signage and now charge $2.06 if you pay by credit card.  

AutoWork, a popular intown auto repair shop, is closing at the end of the month.   Located on Oak Grove Drive behind the Oak Grove Market, AutoWork has been in business since 1999.     

Furniture and home decor retailer west elm (a subsidiary of Williams-Sonoma) is joining the hospitality industry with the launch of west elm Hotels.  One of the first West Elm Hotels is expected to open in Savannah in late 2018.    In addition to Savannah, West Elm Hotels are currently planned for Detroit, Michigan; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Charlotte, North Carolina and Indianapolis, Indiana. Plans call for the hotels to begin opening in late 2018 with other hotels/markets possible in the future. Each hotel will feature local design elements and will include traditional décor, handicraft, cuisine and culture from the region. The company will also commission and curate artwork locally for guest rooms and common areas of the hotels.  West Elm will design, furnish and market the hotels which will be managed locally by DDK, a newly created hospitality management firm led by three hospitality veterans.  Guests will be able to purchase the furnishings and artwork found in any room at any hotel online from West Elm's website.   In Savannah, the hotel will be located on Drayton Street across from Forsyth Park.  Savannah's Historic Review Board approved the height and mass of the new five-story building in July, but the Savannah Zoning Board of Appeals overturned the approval last week.  The hotel's fifth floor is creating the issue as most buildings in the area are restricted to four stories.   The Savannah City Council will meet at 2PM Thursday September 29th to discuss the matter.  More information on the Savannah saga can be found here

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

World of Beer Perimeter: I'll believe it when I see it!
I like the strategy though - wait years for several direct competitors to establish themselves before finally trying to break into the market.

ImAndy said...

There is also an Unleashed in Dunwoody. I visited it once and it was so incredibly small only maybe 1500 sq feet. I have no idea how you can rebrand that as a regular Petco.

Nobody should support that thrift store either. What they did with the paint colors is an absolute abomination. I realize its Cheshire Bridge road but it really is just disgusting. Not to mention the national organization that now congrols AID Atlanta is very questionable.

Anonymous said...

It's usually illegal or a violation of the merchant's terms with the credit card company to charge more to someone paying by credit card. The same goes for requiring a minimum amount before a credit card is accepted.

Anonymous said...

The Unleashed in Smyrna has already made the Petco switch.

"Tyrone" said...

RE: cash vs credit. Gas stations charge more for credit all the time, everywhere...and it's prominently displayed. Tower Beer & Wine has 2 prices for every item cash vs credit.

Eli - waiting for your post about Chef Ron's new restaurant and video!

Anonymous said...

If you look around town, some gas stations give you cash discounts over credit card
charges.

Anonymous said...

Much needed renovations. After a month. LOLOLOLOLOLOL

Atlanta attracts some straight up dumb business starters.

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