This video blog features three businesses that call Downtown Woodstock home.  The Bridal Exchange Boutique,  Alex n’ Sis Encore Shoppe, and Ember Hot Yoga.  Stop in and say hi next time you are in town for the farmers market, concert, or just shopping around.  The owners of these small businesses would love to meet you.

Dates: Friday, February 18, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 19, 2011, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30pm

Tickets are $9 for children (12 and under), $10 for Seniors, and $11 for Adults

Erin Mather Wilson, the play’s leading lady, is talented enough to play on Broadway, but we’re so fortunate to have her here in Woodstock!

The actors pray at a dress rehearsal for a good performance and healthy performers.

Erin Mather Wilson and Kyle Wilson

Matthew Luce and Erin Eppihimer

1. Linden is offering a very romantic French-tied bouquet, along with chocolate truffles, sacred heart wall-hangings, and planted arrangements complete with bleeding hearts.

2. For that special man (or cigar-smoking woman) in your life, Harvey Burkin at Maxwell’s Cigar Bar is renting temperature-controlled cigar lockers for the yearly fee of $220. As an added bonus, anyone who rents a locker receives 10% off purchases. This Woodstockian man-cave mecca is great place for him to relax with his favorite stogie, enjoy a glass of wine, and then return home happy to the woman who really “gets” him.

3. Remind the chef of the house how much you appreciate all those dinners prepared with love. The Woodstock Pharmacy carries these little spoonfuls of sugar, along with scented candles and an assortment of Hallmark cards.

4. The House and Garden Boutique sells plenty of jewelry, decor, and classes for the woman in your life, but they also carry Adirondack chairs that any man would covet. In every shape, size and color, these chairs are perfect for a Sunday morning paper-date or a Saturday night cookout with friends.

5. The Foxtale Book Shoppe isn’t just the one-stop-shop for your favorite bookworm. They also offer journals, writing workshops, author events, and this new line of hand-made jewelry from Rustic Attitude out of Matthews, NC. The ladies of Foxtale are also happy to hand-select books for your loved one if you need a little help, as well as present it in a beautifully ribboned gift bag.

Quick Look

- 2000 to 2010 will be known as a Lost decade

- The Great Recession has ended, statistically speaking.  Metro Atlanta (which includes Cherokee County) is in the Recovery Phase.

Population

- Metro Atlanta was #2 in nation in Metro growth 1.2MM , behind Dallas for last decade

- Where are these people who move to Cherokee coming from? Florida, California, and New York (mostly)

- Most local moves to Cherokee County are from Cobb and Fulton counties

- Cherokee’s Population is getting older! Ranks #1 in 65+ growth rate of 10 county area for Metro Atlanta.

- Atlanta will be the size of Chicago in 2040 (approximate 1MM per decade). Which is about the same rate of population growth we’ve had for the past 30 years. Averaging approx. 100,000 new people per year. A lot of which is net child birth vs death rate. Some of which is migration trends.

- The Population Forecast for Cherokee County is to double in size over the next 30 years. What took over a hundred years to reach today’s population will double in the next thirty.
Cherokee’s population today:207,388
Cherokee’s population in 2040: 402,082
This is a HUGE growth rate. Most of this growth will occur in the eastern and southern part of the county.

Jobs

- Atlanta has lost 8% of its jobs – approximately 200,000 The Construction industry has lost 34% or approximately 50,000 jobs.

- Jobs in Cherokee pay less today than they did in 2000.

- Atlanta has added lots of low paying jobs and lost middle and high paying jobs.  Atlanta has the largest per capita income loss in 30 metro areas.  Detroit is the next closest.  Difference being that we gained population and Detroit lost population.  People vote with their feet.

- Cherokee has fewer high paying jobs, making as the poster-child for a bedroom community. Cherokee needs more high paying jobs.  Moreso than any other county in region.  We export our workforce daily, more than any other county in Metro Atlanta.

- Healthcare and social assistance will be leading job growth industries and Real Estate and rental leasing will be #3 on this list going forward. (the population growth will have to live somewhere)

- Cherokee is expected to have 166% job growth in next 30 years.  Tops in the Atlanta region.

- 21st century jobs = bio/tech/engineering

Housing

- The housing market appears to be stabilizing but from abysmal depths.  There was uncertainty here, but it is seems to be generally accepted that we are bouncing along the bottom of the market.  Where some months are better than others with no real long-term trend identified yet.

- 20% decline is housing prices in Metro Atlanta. Home prices are spiky (up and down).

