Marietta is set to get its very own dog park and bar with the planned opening of The Drafty Dane Park & Pint. The new business is being opened by husband and wife dog-lovers and Marietta residents and Brennen and Emily Matthews and their business partners, husband and wife Fitz Johnson and Suzann Wilcox.
The City of Marietta announced in May 2021 that it planned to sell the property to the Matthews for the dog park. City tax records indicate that the Matthews purchased the property from the City in January 2022 for $365,000. (The vacant property was valued by the city in 2023 at $789,100). Google Maps suggests that the property has in the past had some challenging topography, much of which has in recent years been changed for the better. The City likely opted to sell the property below its market value as it saw the business as an amenity to the area where it will provide something that other communities had but that Marietta has lacked.
"This venture is the first of its kind in Cobb County and will be a unique draw for canines and their companions across the region," Cobb County announced at the time of the land sale announcement in 2021.
In a recent interview with ToNeTo Atlanta, Emily Matthews, who has two Great Danes, shared that she and her husband were early members of the original Fetch dog park in Old Fourth Ward and grew so enamored with the concept that they wanted to bring one to Marietta.
Stephen Ochs opened the first Fetch on Daniel Street in Old Fourth Ward in June 2018. In the years since, he has added additional locations in Alpharetta, Buckhead, Columbus, and The Works on the "Upper Westside," but never Marietta.
Already familiar with Fetch, Matthews tells us she and her partners traveled to more than two dozen different dog parks around the country to learn best practices and gain inspiration for The Drafty Dane.
Johnson and Wilcox are also Cobb County residents with Johnson serving as Chairman of the Georgia PSC's Energy Committee as well as a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Army. Johnson, currently a Realtor, also previously owned the Atlanta Beat, a Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) franchise, between 2009 and 2011.
Despite having intended to open sooner, like many new businesses, things did not go as planned, with the group now targeting a September debut. The business will like other dog parks be a membership model with pricing and options expected soon.
The building was designed by local firm Dan Olah Design, the same firm that designed the Atlanta Hard Cider project which opened in November 2021, also on Roswell Street.
According to published materials, The Drafty Dane will be a dog park, coffee shop and bar. Matthews clarified that the park and bar will open first with evenings and weekends with plans to add mornings, weekday hours, and coffee service in the weeks that follow.
Original plans were for a 3,000 square foot building but that was reduced to 1,500 square feet according to Matthews as the owners wanted to focus more on the outside amenities. The building, which will feature two bars and a "sports bar" vibe with plenty of TVs, will still be two levels with off-leash dog friendly downstairs and on-leash dog friendly upstairs. Plans also call for live music programming.
The business will not have an on-premise kitchen but will instead partner with local food trucks to offer their grub to patrons. The outside off-leash areas will feature artificial turf, a water feature, and shaded seating areas and other amenities.
The Drafty Dane is among several new and upcoming dog parks planned for metro Atlanta in the months to come. Off-Leash debuted its first dog park on Main Street in Alpharetta in July, with plans to open a second location in Decatur in early 2025. Charlotte-based Skiptown is also coming to Atlanta with plans to debut their new location on Arizona Avenue in Kirkwood later this fall.
What is your favorite current Atlanta area dog park? What one amenity or feature would you most like to see The Drafty Dane include? What neighborhood do you think most needs a dog park?
Please share your thoughts below.
13 comments:
Dog parks are as good as the worst dog in them, sadly. Add alcohol to their owners and oof.
Glad to hear this - people can bring their dogs here instead of every other store in town.
The space is different than a normal dog park that has almost no control. Everyone will be members and dogs will be required to have shots and spayed and neutered at appropriate times. Behavioral issues will be addressed on a case by case basis and the entire facility will be under surveillance to ensure we capture the event. As for alcohol consumption, our experience tells us that “most” people act responsibly with their dogs.
Fun! These parks are as good as they can be! Fun for the dogs and fun for the owners too! Woof!
Buckhead apparently has a new dog park, the Publix at Peachtree Battle.
Looking forward to the opening!
Good!
And keep bringing them in stores too. Not hurting you. Maybe find a kids park and stop bringing kids into stores.
My dog got attacked at a dog park, 2300$ surgery, she will never see another dog park, but hey they had surveillance, but Pixie still almost died. At the end of the day, they are animals .
My husband and I love these places. On the weekends we like to get out of the house and bring our dogs . Can't wait.
I used to live in Chattanooga and we would to take our Dane and ShihTzu to Play Wash Pint.. sounds kind of similar. We LOVED it. The dogs had to be up to date on shots and I think they had membership but can't remember.. They had employees called the "Paw Patrol" 😂 that would always walk around and watch and take care of any issues. Our Dane passed away in Oct or else I would check it out:( I think it's an awesome idea! Good luck! 🐾
Racist. No cat parks.
Touche
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