Atlanta Intown - March 2021

MARCH 2021 Vol. 27 No. 3 ■ www.AtlantaIntownPaper.com

Beautiful Chaos The collage works of artist Anderson Smith provoke and empower P34

INSIDE →A Sister’s Gift of Life P.6 →Healing for the Healers P.14 → New Column: Women + Wine P.30

A Note From Ken

#1 Agent

Yes, the market is very strong, but when selling your home, you never want to take just the QUICK SALE price, you want to take the RIGHT PRICE. Having a strong plan in place has never been more important, and that is my strength. Deemed the Morningside specialist by locals and clients alike, I currently take the lead for total closings in all price points in the neighborhood and have for 5 years.

in Morningside

since 2017

TRENDGRAPHIX, 2017-2020, CLOSED SINGLE FA M I LY H O M E S , A L L P R I C E P O I N T S

Over $100M Sold

in Morningside

TRENDGRAPHIX, 2017-2020 SALES VOLUME, ZIP 30306, ALL TYPES, ALL PRICE POINTS

As a 17-year resident of Morningside, I don’t know of a bigger fan or ambassador of all things Morningside— this is truly one of the best places to live and call home!

Ken Covers Pri va te Offi ce Ad vi so r Direct: 404.664.8280 Office: 404.845.7724 ken.covers@evatlanta.com kencovers.evatlanta.com ©2021 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. If your property is currently represented by a real estate broker, this is not an attempt to solicit your listing. Engel & Völkers and its independent license partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.

1026 Robin Lane N.E.

1748 Wildwood Road N.E.

1316 N. Highland N.E.

1775 Noble Drive N.E.

1289 N. Highland Avenue N.E.

UNDER CONTRACT OFFERED FOR $1,895,000 5 B E D | 5 B AT H | 1 H A L F B AT H

ACTIVE LISTING OFFERED FOR $1,295,000 6 B E D | 6 B AT H

ACTIVE LISTING OFFERED FOR $1,095,000 3 B E D | 3 B AT H | 1 H A L F B AT H

NEW TO MARKET OFFERED FOR $1,095,000 4 B E D | 3 B AT H

NEW TO MARKET OFFERED FOR $799,000 3 B E D | 2 B AT H

Pristine move-right-in-condition on 1.9 acres. Oversized rooms, high ceilings, spacious walk-in closets, three finished levels, oversized master suite plus a main level guest suite. Lush landscaping surrounds the entire residence. Terrace level, home gym, media room.

Excellent Morningside home almost 5,000 sqft in size.

Three finished levels with 6 bedrooms and 2 separate home offices—one with a separate exterior entrance.

The home also features an oversized 2-car garage and abundant storage.

Fully modernized bungalow in vibrant Morningside.

Features large rooms and high ceilings, second-floor has loft-like feel, expansive motor court that leads to elevated front porch, living room with fireplace, eat-in kitchen, rear covered porch, basement makes ideal workshop.

Morningside/Johnson Estates home on quiet, low traffic street a block from Noble Park. Rare master on the main.

Kitchen with breakfast bar, opens to cozy den and living room with fireplace. Walk-out fenced backyard, 1-car garage, basement ideal for craft or workshop.

Charming home filled with character in ideal location— walking to Morningside shops, restaurants and farmer’s market. Fireplace, eat-in kitchen with oversized island.

Covered front porch, large rear deck, spa-like master bathroom. Fenced backyard, motor court.

1658 Noble Drive N.E.

1332 Briarwood Drive N.E.

1617 Lenox Road N.E.

1807 Lenox Road N.E.

1801 Woodcliff Terrace NE

UNDER CONTRACT OFFERED FOR $859,000 3 B E D | 3 B AT H | 1 H A L F B AT H

PRICE IMPROVEMENT OFFERED FOR $1,295,000 5 B E D | 5 B AT H | 1 H A L F B AT H

SOLD SOLD FOR $770,000 2 B E D 2 B AT H

PRICE IMPROVEMENT OFFERED FOR $565,000 LOT

COMING SOON PRICE COMING SOON 3 B E D | 3 B AT H

Classic Morningside/Johnson Cape Cod estate Tudor.

Very well-maintained and loved by current owners for 30 years. Living room with fireplace and separate dining room. Lush, beautiful backyard and is nestled on a quiet street near Noble Park.

Intown living at its best. Move-in ready, large rooms, high ceilings, open floor plan, 4-car garage. Two master suites with outstanding main level guest suite, oversized terrace level with recreation room, fifth bedroom, exercise room, full bath, kitchenette, access to garage.

Classic four-sided brick ranch in Morningside with rare detached 3-car garage. High ceilings, large living room and dining rooms, oversized master suite, third bedroom converted to a den, connects to home office that overlooks backyard. Tremendous expansion potential.

This is a large estate lot in the coveted Morningside school district, and is almost 1.2 acres in total size. This lot features a private nature setting, and is a perfect place to build your dream home. Imagine your dream life in this location!

Outstanding Morningside ranch home on level lot overlooking the Wildwood Urban Forest. This home features a large open floor plan, two car attached garage, and a large deck. It is located on super quiet street, and is a great place for a family.

Your Life. Your Home. Your REALTOR®.

Outstanding results take planning. Call me so we can put a winning plan in place for your home sale.

Together, we will decide how best to position your home for maximum results, all while adhering to strict and safe COVID-19 practices.

2 March 2021 |

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

Contents March 2021

The Neighborhood A Sister’s Gift of Life

BeltLine Tax

6

10

Summer School

11

Healing for the Healers Vaccine App

14

15

Phoenix Flies

TimmyDaddy

16

17

Business Gene Kansas 30

18

Business Briefs

20

Microsoft Campus

21

Sustainability Above the Waterline

22

Park Pride Grants

23

Sustainable Sculpture

23

Home & Real Estate Renovation Boom

26

Real Estate Briefs

28

News You Can Eat 16

18

Editorial Collin Kelley Editor collin@AtlantaIntownPaper.com Contributors Sally Bethea, Kathy Dean, Donna Williams Lewis, Kelly McCoy, Jacob Nguyen, Isadora Pennington, Sarah Pierre, Katie Rice, Clare Richie, John Ruch, Tim Sullivan Submissions Article queries and calendar submissions should be emailed to collin@AtlantaIntownPaper.com.

Published By Springs Publishing Atlanta Intown • Reporter Newspapers Atlanta Senior Life

Natalie Keng Q&A

40

Advertising For information call (404) 917-2200 ext 1002 Steve Levene Publisher Emeritus

Sales Executives Jeff Kremer, Janet Porter, Rob Lee

Keith Pepper Publisher keith@springspublishing.com Amy Arno Director of Sales Development amy@springspublishing.com (404) 917-2200, ext. 1002

Circulation Each month, 27,000 copies of Atlanta Intown are mailed to homes and distributed to businesses in and around ZIP codes 30306, 30307, 30308, 30309, 30324 and 30329.

For delivery information, delivery@springspublishing.com

Rico Figliolini Creative Director Deborah Davis Office Manager deborah@springspublishing.com (404) 917-2200, ext. 1003

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

Facebook.com/ AtlantaIntown

30

Women + Wine

30

Food4Life

31

Quick Bites

© 2021 All rights reserved. Publisher reserves the right to refuse editorial or advertising for any reason. Publisher assumes no responsibility for information contained in advertising. Any opinions expressed in print or online do not necessarily represent the views of Atlanta Intown or Springs Publishing

Twitter.com/ ATLINtownPaper

Spotify AtlantaIntown

32

The Studio Anderson Smith

34

In the Mix: Tuere Butler

38

From the Crates

40

Summer Camps

Parting Shots

Visit AtlantaIntownPaper.com Instagram.com/ AtlantaIntown

42

46

On the Cover Collage artist Anderson Smith works at the Buckhead Art & Co. gallery in Buckhead Village. For more about Smith’s work, turn to page 34.

(Photo by Isadora Pennington)

town 3

March 2021 | IN

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offered exclusively in metro Atlanta by ElectroBike Georgia!

Sales and Service Showroom: ElectroBike Georgia 2484 Briarcliff Road., NE #25 Atlanta, GA 30329 www.electrobikega.com

PEGGY HIBBERT

Under Contract • Druid Hills 1064 Oakdale Road • $1,099,000

Bike the Beltline: Atlanta Bicycle Barn 151 Sampson St., NE Atlanta, GA 30312 www.atlbikebarn.com

#1 AGENT IN DRUID HILLS

Wine and Music: The perfect antidote for an anniversary we’d rather forget On March 2, 2020, I wrote a breaking news story for the Intown website with the headline “Fulton County has first two cases of coronavirus in Georgia”. That was how our coverage of the pandemic began. Since that day, we’ve posted and published hundreds of stories about COVID-19 and its effect on the communities we cover.

Collin What has been a constant Kelley this past year is the resilience and has been editor of resourcefulness of Atlantans in the Atlanta Intown for face of incredible odds, challenges, almost two decades. and sorrow. At this writing in midHe’s also an February, more than 14,000 Georgians award-winning poet have lost their lives due to COVID-19. and novelist.

The vaccine is slowly rolling out, but there will be more difficult days ahead collin@AtlantaIntownPaper.com until the majority of the population has both the required inoculations. Maybe this time next year, we’ll be able to report that we’re back to something approaching “normalcy.”

In the meantime, Intown aims to keep you informed and entertained, and this month we have some new features we know you’ll enjoy.

Katie Rice, owner of VinoTeca in Inman Park, and Sarah Pierre, owner of 3 Parks Wine Shop in Glenwood Park, are collaborating on a new monthly column called Women + Wine (page 30). These grape-lovers will be making recommendations, talking to fellow winemakers, sommeliers, and entrepreneurs like themselves. Their first column is an introduction, so make yourself acquainted and maybe pour yourself a glass.