National Buzz about Metro Atlanta

#1 entrepreneurial rate
#1 most recession proof city for retirement
#1 America’s most wired city
#2 For lowest cost of doing business
#4 number of Fortune 500 companies
#6 in Uhauls top destination cities, was #1 in 2008

Magnolia Thomas Wine Dinners Are a Woodstock Treat

For anyone who has never experienced one of Chef Anthony’s wine dinners, you’re definitely missing out one of the highlights of living in Woodstock. The Magnolia Thomas Restaurant has become synonymous with a fine-dining experience, and Anthony’s talent for providing both excellent flavor and a creative presentation never disappoints.  These wine dinners also give local foodies and wine connoisseurs a rare opportunity to meet the chef himself as he introduces each course and explains the significance of each wine pairing.

Chef Anthony’s Menu

Amuse – Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe

Soup – Tuscan White Bean Soup

Appetizer – Roasted Tomato and Cheese Topped Won Tons

Salad – Chopped Salad in Stuffed Shells with a Broken Balsamic & Basil Vinaigrette

Entree – Osso Bucco – Braised Lamb Topped with Assorted Italian Mushrooms

Dessert – Traditional Tiramisu

The price of this wine dinner is $55 per person, and anyone who attended their November 4th dinner will be given a free bottle of wine. Guests are asked to arrive between 6:00-6:30 p.m. Reservations can be made at 678-445-5789 or jstockdale@magnoliathomas.com.

Cars, Inc. Tells Story of an old Woodstock

Back in the 1970′s when East Cherokee Drive was still just a tar gravel road flanked too closely by pines, Mike Free remembers visiting an old service station that would someday become Cars, Inc.

“This is where I used to come to buy my RC Colas and Moonpies as a kid,” Mike remembers with a wistful smile. (The location would also serve for a while as the Cherokee County South Precinct police station, he recalls.) The cars back then were still a curvaceous mix of chrome and steel, and Mike had a favorite: a GT Shelby Mustang. He didn’t know when or by what means one would come to him; he just had faith it would someday.

Then when he was twenty, he married and subsequently had two boys of his own. He spent the next twenty seven years building a construction and consulting business, but he always kept a garage full of cars at home to work on when he needed to unwind. “After a tough day, I would go out to my garage and work on cars sometimes until one or two in the morning,” says Mike. “My wife would come out and say, ‘You need to come home,’ and I would tell her, ‘I am home.’”

Finally, one fateful day a year into his retirement, he drove by his old childhood haunt on East Cherokee Drive and saw the “For Lease” sign. He knew right then what he had to do.

A Man’s Labor of Love

Mike’s life-hobby turned into his dream job seemingly overnight, and his business became not only a dealership for the classic cars and hot rods of his youth, but also a detail shop that does everything from minor repairs to total restoration. But more than that, he describes it as a sanctuary for car lovers like him.

“This is where the old boys come to remember,” Mike says.

You can now often find Mike with these “boys” in the showroom, enjoying his favorite snack of Dr. Peppers and McDonald’s french fries, and reminiscing about what it was like growing up in Woodstock. And if the boys can’t drop by, they just honk their horns or rev their engines in a respectful acknowledgment as they pass.

Mike still loves to tell the story about how he finally got his dream car, a 2007 GT 500 Shelby, who he calls “Eleanor,” and share what “she” means to him. Mike’s “Eleanor” represents what a man can accomplish from years of hard work, an unwavering faith, and a nostalgia for the American Dream.

“This right here,” he says as he motions to the cars that surround him, “this is what made America…and you should never forget where you came from.”

Mike Free, owner of Cars, Inc.

Pure Taqueria’s Mohito. Pure will represent Mexico at this evening’s Friday Night Live celebration.

January 7th 6pm to 9pm Friday Night Live “ Main Street World Tour”

For each Friday Night Live theme participating, Downtown Merchants will have activities going on at their stores and throughout the Downtown area related to the theme of the month.

The 2011 Friday Night Live series will get started with scaled down winter version of Friday Night Live, January 7th with “Main Street World Tour.” Participating merchants will represent various countries and locations around the world. This is your chance to travel the world all by simply visiting Downtown Woodstock. Some of the world locations to be represented include Seven Arrows as the Navajo Nation, Pennybag Emporium as France , Pure Taqueria as Mexico , the Right Wing Tavern as Canada , Vingenzo’s as Italy. All the activities during this month’s event will take place in the stores and restaurants due to the cold temps, so no musicians or other activities are slated for the sidewalks around Downtown Woodstock.

Activities For this Event

Seven Arrows will represent the Navajo Nation and feature specials on items made by the Navajo and maybe have some fry bread and Indian tacos to serve. They will have an outside fire pit going during the event.

Pennybag Emporium will feature French items in their store. They will also feature refreshments and a game for kids to play during the event.

Pure Taqueria will represent Mexico during the event.