We’re also excited that veteran radio personality Kelly McCoy is writing a new column, From the Crates, about his Atlanta music memories. McCoy started his radio career in 1978 at WQXI before joining WSB radio in the mid-1980s where he remained on air for nearly 30 years. Check out his inaugural column – with memories of Chastain Park and meeting Whitney Houston – on page 40.

And if you haven’t listened to our In the Mix playlists on our Spotify channel, you’re missing out on a fantastic, eclectic assortment of tunes. This month, we’re spotlighting playlists from Chinese Southern Belle’s Natalie Keng (page 30) and Plywood People’s Tuere Butler (page 38).

Keep your chin up, Intowners.

Editor’s Letter

Under Contract • North Druid Hills 1002 Mason Woods Drive • $715,000

WHY SELL NOW? Atlanta is experiencing a super seller’s market due to historically low interest rates and increasing buyer demand. Call me today to learn more!

I’VE SOLD ALL MY LISTINGS, AND

I NEED MORE HOMES TO SELL! PEGGY HIBBERT

cell 404.444.0192 office 404.874.0300 peggy@atlantafinehomes.com • atlantafinehomes.com Your Neighborhood Expert with Global Connections

Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated.

4 March 2021 |

We call it home.

DONA AND LEW KELLER Residents since 2014

“St. Anne’s Terrace is the best place for retirement living. Take a tour and see for yourself. We did!!

Join us for an In-Person Tour Monday – Friday, 9:00am -1:00pm Or call us to schedule a Virtual Tour at your convenience

• Serving Buckhead community for over 30 years • Minutes from OK Café • Quiet residential neighborhood • Apartments tailored to personal needs

CALL US TO SCHEDULE YOUR VISIT 3100 Northside Parkway, NW Atlanta 30327 www.saintannesterrace.org • 404-238-9200 At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

31 The Prado NE Coming Soon

60 The Prado NE Just Sold | Offered for $1,699,000

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

Virginia Highland

Druid Hills

Ansley Park 731 Wildwood Place NE Active | Offered for $1,895,000

Morningside

Virginia Highland

Ansley Park

Ansley Park

Midtown

Morningside

Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.

#1

INTOWN AGENT

$83M+

SOLD IN 2020

80+

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Selling Intown for 22+ years

946 N Highland Avenue NE Just Sold | Offered for $939,000

404.307.4020 | 404.668.6621 jim.getzinger@compass.com

867 Peachtree Street NE, PH1 Active | Offered for $1,895,000 34 Peachtree Circle NE Coming Soon

2150 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE Just Listed | Offered for $1,275,000 941 Virginia Avenue NE Under Contract | Offered for $1,895,000

1209 Zimmer Drive NE Just Sold | Offered for $799,000

March 2021 | INTOWN

5

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

News � Features

‘The Ultimate Love Story’ Teen overcomes cancer with sister’s gift of life

Above: Dr. Benjamin K. Watkins Left: The Irlando family at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorder Center.

By Donna Williams Lewis

A

message on the back of her Team Fia hoodie tells you a lot about Sofia Irlando: “Cancer picked the wrong princess.”

The words stem from a journey that began in August 2019, near the start of Sofia’s freshman year at the Paideia School.

After experiencing intense stomach pains and fainting episodes, Sofia was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a high-risk cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

“It was frightening and came as a shock when I first found out about my diagnosis,” the Midtown resident said. “I really just tried to keep a positive attitude and do what I had to do right away to beat this.”

Her care team at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta determined that Sofia’s best chance of survival was a blood and marrow transplant, also known as a bone marrow transplant.

After no one in her family tested as a perfect match for Sofia, her care team

6 March 2021 |

searched the National Marrow Donor Program registry and she was matched with an anonymous, unrelated stem cell donor for a Jan. 8, 2020 transplant.

The process involved in getting donors medically cleared and at the hospital for donation typically takes about six weeks, said Dr. Benjamin K. Watkins, pediatric hematologist and oncologist at Children’s.

A week before the scheduled transplant, Sofia began a round of high-dose chemotherapy to kill any cancer cells; clear her bone marrow of cells to make room for the donor’s blood-producing marrow cells; and to suppress her immune system so her body could accept the transplant.

“We basically wanted to eliminate her immune system and then restart from the beginning with someone else’s,” Dr. Watkins said.

After many preparations, everything was a go until just one day before the transplant was to take place, when something completely unprecedented happened.

Dr. Watkins was informed by the donor center that Sofia’s donor was temporarily ineligible to undergo anesthesia.

It was the first time the Blood and

Marrow Transplant team had experienced the loss of a donor after the chemotherapy regimen had begun.

A race for a new donor was on.

‘It’s like Bella’s alive in her body’ Sofia had been perfectly matched with a couple of other backup donors and one could have been available to donate within about a week, “but we didn’t feel like she had a week,” Dr. Watkins said.

After much deliberation, the care team and Sofia’s family settled on Sofia’s older sister Bella as her donor. Bella had identified as a half match for Sofia, a situation that presents higher risk of serious side effects than a perfect match.

Within 48 hours, Bella underwent additional testing and her life-saving transplant cells were harvested. The care team adjusted Sofia’s treatment plan to give her additional protection from side effects and Sofia received her sister’s gift of life.

“One of the reasons a transplant works is not only the intense chemotherapy but the donor cells live in her body for the

rest of her life and they will recognize any residual leukemia as foreign and attack it and kill it. It’s like having a living drug inside of her,” Dr. Watson said. “It is like Bella’s alive in her body, and they’re fighting this cancer together.”

Sofia said it was “really amazing” to have Bella as her donor.

“Bella was there for me without any hesitation in this really life-changing moment and had my back,” Sofia said.

“People always say you share blood with your family. Bella and I really share blood now.”

Bella, now a freshman at Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., said she just wanted to do everything she could to help her sister.

“Sofia and I have always been close, but this experience has brought us even closer together as siblings,” she said.

Their parents, Andres and Olivia Irlando, say Bella is their hero.

“Her selflessness and devotion to Sofia inspires and makes us so proud,” Andres said. “Bella and Sofia’s story is the ultimate love story.”

The road ahead Sofia remained hospitalized after her transplant for more than 60 days for observation and care as Bella’s blood began to make new blood cells for Sofia.

She experienced side effects and complications, but her family and her care team remember her determination to fight through them. She walked a Continued on Page 8 At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

2020 Community of t h e Ye a r

Home to Trilith Studios, one of the largest film studios in the world.

Micro-Homes | C anopy Homes Townhomes | Cottage Homes Estate Homes | Custom Homes

Geothermal Living Boutique Businesses Curated Restaurants Wellness Center 15 Miles of Nature Trails & Pathways K-12 School Dog Park World Class Town Stage

L i v e h ere. Cre a te h e r e.

G et In sp ire d he re.

TRILITHHOME.C OM 6 7 8 . 5 1 9 . 1 0 0 8 | AT L A N TA , G A

©2021 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity.®

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March 2021 | INTOWN

7

News RoundUp The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation will donate $17 million to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights for a 20,000 square foot expansion and new programming at the Downtown campus.

Continued from Page 6

marathon during her admission — 738 laps around the hospital’s Blood and Marrow Transplant unit.

Dr. Watkins said Sofia and her family have been “absolutely amazing” throughout Sofia’s journey. Sofia, in turn, thanks her family, friends and her medical team for their support and care.

“My nurses would even come in on their days off to spend time with me and to watch ‘The Bachelor’ together. They were my friends in some of the hardest moments and motivated me,” Sofia said.

Now, at age 16, Sofia is celebrating hitting the one-year milestone since getting her transplant and has no detectable leukemia. She has been removed from transplant-related medication.

The City of Atlanta’s is reforming its public kiosk program to create more opportunities for entrepreneurs and micro-businesses. The program, managed by the Department of City Planning, contains 17 brick-and-mortar kiosks located on sidewalks throughout Downtown where small business owners may sell retail and concession items to passersby.

State Farm Arena has announced it is the first sports and entertainment venue in the country to successfully become Sharecare Health Security Verified, a certification process developed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The newly formed Buckhead Exploratory Committee (becnow.com) has formed to explore potential cityhood or annexation into another municipality.

Sofia and Bella are using their experience as a way to educate their peers about bone marrow transplants and ways to protect immunocompromised and vulnerable populations, especially during the fight against COVID-19. They’ve organized blood drives and have encouraged people to register as donors.

Meanwhile, Sofia says she is “feeling and doing great.”

“The recovery from a bone marrow transplant is a long one. I’ve had to rebuild my immune system from scratch since all the vaccines I got as a baby are gone,” Sofia said.

“It will take about two years for me to be fully revaccinated, but I’ve started getting my vaccines and am off to a great start.”

GCADP is a medical practice providing comprehensive evaluations for and management of a wide range of child, teen and young adult developmental and behavioral difficulties.

Our Services:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Language Delays • Attention Deecit Disorder (ADD)/Attention Deecit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD)

Sofia and Bella Irlando

• Anxiety, adjustment disorders and depression • Learning disorders, including dyslexia and other school-related challenges • Regulatory disorders, such as feeding problems or sleep disorders • Challenging and disruptive behaviors in preschool and school-aged children and teens We are now providing medical care for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADD/ADHD Dr. Mark Moncino, MD FAAP is a board-certified pediatrician who understands developmental issues that impact the entire family, not just the individual child.

We help the child and family grow together...and thrive!

6065 Roswell Rd, Suite 470, Sandy Springs (Northside Tower) For further information or an appointment www.gcadp.com

8 March 2021 |

Help Save A Life When patients don’t have a matched sibling for a blood and marrow transplant doctors search the National Marrow Donor Program registry for other possible donors.

The NMDP has been focused on outreach in Atlanta, according to Dr. Benjamin K. Watkins, a pediatric hematologist and oncologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

“Unfortunately, there are significant disparities in finding a matched donor in the registry based on a patient’s racial or ethnic group,” he said.

White Europeans have about a 75 percent chance of having a perfectly matched unrelated donor while other groups including African American, African, Black Caribbean, and Black South and Central American have less than a 20 percent chance of having a matched donor, Dr. Watkins said.

“We have been pushing to find ways to address the disparities given that Atlanta has such a large Black population,” he said. “One of the ways we can do this is by signing up more people on the registry.”

Learn about bone marrow donation at NMDP.org.

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2020 TOP SALES ASSOCIATES

INTOWN OFFICE #1 OVERALL

BUTCH WHITFIELD GROUP

THOMPSON TEAM*

Butch.Whitfield@HarryNorman.com

Thompson.Team@HarryNorman.com

Annette.Ross@HarryNorman.com

John.Bowden@HarryNorman.com

Intown Office #1 Team, Closed Volume Company Wide #13 Team, Closed Volume Intown Office #2 Team, Closed Units Company Wide #23 Team, Closed Units

Intown Office #1 Team, Closed Units Company Wide #19 Team, Closed Units Intown Office #2 Team, Closed Volume Company Wide #18 Team, Closed Volume

Intown Office #1 Individual, Closed Volume Company Wide #22 Individual, Closed Volume Intown Office #3 Individual, Closed Units

Intown Office #1 Individual, Closed Units Company Wide #18 Individual, Closed Units Intown Office #3 Individual, Closed Volume Company Wide #38 Individual, Closed Volume

770-630-6668

678-362-9490

ANNETTE ROSS

JOHN BOWDEN

404-683-5798

404-909-1214

TOP INDIVIDUALS & TEAMS

BUTCH WHITFIELD GROUP

770-630-6668

ANDY PHILHOWER

THOMPSON TEAM*

ANNETTE ROSS

ANDRENE ESCOFFERY

678-362-9490 404-683-5798 678-525-4388

GA GROUP

GRACE FAIR

SARA HARPER

JOHN BOWDEN

SKYLAR BRILLANTE

SYBIL SCOTT

KELLY WEBB

404-694-7076 678-896-3997 678-778-6503 678-855-3222

MISS EMMIE

404-909-1214 SKYLAR BRILLANTE 678-896-3997

PAM HEISLER

404-964-4550 404-643-4731 678-522-3665 404-435-0034 404-388-0076

ANDREW HAMLIN

ROOKIE

OF THE YEAR

PAULA HEER 678-427-7194

PROFIT PROPERTY GROUP 404-784-0059

SUZANNE BRIGGS 678-536-6025

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

MICHAEL HOSKIN 678-428-8737

NIKKI ELMORE

BONNIE WOLF

678-362-6214

404-216-9296

Harry Norman, REALTORS® The Intown Office 404-897-5558 1518 Monroe Drive NE Suite E | Atlanta, GA 30324 HarryNorman.com/Intown

Agents are listed in order from left to right by 2020 Volume for The Intown Office *ARA Phoenix Award Recipient celebrating 10 years of being a Top Producer | NAMAR Double Phoenix Award Recipient celebrating 20 years of being a Top Producer At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

March 2021 | INTOWN

9

BeltLine Tax

Business owners along trail urge delay in implementing ‘special services district’

By Collin Kelley Small business owners along the Atlanta BeltLine are urging the city to delay implementation of a proposed tax overlay district to fund completion of the 22-mile loop.

The BeltLine has been holding a series of community meetings on the special service district (SSD) that would see a 2-mill increase in taxes for commercial properties and apartment complexes located 0.5 miles on either side of the trail. The final meetings are set for March 1 and March 4 at 6 p.m. at beltline.org.

The legislation to create the SSD was introduced at a Jan. 19 Atlanta City Council meeting, which was the first time most residents and business owners had heard of the plan. BeltLine officials said the SSD was needed to complete the trail because the tax allocation district (TAD) created to fund construction is projected to generate $1 billion less than expected.

The Old Fourth Ward Business Association held a quickly-called community forum on Jan. 28 for business owners to ask city and BeltLine officials questions about the SSD. Councilmember Amir Farokhi said completing the entire BeltLine will be

beneficial to the city, but he questioned the geographical boundary of the SSD and said he was concerned it would put Community Improvement Districts (CIDs), a self-taxing scheme that keeps improvement funds in a specific neighborhood, in jeopardy.

Nichole A. Hall, the administrator for the West End CID, said her board had “strong concerns” about the SSD’s financial impact and questioned the rush by BeltLine officials to get the legislation approved by this autumn.

“We’re already paying an additional tax,” Hall said, noting that West End business owners pay 5 mills extra into the CID. “We have concerns that this SSD will hinder our expansion and cut into revenue. And why do this now while we’re in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic? Our business owners in West End are hurting. Could it be delayed?”

Katharine Chestnut, who owns the Alkaloid co-working space along the BeltLine, said she was not expecting her business to recover from the economic crisis until 2022. “This fall is too soon,” Chestnut said.

“Businesses are suffering. Give us a chance to recover. Maybe the big property developers can suck up this cost, but we are still reeling.

Please put it off for at least a year.”

BeltLine CEO Clyde Higgs contended that the SSD has to be established now to

beat the clock on the expiration of the TAD. He said that he had spoken to other business owners who were willing to pay the extra tax because they wanted faster completion of the trail to generate foot traffic.

Johnny Martinez, who co-owns Joystick Gamebar and Georgia Beer Garden, said neither of his businesses get foot traffic from

Working with the Intown Community for 10+ Years

the BeltLine, but would still be forced to pay the extra tax. Martinez said small business owners who rent their spaces would see the tax burden passed on by the property owners.

Similarly, apartment dwellers would likely see an increase in their rents to cover the additional tax.

Atlanta BeltLine Partnership Executive

As your trusted real estate advisors, we are always available and here to help you. Joining Compass in 2020 has opened our eyes to a whole new set of opportunities and we’d love to share those with you. We look forward to crossing paths in 2021 and beyond.

F E AT U R E D L I S T I N G S

702 Sherwood Road NE | SOLD

2976 Dale Drive NE | SOLD

629 Sherwood Rd NE | SOLD

575 Ansley Circle | PENDING

McGlynn + Johnson Kevin: m 404.285.5674 David: m 404.431.5159 o 404.668.6621

Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.

10 March 2021 |

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

Director Rob Brawner said an estimated 3,675 properties along the BeltLine would be subject to the tax. Brawner said most luxury apartment complexes along the corridor would only see a $17 per month, per unit increase when the SSD was applied.

He used the Ansley II strip shopping center across from Ansley Mall on Monroe Drive as an example of what tenants might pay, stating “the entire SSD on that entire piece of property is $950 per year.”

Single-family homes are notably absent from the SSD. Westmoreland explained taxing homes along the BeltLine is permissible under the law but were left out of the legislation as not to negatively affect legacy homeowners in gentrifying neighborhoods.

Higgs said he’d spoken to a number of homeowners willing to pay the tax and there was some discussion about excluding homes valued below $400,000. “However, from a legal perspective, if you tax one home you have to tax them all.”

Brawner said the SSD revenue would be used to finance bonds that would be exclusively used for trail completion. “The bonds are expected to be issued as 30 year

bonds to keep the millage rate as low as possible. As the SSD grows over time, that means we pay off the bonds sooner.

Currently, the projection is 15 to 20 years to pay off bonds and then the SSD sunsets.”

Matthew Rao, co-founder of advocacy group BeltLine Rail Now, said his organization opposed the SSD because it didn’t include any funding for transit along the corridor. BeltLine Rail Now released a proposal on Jan. 28 to fully fund the transit portion of the corridor by 2030 to the tune of $2.5 billion.

Rao said a “trail only” approach to completing the BeltLine would accelerate gentrification and would not address issues of affordable housing, equity, and mobility problems.

Old Fourth Ward Business Association Executive Director Emma Tinsley, who moderated the meeting, said she’d heard from many business owners in the district who felt like the SSD legislation was a “done deal.”

“The community and its stakeholders can change this legislation and make it better,” Tinsley said. “I urge the city council to listen to these folks.”

APS considers summer school for all students, conducts COVID testing

By Collin Kelley

return that began at the end of January. The school system is using surveillance testing to prevent an outbreak of the virus in schools.

The surveillance testing program, being conducted by local vendor Viral Solutions, is part of APS’s strategy to mitigate COVID-19 in schools and the community by providing extensive testing for students, teachers, and staff with and without symptoms and those who have had contact with someone with COVID-19 in the school or workplace.

Atlanta Public Schools is considering a plan to require students in all grade levels to attend three years of summer school classes to make up for “unfinished and lost learning,” according to Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring.

Herring said during last month’s Atlanta Board of Education meeting the APS Academic Recovery and School Based Intervention Plan would be a multi-year plan to address learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Herring said the Summer Academic Recovery Academy would focus on literacy and math for 15,000 elementary students, 5,000 middle school students, and 8,000 high school students.

Classes would be offered inperson or virtually at home.

“This would be a full five-day schedule over several weeks,” Herring said. COVID-19 surveillance testing at Humphries Elementary School.

(Courtesy APS) “In addition, there would be As part of its testing strategy, APS has social, emotional, behavioral, and wellness developed cluster-based testing options support as well as transportation.”

(Jackson, South Atlanta, Washington, and Herring said an extended school year Mays) at its health clinics for students and for students with disabilities is also under staff. APS also partnered Viral Solutions consideration along with additional schooland Emory University to start a drive-up based learning during the academic year and walk-up testing site at Douglass High to address literacy, math, and to conduct School. comprehensive assessments of each student’s For more information on APS’s education.

COVID-19 testing strategy, visit APS students returned to the classroom atlantapublicschools.us/COVID-testing. for the first time in nearly a year in phased At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

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Healing for the Healers

Fundraising initiative aims to compensate Black healers who fill critical community gap

By Clare S. Richie From counseling those in crisis to leading healing ceremonies for communities that experience trauma, trained Black healers fill a critical gap, but often do so without compensation for their skills and services.