The Right Wing Tavern will celebrate the January Friday Night Live – Main Street World Tour with their “Oh, Canada !” party, eh!” Their menu will include Prince Edward Island Mussells in a lemon, garlic and Chardonnay Sauce, Winnipeg beef tips, brown sugar Canadian Bacon Chicken and, oh yah, a Maple Walnut Bread Pudding for dessert that everyone will be talking abooot. On the beverage side, they will have Rye & Ginger, King’s Cider, a Manitoba-hattan, and breaking all of the Right Wing Tavern’s strict USA-only beer policy, they will have a surprise Canadian brew for all to enjoy! So, won’tcha join us Friday, eh?

The Cotton Mill Deli will represent Ireland and will be hosting Trivia from 7pm to 9pm.

Vingenzo’s will represent Italy during the event.

The Woodstock Visitors Center at Dean’s Store will be hosting game night, where you can play your favorite board or card game in the historic setting of Dean’s Store. In honor of game night, the Visitors Center will represent Monaco at the event.

Other Downtown merchants taking part in the event include Samson and Delilah antiques, LKT Sports Art, Val’s Happy Shack, Honeybutter, Canyon Burgers, The Magnolia Thomas restaurant, Maxwell’s Cigar Bar.

*This press release is courtesy of Kyle Bennett, Assistant Director of Tourism and Visitors Center Operations Please call 770-924-0406 with any questions.

Free Wi-fi in a Historic Setting

Deli Sets Up Shop in Historic Woodstock Building

The exposed brick walls and rustic interior of the Cotton Mill Deli still bear witness to its historically significant beginnings. The eatery inhabits the property that was originally used as a storage facility for the cotton that once wound its way up southern railroad lines. J.H. Johnston, one of the founding fathers and first businessmen of Woodstock, had four buildings of its kind built near the tracks, but the location on Town Lake Parkway is the last one still standing. “I chose this building because the downtown Woodstock area needed a place like ours, and I really wanted someplace with a history,” said owner Jake Marler. “I do love the newer buildings going up, but they are ‘cookie cutter’ if you are really wanting to have ‘an original.’”

The Grilled Reuben is a house favorite.

Quality Food in a Relaxed Atmosphere

With daily sandwich and coffee specials, the Cotton Mill Deli is the perfect place to grab a quick bite on your lunch break or while shopping downtown. They also invite you to “stay a while,” whether you’d like to take advantage of their free wireless internet or relax in their leather furniture in front of one of their big screen televisions. Its spacious open floor plan has now also become a favorite venue for local musicians to hold impromptu concerts for local crowds. “We are loving all the new people we have met since we’ve been open,” said Marler. “And it lets us know we were right in our choice for locations.”

Cosy corners invite relaxing with your coffee.

Antique relics of a bygone Woodstock remind customers of the property’s historic legacy.

Homeowners Welcome First Guests

The dedication took place on a cold Saturday morning, and yet there were still about thirty people who disregarded the inclement weather to help the Pitts family celebrate their new home. After the ceremony, everyone gathered in the Pitts family living room for some refreshments and a chance to get better acquainted with the family.

Local Volunteers and Sponsors Rally to Support Habitat Home Construction

The lovely two-story home was built by an army of volunteers, along with Denna’s sweat equity, and was sponsored by Schoen Insulation Services, Lowe’s, Hickory Flat UMC, Wal-Mart, CDBG, Cherokee Association of Realtors, IL Norplex, Jeffrey’s Manufacturing Solutions, Gerome Technologies, Inc., Cohen, Pollock, Merlin & Small, P.C., Johnn Durkota, Liberty Pultrussions, Legacy Machinery, Inc., Snellings Walter Insurance, Beacham & Company, LLC., Chandler Graphics, LP and Krempel Insulation Technologies.

Habitat’s next home build will begin in March. If you would like to get involved with Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia to help on a build, donate products/supplies, or to donate money, you can contact them at Habitat for Humanity.

One Woman, Many Accomplishments

Besides her involvement in preserving Woodstock’s heritage, Jo also serves a myriad of other local organizations who work to improve the quality of life in the local community. Her faithful volunteerism with the Greenprints Alliance non-profit has helped pave the way for the building of a walking/biking trail system throughout Woodstock. Jo also assists with the proposed Elm Street Cultural Arts Village project, which when finished, will include a performance theater, a visual arts center, and a historic visitor’s center to tell the story of Woodstock’s past. The Main Street Woodstock board, a collective which groups local government with small businesses, also benefits from Jo’s tireless efforts to strengthen downtown growth . Jo currently serves on the advisory committee for the the Parks and Recreation Department as a ward representative.

Way to Go, Jo! A City Congratulates a Citizen