“In 2020, I counseled 15 Black women who were contemplating suicide,” said Healing for the Healers founder Neith Sankofa. Her own story of recovery when faced with a similar decision, her education and training as a healer, and her commitment to community provided a nurturing and restorative connection to these women.

Sankofa also answered the call, alongside other healers, to help activists get to a place of peace after witnessing the fatal shooting of eight-year-old Secoriea Turner during a demonstration for Rayshard Brooks who had been killed by a police officer.

14 March 2021 |

Top: A moment of joyful celebration as a group of Black healing practitioners gather together.

(Photo by Crystal Monds) Bottom left: Healing practitioners and community members take part in a fire release ceremony. (Photo by Jarek James) Bottom right: A healing gathering to support the community. (Photo by Jarek James)

“You’re talking about a phone call saying ‘can you come at 6 p.m.? They are losing it!’”

Sankofa said. “You try to get child care, you grab your tools and you go and it lasts as long as it needs to last.”

Healing for the Healers is a fundraising initiative for nine Black healers – Wyoma, Mikel Fuller, Regina Sewell, Kris Henry, Mignon Grayson, Yashi BIN, Allison Rozell, Jovhanna Tisdale and Sankofa – who are skilled in a range of practices and modalities, such as Reiki, African and indigenous Healing dance, mental and physical health modalities, and ordained ministries.

“We [often] pay for healing work for the community out of what we make from our

traditional jobs,” Sankofa said.

Some of the healers are registered nurses or mental health practitioners. Sankofa, CEO and principal facilitator of Neith Sankofa Consulting, helps social justice movement builders and those they serve with self-care and healing practices.

“There is an invisible infrastructure that is holding up the health and well-being of our communities,” said Sankofa. “And those people need communal support to maintain that infrastructure.”

The fundraising effort was inspired by Wyoma, Sankofa’s 70-year-old mentor, who needed respite after three people close to her had transitioned.

“Knowing how much she gives to the community and that she was unable to take some time off – sparked me to think about this initiative. She has put 52 years of service as a healer into the community,” Sankofa said.

Other healers expressed similar concerns.

That’s why the crowdfunding campaign seeks to raise six months of financial support for each healer to cover basic living expenses, advanced training, or the cost of providing healing services.

“There are many healers who have said, ‘I love this work, I have dedicated years of my life and thousands of my personal dollars to train but I cannot support myself.’ That’s a person who’d be gone,” Sankofa said. “And it may have taken them 10 years to facilitate in a way that is respectful and responsive to community.”

Sankofa’s journey to her calling is a woven tapestry of life experience and ongoing learning. She was a semiprofessional dancer, a Marine, and a manager at Lockheed. Ten years ago, after two consecutive divorces, Sankofa spiraled into alcoholism, depression, and nearly took her own life. She sought recovery.

“As fate would have it, my counselor was a former Buddhist nun who exposed me to all types of healing modalities – breath work, acupuncture, massage therapy,” Sankofa said.

To maintain sobriety, Sankofa started skating with her sons on the weekends.

One night a woman approached her saying, ‘your ancestors have sent me to teach you.’

Sankofa thought “okay, this is weird” but was open to her offer, which turned into a six year mentorship. During that time, Sankofa also completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree in religious studies with a focus on African healing dance.

“This is how these stories weave together.

That is how I found my current teacher in African healing dance, Wyoma. I have been with her for about five years. She is the healing elder of this initiative,” Sankofa said.

In the African tradition of first fruits going to elders, Wyoma, will receive support first.

“There is a stigma that healers should only give, but we live in the real world with groceries and mortgages. Some say there are public services but there are gaps for Black people and our traditional work,” Sankofa said. “Healers are inside of the community – we know what trauma is present and we have trained to address those traumas and facilitate joy. We are asking for communal care to find some ease, cover basic needs or specific training. None plan on stopping.”

Beyond the fundraiser, Sankofa plans to connect Black leaders with Black Healers, pursue the intersection of healing and art, and continue raising awareness of the healing infrastructure.

“We have some tough times ahead of us. We’re not out of COVID-19, we’re not out of the civil unrest. We don’t need to be losing any of our support systems at a time such as this. This is our responsibility communally.

Learn more at healing-for-the-healers. squarespace.com.

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

Text message system helps Georgians find vaccine

By Collin Kelley If you’ve been frustrated trying to get an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine, Virginia-Highland resident Ben Warlick has an app for that.

An attorney with an affinity for technology, Warlick created an easy-to-use text message based application to help others in Georgia who are also feeling frustrated. Launched in January, Georgia Vax App already has more than 31,000 users as of Feb. 1.

Although referred to as an “app,” there’s actually nothing to download. Users simply send a text message – such as the word “vaccine” – to 844-554-4024. You’ll receive a reply asking Ben Warlick which county you live in and what phase of the vaccine rollout you’re in. If you don’t know, simply type “NA”. When appointments open in your county, you’ll get a text with a link to the appointment site.

Warlick created Georgia Vax App after spending hours trying to book inoculation appointments for his parents and mother-in-law.

“Instead of having to keep checking the vaccination websites every hour, I created a code that would check the sites automatically,” Warlick said. “Within 24 hours, I got a message that an appointment was available and my mother-in-law got an appointment at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”

After posting the text number for Georgia Vax App on neighborhood social networking site Nextdoor, the service quickly took off. The app launched with Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale counties, but Warlick is working to add more Georgia counties now. He also hopes to add private pharmacies and supermarkets like Publix and Kroger offering vaccines in the coming weeks.

The app is the latest project for Warlick’s tech startup, Disco Droid, after he created the Atlanta Tree App to help people get notifications about tree removal permit applications filed in their neighborhoods.

For more about the Georgia Vax App and Disco Droid, visit discodroid.ai.

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15

Phoenix Flies

Annual tour of historic places set for month of March

Atlanta History Center

By Collin Kelley The Atlanta Preservation Center will present its 18th annual Phoenix Flies: A Celebration of Atlanta’s Historic Sites from March 6 through March 28. However, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event will be smaller and look a little different from previous celebrations.

For 2021 there will be a mix of in-person tours – mostly held outdoors and

City approves memorial for Atlanta Child Murder victims The Atlanta City Council approved legislation at its Feb. 1 meeting to create a memorial for those lost in the Atlanta Child Murders from 1979 to 1981.

Designed by Gordon Huether + Partners, the metal and stone monument on the grounds of City Hall in Downtown will have an eternal flame, benches, and the names of the murdered children and young adults etched into the wall.

The council approved $280,000 for the memorial, which was recommendation from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Atlanta Children’s Memorial Taskforce, which was empaneled as the city re-examined the evidence in the conviction of Wayne Williams for the murders.

16 March 2021 |

Rialto Center for the Arts

following CDC social distancing protocols, and virtual tours and presentations, both pre-recorded and live. Some partners will offer both an in-person and a virtual option.

The three-week event celebrating Atlanta’s cultural and historic resources will showcase over 50 participating Preservation Partners offering close to 100 separate events, including guided walking tours of historic neighborhoods and districts, cemeteries, parks, gardens, and battlefields; lectures on history, historic preservation and rehabilitation, and photography; and open houses and tours at house museums, churches, history centers/libraries, and community landmarks.

Featured in-person events this year include the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art’s new tour of the Goodrum House garden led by landscape architect Spencer Tunnell. Two events that debuted with the 2020 Phoenix Flies, but were cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, return and include the Atlanta History Center’s exhibit on women’s suffrage, DeKalb County Courthouse and the Salvation Army’s Southern Historical Center at Evangeline Booth College.

Pre-recorded virtual tour options include the Atlanta Daily World building on Auburn Avenue; Peachtree Center Historic District in Downtown; St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Grant Park; the Summerhill, Blandtown, and Candler Park neighborhoods; Plaza Theatre in Poncey-Highland; the 1918 DeKalb County Courthouse; and several rehabilitation/adaptive use projects.

Virtual lectures and presentations, a mix of live and pre-recorded events, include UGA’s Hargrett Library exhibit on convict labor in Georgia, the Rialto Center’s 100-year retrospective film, a history of Oglethorpe University, South Downtown’s history and current redevelopment, a forum on current preservation projects in the Atlanta metro region, old house maintenance tips, an Historic St. Mark Church overview of the Atlanta Studies Network, and historical overviews on U.S. currency and Civil War photography.

All events are free to the public, but reservations or registration are required for some events. For more information and reservations, visit atlantapreservationcenter.com/ phoenix_flies.

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

The Taming of the Beans Early January was an exciting time for me because our six-month old puppy, Beans, would soon be heading off for a month of training. My kids may disagree but save for when she was sleeping, Beans’ cuteness had waned precipitously. If she wasn’t stealing food from the counter or barking at the wind, she was scratching up doors and annoying the heck out of our older dog. Beyond requiring constant attention, it was like our once adorable pup was holding us hostage. Without intervention, she could have been selling our stuff on eBay for Milk-Bone money by Groundhog Day. IWAG’s training site in Temple, GA is about an hour away via I-20 west. Each Saturday we visit Beans and learn the new commands and techniques. In normal years, our winter Saturdays revolve around youth basketball. We’d be at one Tim Sullivan gym in the morning and another in the Tim Sullivan grew up afternoon and I liked how it structured in a large family in the the entire day. I don’t mind a laissezNortheast and now faire Sunday but the dad in me insists lives with his small family in Oakhurst. that Saturdays have a purpose and for He can be reached at this weird winter, our primary Saturday tim@sullivanfinerugs. purpose has been the taming of the com.

Beans.

I enjoy the family drives out there even though we bicker over what will play on the radio. Elliott has matured and shows a willingness to at least listen to the stations Kristen and I like. Margo remains immovable from her Hits 1. Left unchallenged, we’d hear the same handful of pop songs three times each in two hours of driving time. So, we make deals. Like, if we stop for Fro-Yo right after the session, I get to play my music for the ride back and that’s money well spent.

I learn some things from Margo and Hits 1 though. When a particularly heartbreaking song called “Driver’s License” by Olivia Rodrigo came on, Margo explained all about the Teenage Celebrity Love triangle. It seems Olivia and former fellow Disney star Sabrina Carpenter both dated a boy named Josh.

I’m not sure why Josh is a celebrity, he may also be Disney famous or maybe he did a collab with Bieber or something but apparently songs were written from each viewpoint, so this is juicy stuff. By the way, my kids love when I drop in the term “collab.”

Olivia was on the show “Bizaardvark” when she was younger, which I used to enjoy with Margo. As far as kids shows go, this one was entertaining. But Sabrina was on the show “Girl Meets World” and I need to reach all the way back to “Power Rangers” to find a show that made my skin crawl more than this one. Feel free to do your own research into the situation but please know that we are all solidly Team Olivia.

Beans’ trainer Darien says something each week that is so poignantly true of our dog that I know she is an expert at her craft. Session 1: “Beans is smart. I mean, she’s not too smart but she’s umm…clever.” Session 2: “Beans really loves treats. She’s very treat-motivated.” Session 3: “Beans is a good girl. I mean, she’s pretty good. She can sometimes be…what’s the word I’m looking for… bratty? Ya know?” We do know that. We really do. And session 4 she offered: “Beans has come a long way. She’s stubborn, though. Like sometimes I feel like maybe she’s trying to get one over on me?” Exactly.

So, like a 5th year senior, Beans will be staying at the farm with Darien for an extra week. I’m sure she’s the Big Dog on Campus by now, probably hazing the newbies, thinking about pursuing a graduate degree. She seems to love it and progress really has been made. While I look forward to having her back at the house, I can wait. My kids may write this song differently but with a better-behaved Beans, the Saturdays ahead are wide open.

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17

BUSINESS

Retail � Projects � Profiles

Indie Spirit Developer Gene Kansas leans into adaptive reuse and supporting peoples’ dreams

Constellations

Gene Kansas inside Indie Studios during its construction phase.

By Collin Kelley Commercial real estate developer Gene Kansas – whose projects include the award-winning Constellations building in Sweet Auburn and the newly opened Indie Studios on the Armour – Ottley Loop – credits his flair for hospitality by growing up surrounded by the colorful denizens and music of New Orleans and summers in laid back Los Angeles.

“When I was growing up in New Orleans, I was fortunate to be exposed to a lot of different people through my parents,” Kansas said. “Artists, musicians, writers, alligator wrestlers, policemen – a real gumbo of New Orleans. Then we’d go to Santa Monica in the summer. I loved the fresh air and chill atmosphere. It was easy, fun, and cool. That always stuck with me.”

When Kansas was approached by David Minnix, the co-founder of audio-visual company CineMassive, about designing a workspace for creatives, he went back to Los Angeles for inspiration.

“I went walking around the Venice canals in the morning, spent time in Malibu, went hiking, and stayed out late,” Kansas said. “I realized I wanted something that was a mix of the LA of my childhood and today: Indie films, music, tons of indoor-outdoor space. Maximize joy instead of parking. Put in a garden.”

18 March 2021 |

Kansas said when the 190 Ottley Drive property became available, he knew it was the perfect spot for Indie Studios. “I walked in and the lightbulb went on,” he recalled.

“This was the place that could work.

It’s this beautiful midcentury modern warehouse with these beautiful ceilings and so much light.”

The 35,000 square foot warehouse has now been transformed into a “culturally-based shared workspace” with nine large studio space and 14 “suites” for private offices situated around porches, patios, an “incredible sound system,” and the front garden. MA! Design is Human, BAUX, Silver Studio Architects, Huff & Co., SolAmerica Energy, InSight Design Interiors, and Victory Brands have already taken up residence – or soon will – at Indie Studios.

Kansas said the design decisions he and his team made two years ago to include

VA-Hi Building

indoor-outdoor space and porches became “quite apropos” with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. “No one wants to go back to the typical office space,” Kansas said. “There’s lots of privacy at Indie Studios, smaller spaces, the indoor-outdoor space. It’s great timing.”

Like most of the projects that Kansas and his team have worked on, they didn’t set out to do Indie Studios.

“I find this happening more and more where things just come to us,” Kansas said with delight. “If you watch that great documentary about the Bee Gees on HBO, they talk about how all those hit songs just came to them out of the air. That’s how I feel about projects like Indie and Constellations.”

And like the Bee Gees, finding harmony is essential. For more than 20 years, Kansas has leaned into historic preservation, adaptive reuse, community building, and storytelling through the built environment.

This mindset began with the historic preservation of the Atlanta Daily World Building in Sweet Auburn, which earned him accolades from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Then came Constellations, the nearby culturally-based workspace, which was honored with a Development of Excellence Award from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission, Atlanta Regional Commission, and Urban Land

Institute. Kansas was also the creative mind behind the marketing and design contest that helped save the Clermont Hotel, as well as with the creative repositioning of Amsterdam Walk, Historic Commercial Row, and Sweet Auburn Curb Market.

His latest project is a partnership with the Atlanta Preservation Center to preserve the “VA-HI Building” in the VirginiaHighland neighborhood. The building, constructed in 1925, will continue to be home to longtime tenant Paolo’s Gelato, along with new concepts Kinship Butchery and Pizza By The Slice.

He’s also staying on the Armour Ottley Loop for another project, which is taking an existing warehouse and turning it into a “smart and healthy” workplace. “If you work in a warehouse you should have a great work environment that considers the people who work there,” Kansas stated.

Kansas said supporting people and their goals is what drives him and given him an egalitarian spirit about the projects he works on. “The biggest lesson I learned is that I’m in the hospitality business. It’s about creating community and culture. Our job is to support other people’s goals, missions, and dreams. It’s not about renting space – it’s about supporting other people. Without the people, the place is irrelevant.”

For more about Kansas, visit genekansas. com.

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19

BUSINESS BRIEFS Bert Weiss

▲New City Properties is preparing the former Georgia Power staging area adjacent to the Atlanta BeltLine’ s Eastside Trail for vertical construction of its 12-acre Fourth Ward Project. The mixed-use development at Historic Fourth Ward Park will feature 1 million square feet of office space (including Mailchimp), 200,000 square feet of retail, a boutique hotel, and more than 1,000 residences. The first piece of vertical construction is a new elevator that replaces the winding Gateway Trail that will whisk BeltLine users down to the property and park.

The Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) will hand out a second round of RESTORE ATL grants, totaling $180,000. The funds will be distributed to Black-owned small- and medium-sized businesses throughout the metro Atlanta region, providing immediate gap assistance to Black business owners adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

▼Longtime Atlanta radio personality Bert Weiss and marketing expert and author Chris Tuff have created Pionaire, a boutique podcast consulting network. The group’s first client is “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kim Zolciak and her “House of Kim” podcast. “Right now, the podcast landscape is extremely crowded, so it’s

Chris Tuff

critical to develop talent in a way that can cut through the noise,” Weiss said. “Working with someone like Kim, you never know what she’s going to say next, but you do know it’s going be 100 percent honest. Our talent agency will remain focused on bringing this same level of authenticity to each client within our network, as Pionaire is purposefully only accepting a small client roster that hinges on the chemistry between our team and those we represent.” For more information, visit pionairepodcasting.com. ▼Lincoln Property Company announced that SRS Real Estate Partners has been selected to lead the retail leasing for Echo Street West, the 19-acre mixed-use development under construction on the Westside. The first phase encompasses 300,000 square feet of creative office, 50,000 square feet of retail, 3.4 acres of outdoor entertainment and gathering areas and 300 multifamily units. For more information, visit srsre.com.

Atlanta’s TSW Planning, Architecture & Landscape led by developer Charles Brewer and architect Douglas Duany were awarded the 2020 Urban Guild Award for Design Excellence for their work on Las Catalinas Beach Town, a master-planned resort town on the coast of Costa Rica. For more, visit urbanguild.org.

Mainsail Lodging & Development is completing work on the restoration of the historic Garner-Wallace Hotel at 551 Ponce de Leon Avenue, which will be known as the Wylie Hotel. Built in 1929, the building went through a number of incarnations, including home to Mrs. P’s Tea Room and the nightclub MJQ, which was originally located in the hotel’s basement from 1965 to 1997. The new 111-room boutique Wylie Hotel will pay homage to the past with its restaurant Mrs. P’s Bar & Kitchen as well as host weddings and parties, including full hotel buyouts guests’ arrival. Follow along on Instagram at @wyliehotel and @mrspsponce for news and updates.

MARTA has joined a new partnership with the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council to participate in the Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection (GMPC), a mentoring program that matches small businesses with a corporate mentor that focuses on best practices, infrastructure and other areas of opportunity. MARTA will take a leadership role in the next class of the GMPC by supporting a cohort focused specifically on industries related to transportation. For more information on the GMPC, visit georgiampc.org.

20 March 2021 |

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

Microsoft to make Atlanta one of its largest hubs

JUST LISTED! LUXE

By Collin Kelley Microsoft has announced its plans to make Atlanta one of its largest hubs with a Westside campus and data centers in both south Fulton and Douglas counties.

Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a Feb. 11 news conference with Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Gov. Brian Kemp that the tech company was making a longterm commitment to Atlanta, including the 90-acre campus at Quarry Yards in the Grove Park neighborhood.

Smith said before the campus is built, Microsoft plans to engage the community about its wants and needs.

He pledged that 25 percent of the 90 acres would be given to Grove Park for affordable housing, supermarkets, skill Microsoft’s Atlantic Yards office centers, or whatever the community needs to help it grow. Smith also said the goal was to make the campus one of the most sustainable in the world, including zero waste.

Microsoft purchased the Quarry Yards site, which was originally envisioned as an Atlanta BeltLine-adjacent development of offices, retail, and homes. The property sits near the future Westside Park, which will become the city’s largest and include a new reservoir at the former Bellwood Quarry site.

The campus and data centers, one of which will be located near East Point and the other in Douglas County, will bring thousands of construction and full-time jobs to the region.

Bottoms said she was “inspired by Microsoft’s commitment to the community” and her discussions with the company were revolving around making sure the “Westside isn’t left behind.”

Microsoft is currently completing buildout of a new artificial intelligence and cloud computing center at the Atlantic Yards building at Atlantic Station in Midtown.

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21

SUSTAINABILITY

Recycling � Resources � Lifestyle

In Praise of Vegetables, and Less Meat

Above the Water Line Sally Bethea

F

Sally Bethea is the retired executive director of Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and current board president of Chattahoochee Parks Conservancy.

ood has been on my mind, more than ever, over this past pandemic year: how to purchase it safely, what to cook for all the at-home meals, how to keep from gaining weight given the proximity of my refrigerator on endless, shut-in days—and how to help those who don’t have enough food for their families. More than fifty million Americans have experienced food insecurity during the pandemic, many for the first time. I’m grateful for the local food banks that are working heroically to fill empty stomachs; they need our support.

When sheltering-in-place began a year ago, I ordered groceries for delivery to my home, but decided, after a few months, to take advantage of the early morning hours for the “elderly.” I (desperately) wanted to get

22 March 2021 |

out of the house. I wanted to select my own food again, although my trips to the store felt like carefully planned strikes inside enemy territory: mask on, detailed purchase list in hand, running shoes to help quicken my pace, and eyes laser-focused on slow shoppers who might get in my way. No dawdling to admire the produce, no chit-chatting with store employees, and no eye contact with other shoppers.

At home, things were different. I had plenty of time to focus on food: cooking, eating and also thinking more about where our food comes from and how it’s produced. But, what to cook? Since my sons left home many years ago, I haven’t had much of a relationship with my oven, except for making occasional meals for friends and family. I’m a grazer who typically eats small meals (snacks) throughout the day. The pandemic pushed me into my kitchen for a number of reasons, including the fact that I now have a (quarantining) nightly dinner companion.

In the 1950s, TV dinners were a special treat in our home; vegetables came in cans, if at all; and tuna casserole with creamed soup and potato chips was a favorite. My mother loved meat (the rarer the better), carbohydrates and desserts. I don’t think I tasted fresh brussels sprouts, which I now love, until I was in my sixties. (In fairness, Mama became a very good cook, after we grew up, but was never a fan of vegetables.)

As the pandemic worsened, I looked through my old recipe box and realized that its contents no longer reflected the eating habits I’ve acquired later in life—primarily vegetables, seafood, and dairy.

Inspired by the need to help produce nightly pandemic meals, I threw away most of my old recipes (except for a few favorites), perused my newer cookbooks, and signed up for regular emails from New York Times Cooking. A new world opened before me! With time on my hands, I created an organized binder of mostly plant-based recipes. This past year has been all vegetables with some seafood—and only a handful of meals with meat; research has tied red meat to increased risks of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. I feel great and even enjoy cooking again.

It’s also satisfying to know that my new (mostly) plant-based diet is not fueling the greenhouse gas emissions compared to those from meat production. The way we grow our food, what we eat, and what happens to excess and waste are all essential parts of our carbon footprint. Food production is responsible for one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. More than half of these emissions come from meat and other animal products through land use changes (forest to pasture) for livestock, methane (cow burps and manure) and farm processes, such as the application of fertilizers.

This doesn’t mean that everyone should become a vegetarian to help save the planet.

We simply need to eat fewer animal products – the equivalent of one and a half burgers per person per week, instead of three burgers per week, which is the current level in the U.S. According to the World Resources Institute, this dietary change alone would eliminate the need for additional agricultural expansion (and deforestation), even in a world with ten billion people.

Buy less meat, milk, butter and cheese (this one is really hard for me, but I’m working on it…); eat more locallysourced, seasonal food; and throw less food away. In good news for breweries and beer drinkers (like me), climate experts say it’s better to imbibe draft beer—fewer emissions associated with the production of recyclable cans and, worse, glass bottles. In Georgia, if only ten percent of our population shifts to predominantly plant-based diets, it will help us reduce our state’s carbon footprint by a third in ten years: a goal that is eminently doable, according to Drawdown Georgia (drawdownga.org), the first state-centered effort to “crowdsolve” for climate change.

As difficult and tragic as this past year has been, I’ve found a few silver linings, as I’m sure you have as well. This slowingdown has not been all bad; it’s allowed more time to explore our neighborhoods, walk in local parks, look at old photos and movies, and plan future adventures.

While finding my way around the kitchen again has been another happy result of the pandemic, I’m even more excited about my plant-based future. It’s good for the health of the planet and better for my own health.

I think I’ll roast some more brussels sprouts for dinner.

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

Park Pride awards $1.3 million in grants

By Intown Staff Nineteen communities across the City of Atlanta and unincorporated DeKalb County have been awarded $1.3 million in the Park Pride Grant Program.

To date, the nonprofit has awarded over $10 million to park projects through their Grant Program, helping to fund improvements that include new playgrounds, bridges and piers, ADA-accessibility upgrades, kiosks and signage, trails, exercise equipment, community gardens, green infrastructure, art installations, and more.

Legacy Grants (City of Atlanta) ■ The Friends of A.D. Williams Park will remove old and outdated playground equipment and replace it with a play environment that will truly transform the park.

■ The Friends of Anderson Park will beautify the entrance to the swimming pool with a mural by a local artist depicting community heroes.

■ The Friends of Atlanta Waterworks Park will complete the first phase of installation of an innovative playscape representative of the journey of water treatment.

■ The Friends of Cascade Springs Nature Preserve will create a more welcoming greenspace with an ADAaccessible pedestrian entrance, more places for people to gather, and increase safety with lighting.

transform an unused acre of space into a vibrant dog park that will invite and welcome new users into the greenspace.

■ The Friends of Center Hill Park will install new walking and biking trails, as well as reclaim park land through the removal of invasive plant species.

■ The Friends of Sidney Marcus Park will undergo a comprehensive makeover, adding trails, addressing flooding and erosion issues, and more.

■ The Friends of Dean Rusk Park will undergo a park renovation, with improvements that include a formal overlook highlighting the park’s stormwater retention lake, a gazebo, ADA enhancements, new entrance, trails, benches, and several other new amenities.

■ The Friends of Freedom Barkway will enhance the enjoyment of people and pups alike through the addition of lighting and other amenities, such as a dog washing station, water fountains, and shade structures.

■ The Friends of Little Nancy Creek Park will address flooding issues through a variety of green infrastructure interventions, such as rain gardens, to alleviate the negative impacts of erosion.

■

The Friends of Mozley Park will

■ The Friends of Pittman Park are very excited about the installation of outdoor basketball courts.

■ The Friends of Underwood Hills Park are excited about the installation of a new playground for neighborhood kids to enjoy.

■ The Friends of West Manor Park look forward to strolling and exercising along a new walking trail around the perimeter of the park’s baseball diamond.

■ The Friends of Woodruff Park will create a more welcoming greenspace in the heart of Downtown by removing barrier walls and enhancing ease of accessibility.

A new dog park will also be added to the delight of Downtown residents!

Community Building Grants (City of Atlanta and DeKalb) ■

(DeKalb) will convert a historic homestead into a pavilion and nature center where park visitors can gather and connect with each other.

■ The Friends of Hairston Park (DeKalb County) are looking forward to the peace and respite found within a new serenity garden, complete with walking paths and bench swings.

■ The Friends of Melvin Drive Park (Atlanta) will enhance the park’s physical activity offerings by creating walking trails just steps away from the recently installed fitness equipment.

■ The Friends of Little Creek Horse Farm (DeKalb) will enhance the park with an ADA-accessible overlook, visitor’s center, and signage.

■ The Friends of South Atlanta Park (Atlanta) will benefit from new entrances and trail connections at Bisbee and Martin Streets.

To learn more about Park Pride grants, visit parkpride.org/we-can-help/grantprograms/.

The Friends of Briarlake Forest Park

Sustainable sculpture installed at Georgia Tech As part of Georgia Tech’s commitment to sustainability, Georgia Tech Arts commissioned a new natural-material installation by internationally acclaimed regenerative design artist Patrick Dougherty. Sponsored by the Kendeda Fund as an extension of its gift to Georgia Tech that led to the construction of the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, the installation is now open to the public on the EcoCommons greenspace next to the Building. The sculpture took 15 days to build, 150+ community and student volunteers, and a tractor trailer full of saplings sourced from Serenbe and Piedmont Park.

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

March 2021 | INTOWN

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Under Contract

Recently Sold

Million-Dollar Marketing in All Price Ranges

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MORE THAN $146 MILLION SOLD AND OVER 200 TRANSACTIONS SINCE 2019

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11 LAUREL DRIVE OFFERED FOR $808,500

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March 2021 | INTOWN

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HOME & REAL ESTATE

Trends � Development � City Living

Renovation Boom Local contractors and designers say pandemic has spurred desire for improved space

Two projects from CR Home Design Center: A renovated kitchen offers more prep room and easy-to-clean surfaces, while homeowners are craving creature comforts like a new master bathroom (inset).

footage, wanting to update and upgrade everything, and in some cases completely rebuilding,” she said.

Van Lear said now that everyone has grown comfortable working and learning at home, she expects more people will continue to do so even when the pandemic passes.

“People want a lot more space for home schooling and offices,” Van Lear said. “I’ve talked to homeowners and they said their kids love learning at home and they’ve been more productive working at home, so lots of people are never going back to a traditional office or classroom.

Initially, Van Lear was concerned that the home renovation business would drop like a rock as the pandemic progressed.

“I’ve been very surprised,” she admitted. “I thought we’d have another 2008 recession situation on our hands with people

By Collin Kelley The strength of the real estate market during the pandemic has received plenty of media coverage, but home renovators and interior designers have also kept busy this past year. As a matter of fact, the desire to improve, upgrade, and add space to existing homes is going “gangbusters,” according to one contractor.

Warner McConaughey This indoor lap pool and workout area designed by Moon Bros. can easily adapt to a Outdoor living space and porches, like this one from Level Craft, are in big demand. of HammerSmith more outside environment with large sliding doors. (hammersmith.net) said business has been “through Before the pandemic, people wanted big, big increase in the demand for swimming hunkering down and holding on to their the roof ” thanks to the pandemic. He said open floor plans, but now they want to pools.” money. It’s been the opposite.” with people spending more time at home create nooks and corners for offices and McConaughey said he’s also seen Mark Fosner with Moon Bros. along with working and going to school study so they can have a quiet corner space homes become more multigenerational, (moonbros.com) said he’s read about the there, too, it has meant a big demand for for Zoom calls.” with space being created to welcome aging hot real estate market, but it appears to additional space or the creation of new Revamping and creating outdoor parents and grandparents. him that more people are staying put and space in existing structures. space is also huge, McConaughey said.

Virginia Van Lear with Level Craft improving their current living space. Like “People are wanting to create any “People are even spending time out in Construction (levelcraftatlanta.com) other renovators, he’s seen a big demand kind of space anywhere they can,” the cold weather, so we’ve seen requests said business was “gangbusters” because for outdoor living space.

McConaughey said. “We’ve made offices for more fire pits, heaters, and creating everyone wants more space. “We’ve “We’ve seen a massive demand for or places for kids to study out of closets, outdoor living spaces. There’s also been a had customers doubling their square screened porches and outdoor living carriage houses, sheds, and in basements.

26 March 2021 |

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

rooms,” Fosner said. “They want a place where people can gather in all seasons.”

Finishing out basements, adding playrooms, and home offices have also been ongoing themes for Moon Bros.

Fosner said with families deciding to “pod” or quarantine together, there’s been a demand for making homes more accessible, including installing elevators.

“I think we’re going to see more people living and working at home even after the pandemic,” Fosner said. “People are comfortable working and spending more time at home, so they want more creature comforts.”

The team at CR Home Design Center (CRHomeUSA.com) said outdoor living has been a running theme for the past year and expects it to continue, according to inside sale representative Kitt Webb. “I’ve seen an increase on outdoor kitchens, adding built-in grills, refrigerators and even some specialty items like pizza ovens,

and cocktail centers,” Webb said.

The company’s design director, Antonette Copeland, agreed. “People are ready to get back to some sort of normalcy, entertaining in small groups and outside in fresh air. They are wanting sustainable materials that will not be affected by the weather and want to bring their kitchen experience outside.”

CR’s custom home coordinator Taylor Gann said now, more than ever, consumers are looking for functional and efficient spaces. “A kitchen is not just a kitchen anymore,” Gann said.

“On Monday it could be your office, on Tuesday your kid’s classroom, etc. It is important that every inch is well thought out and planned so you can make the most of the space that you have. I believe that homeowners and designers will share this mindset for many years to come.”

Level Craft added a second level and large outdoor porch to this home.

Nothing sets the tone of your home’s interior

better than the lighting.

Lighting

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▼Charleston, S.C.-based Middle Street Partners has broken ground on its first Atlanta project – an apartment complex adjacent to the Atlanta BeltLine’s Southside Trail at 1015 Boulevard SE in Grant Park.

In partnership with Pacific Coast Capital Partners (PCCP), the community is slated for completion in 2023 and will consist of a sixstory building featuring 323 units. There will be a combination of studio, one- and two- bedroom units averaging 729 square feet. The complex will have 5,000 square feet of direct BeltLine frontage retail and commercial space, along with an underground parking garage, the first of its kind on the Southside Trail. In line with the City of Atlanta’s inclusionary zoning policy for affordable housing, 15 percent of the homes will be available at 80 percent Area Median Income (AMI).

REAL ESTATE BRIEFS

Bellwood Homes will build new homes on selected sites in the Grove Park, Almond Park and Carey Park neighborhoods on the Westside. Priced from $289,000, the one and twolevel home designs will range in size from 1,700 to more than 2,000 square feet. Bellwood Homes will exclusively partner with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty to handle sales. Visit bellwoodhomesatl.com for more.

The Brightstar Team | COMPASS has started construction on Phase 2 at Vernon in Ormewood, with new homes from the $600,000s built by Southwyck Homes. Located near the Glenwood Park, Memorial Drive, and the Atlanta BeltLine, the three or four bedroom homes offer up to 2,400-plus square feet of living space. Luxury features found in these homes include gourmet kitchens with stainless steel appliances, open living areas with 10-foot ceilings and gas fireplaces, extensive hardwoods, owner’s suites with dual walk-in closet and spa-like baths with oversized dual vanities. For more details, visit OwnVernon. com. ►Alair Homes Decatur won three Regional Contractor of the Year (CotY) Awards for remodeling work on homes located in two Intown neighborhoods – Grant Park and Little Five Points.

The winning projects competed against submissions from nine Southeastern states, plus Washington, DC to take home the honors from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). The three winning Alair Homes Decatur projects – a residential kitchen in Little Five and two residential interiors in Grant Park – will now be entered in NARI’s national CotY awards. Alair Homes Decatur was founded in 2001 by Peter Michelson as Renewal Design Build. For more, visit www.alairhomes.com/decatur.

Wealthtech platform Groundfloor has launched a new pilot program to spur the development of more accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in Atlanta neighborhoods where they are currently permitted. The new initiative is designed to support developers who seek financing for the renovation or new construction of ADUs, and enables investors to fund these projects through Groundfloor’s platform. Approved through amended zoning ordinances, ADUs are often used to provide extra income for the homeowner, new spaces for multigenerational living, and more

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28 March 2021 |

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

affordable rents that can mitigate gentrification, all while using existing space in growing communities. For more information on how to finance ADUs or other real estate projects, visit borrowers.groundfloor.com.

▲The 6th annual Georgia Tiny House Festival will be held at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, GA on March 20-21. According to event chair John Kernohan, the festival will have safety guidelines and social distancing measures in place. The festival will be the 20th for-charity tiny house event of the United Tiny House Association (UTHA), which has raised and donated over $693,000 from the proceeds of its festivals to over 100-plus different non-profits and local communities where UTHA has held it events. For more information, visit unitedtinyhouse.com.

Harry Norman, Realtor has announced its top performing agents for 2020 in the categories of top volume closed and rookies of the year. The honorees include The Hester Group of the East Cobb Office for #1 Overall and #1 Mega Team in volume closed companywide; Erin Yabroudy & Associates of the Buckhead Office for #1 Large Team in volume closed companywide; Kim Parmenter Team of the Atlanta North Office for #1 Small Team in volume closed companywide; Evelyn Heald of the Luxury Lake & Mountain Office for #1 Individual Georgia in volume closed companywide; Mary Stuart Iverson of the Buckhead Office for #1 Individual Metro in volume closed companywide; Skylar Brillante of the Intown Office for companywide rookie of the year; and Holly Young of the Buckhead Office for companywide rookie of the year.

Graydon Buckhead

During these uncertain times, HammerSmith is here for you and your family. We provide safe, essential services, architectural designs and home renovations. Start planning today for how to live better in a changed world.

8

Top producing Atlanta Compass agent, Nicholas Brown, has launched his new team, &Brown. Recently, Brown secured $25 million in business in partnership with luxury real estate developer Benecki Homes. For more information, visit and-brown.com.

Stacy Strobl and Kenny Lynn, regional owners of EXIT Southeast, have opened EXIT Realty West Midtown under the direction of Lisa Williams and Michael Williams. For more information, visit exitsoutheast.com.

▲ Seven88 West Midtown held a grand opening for the 22-story condo tower in late January. The luxury building at 930 Howell Mill Road has 279 residences with customizable finishes and dramatic city views. For more information and sales, visit 788WestMidtown.com.

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

March 2021 | INTOWN

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Now We’re Cooking A Q&A With Natalie Keng

By Collin Kelley Award-winning chef, entrepreneur, writer, and advocate are just some of the hats Natalie Keng wears.

Keng’s Chinese Southern Belle (chinesesouthernbelle.com) is a multifaceted business that uses food to build healthy, sustainable communities, support diversity, and strong local economies. Along with her beloved mom, Margaret, the Atlanta native offers cooking classes, market tours, custom events, and has a line of popular sauces.

NEWS YOU CAN EAT

Restaura

Women + Wine

Intown’s new columnists will introduce unique flavo

Q. ■ Last year was difficult for everyone in the food business. How was it for you?

A. ■ Like many small businesses, COVID-19 turned our world upside down. Not one channel was left unaffected. All of our food tours, cooking classes, demos, tastings and sales events were cancelled, including our beloved Annual Chinese Lunar New Year Cultural Dinner.

Stores and restaurants were all but closed, and in-person shopping came to a halt.

Shipping problems, damages, delays increased exponentially. I started hearing anti-Chinese taunts and threats that I hadn’t heard since I was a little girl growing up here – “Go back to where you came from, chink, take your virus home! – and never thought I would again.

But here we are. Instinctively, I pulled out all my American flag and Georgia Grown t-shirts and hats to wear publicly. On top of all that, my dad passed away. Good news? We won the prestigious international Sofi Award and Flavor of Georgia for Best Cooking Sauces.

Q. ■ How did Chinese Southern Belle adapt?

A. ■ I adapted CSB for survival by streamlining expenses and debt, and in the process of growing e-commerce. It takes time to scale up (or gain online access) to compete with behemoth Amazon, Instacart, etc. on pricing and fees. I will continue to focus on partnering and promoting local, woman-owned and minority-owned – fellow small businesses, farms, farmers markets and independent retailers. Personally, I dove into community service. I get much of my emotional and physical synergy from the ground up and other people. I served on the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force, the National Diversity Inclusion Task Force for Les Dames d’Escoffier, got certified as a Kaiser Permanente Health Educator, became class captain with Leadership Atlanta, and continue as a board member of ACLU of Georgia.

Q. ■ What comfort food did you turn to while in lockdown mode? Did you find a new favorite place to get delivery/takeout

30 March 2021 |

food?

A. ■ Home-cooking was Southern fusion food, of course, like Mom’s Chinese Spaghetti, 1-Minute stir fries (with our bottled cooking sauces), noodle soups with fresh vegetables from the farmers markets and sliced pig ear from Wyatt’s BBQ. My bottled family-recipe cooking sauces have made me a lazy cook! I ate outdoors or got takeout at local restaurants, re-discovering neighborhood jewels like Steinbeck’s, Anna’s BBQ, Lake & Oak BBQ, new Vietnamese spot Vietvana in Avondale Estates, Las Brasas, Royal Sweets samosas, Honest Indian dhosas and chaats, Canton House on Buford Highway.

Q. ■ Why is it more important than ever for Intowners to buy local at this time?

A. ■ It’s how we will survive and thrive.

Female and minority entrepreneurs and immigrant workers are keeping us afloat. While we get starry-eyed to grow nationally and it’s often more convenient or better pricing as consumers, the real engine of prosperity and wellness in the future is in local economies. “Local buying preference” legislation would be helpful since there are insurmountable contract barriers that keep women-minority-owned and small businesses out of contention.

Getting involved politically at the local and state level, including commissions and boards that set policy is essential. Serving in public office drove home the point of who gets what, resources, access. Sound familiar with the COVID vaccine or access to fresh food? It’s all connected, y’all.

Listen to Natalie Keng’s playlist by opening the Spotify app, clicking search, then the camera icon to scan the code above. Or just search for AtlantaIntown on Spotify.

Katie Rice, left, and Sarah Pierre at 3 Parks Wine Shop in Glenwood Park. (Photo by Isadora Pennington)

By Sarah Pierre and Katie Rice Have you ever wondered what it would be like to spend your entire workday learning and tasting wine: meeting winemakers, chatting with wine lovers, and mastering food and wine pairings?

Well, we’d like to introduce ourselves. We are Sarah Pierre and Katie Rice, good friends, long-time Atlanta residents, and both wine shop owners. This column was created to share our stories and give a little behind the scenes into the wine industry. Our goal is to answer all the questions that you may have,

but never felt comfortable asking.

Let’s start by answering question number one: No, we do not drink wine all day. But we do taste wine all day; small sips that we spit out after we’ve evaluated the flavors of wines and seeing if they would be a good fit for our clients. It’s all for education, right? And yes, we do have our favorites, but our intentions are always to introduce unique, interesting wines to the masses – bonus points if they have a great story.

We had a similar career path and we would like to share our stories.

Katie: Hello! I’m the owner of VinoTeca in

NEW RESTAURANT RADAR Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole has opened Bar Vegan on the second floor of Ponce City Market’s Food Hall. The menu includes sandwiches, salads, egg rolls, cauliflower wings, mushroom cheesesteaks, sweet potato tater tots, spins on Slutty Vegan favorites, as well as beer, wine and cocktails. Visit barveganatl.com for more info.

Pinky Cole

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

Food4Life boxes help those impacted by the pandemic

ants � Wine � Events

e

ors, winemakers, grape lovers tastings, monthly classes and supper club. In 2019, I was given the opportunity to take over the shop and split from the restaurant only to continue the mission of finding a wine into everyone’s palate.

Sarah: And I am the owner of 3 Parks Wine Shop in Glenwood Park. I established the space in 2013 with the hopes of creating a comfortable, welcoming, but mostly fun space to purchase wine. A place for wine lovers, and those eager to learn and ready to taste. Prior to opening the store, I spent most of my career working and managing notable restaurants in Atlanta and New York City including Twist Restaurant & Lounge, Houston’s Restaurant, Maialino, & Bacchanalia to name a few. My passion for hospitality and love for food and wine is evident in everything I do in the shop.

Needless to say, between the two of us, we’ve seen it all and consumed it all. We are beyond thrilled to share our stories and introduce readers to other wine professionals paving the way in the wine industry.

Katie’s Wine Pick Inman Park. I moved to Atlanta in 2001 after graduating from Miami University (the Ohio one) and found my first fine dining job with Van Gogh’s in Roswell. The wine program was stellar and the staff was seasoned and well educated. They took me under their wing and planted the seed for hospitality and wine that would lead to other opportunities managing restaurants furthering my interest in wine.

Fast forward to 2014 when I partnered with Gretchen Thomas of Barcelona Wine Bar to develop VinoTeca – a boutique shop with a tasting component that strives to not only sell great bottles, but also educate through weekly

Girl Diver in Madison Yards, 955 Memorial Drive, Suite 510, offers by-the-pound seafood, platters for sharing, and a mix of Chinese and Vietnamese comfort food. Visit girldiveratlanta. com for more.

There are a few wines that I always look to when deciding what I want to drink in my free time and 4 Monos Viticultores GR-10 from Sierra de Gredos, Spain is often one that I choose. The vines are located north of Madrid in a region that has a devotion to the Garnacha grape, but a few others are blended into this wine like Carinena and Syrah. This wine is organically grown, about as natural as you can get and made by four friends who partnered to create the label. The nose exhibits notes of ripe red berries and a lively freshness while the mouth is elegant and driven by minerality and ripe fruit. A perfect wine for sharing with the best of friends.

Isaac White and Anthony Singleton have opened Highland Bistro in the former Chef’d Up space at Highland Walk, 701 Highland Ave. The menu features burgers, wings, hot dogs, sandwiches, vegan options and more. Full menu at Postmates and Uber Eats.

Chef Mimmo Alboumeh has opened Botica in the former Watershed space at 1820 Peachtree Road offering tastes of Mexico and Spain. Full menu at eatbotica. com.

Volunteers deliver Food4Life grocery boxes.

By Collin Kelley Food4Life, a COVID-19 crisis response project, is marking a year since it swung into action as the pandemic outbreak descended on Atlanta.

According to co-founder Marlon Kautz, the nonprofit was already active in food and housing support work through Atlanta Survival Project. “We watched as COVID-19 began to slowly spread around the world,” he said. “We were tuned in to how the emerging pandemic was going to impact access to food.”

Food4Life’s usual distribution method was to set up on street corners in neighborhoods where food was most in need to give out fresh produce and other foodstuffs. The organization decided even before the pandemic started closing schools and businesses that it would deliver boxes of groceries to doorsteps, but it would need to seriously ramp up its volunteer roster.

A signup form for volunteers went up online and in 48 hours, more than 100 volunteers had signed up to deliver food. On another signup, more than 100 people requested food.

Food4Life now has 1,700 volunteers who have made more than 11,000 deliveries of grocery boxes in the past year.

Kautz said donations from supermarkets, bulk food distributors, manufacturers, and farmers have made the food distribution possible. He said the doorstep delivery model will continue beyond the pandemic and so will empowering volunteers who have their own ideas about getting food to those in need.

“We tell volunteers if they have an idea, we’ll help support facilitate it,” Kautz said.

For more information, visit atlsurvival.org.

Incoming Doughnut Dollies: The Marietta-based doughnut shop, owned by chef Anna Gatti and Chris Gatti, will open a third location in Virginia-Highland. (Spring) Maepole: The Athens favorite is opening its build-your-bowl meets Southern meat-and-three at a second location in Summerhill.

(Summer) MUJŌ: Castellucci Hospitality Group’s Westside pop-up sushi bar will open in its own space next door to Cooks & Soldiers. (Summer) Shake Shack: Sixth Atlanta location at Piedmont Park. (Late 2021) March 2021 | INTOWN

31

a stylish bar, living room lounge and an outdoor terrace. Pour Taproom, a self-serve beer, wine and cider bar, will open a 3,400-square-foot bar and restaurant with an 800-square-foot patio.

The 1,251-square-foot Holiday Bar is slated to serve from an indoor space and an expansive open-air cocktail lounge – complete with fire pits and high-top bar seating with railings. The outdoor space will capitalize on The Interlock’s open-container license and offer patrons an easy way to grab to-go drinks to enjoy on the property. Located at 1115 Howell Mill Road, The Interlock is also welcoming a slate of new tenants in the coming months including Puttshack, Georgia Technology Ventures and Chase Bank.

QUICK BITES

The Atlanta Community Food Bank will host its annual Hunger Walk Run on Sunday, March 7. The Food Bank started the community event in 1984 making it one of the oldest walk-for-a-cause events in Atlanta. This year the event will be virtual so those that want to participate can register online at hungerwalkrun.org and start walking at their local gym or down their neighborhood street.

▲The landmark Krispy Kreme Doughnuts at 295 Ponce de Leon Avenue in Midtown, which was gutted by fire on Feb. 10, will be rebuilt, according to owner Shaquille O’Neal. The former NBA star posted to Instagram that the location, which has been serving up doughnuts for nearly 60 years, would return “stronger than ever.” The cause of the blaze was still under investigation at press time.

▲The Interlock mixed-use project on the Westside will welcome three drinking establishments later this year: DrawBar, Pour Taproom, and Holiday Bar. Scheduled for late spring 2021, the 6,000-square-foot DrawBar will anchor the third-floor lobby to The Bellyard Hotel and include

▲Chef Jonathan Waxman, who recently opened Italian-inspired Baffi in West Midtown, has launched Baffi Provisions, a market that offers ingredients and select prepared foods from the restaurant. Some of the prepared food includes fresh pasta, braised pork and veal meatballs, whipped ricotta, and sauces. A selection of both chefs’ favorite pantry items – such as dried pastas, farro, Carnaroli rice, flour, olive oil, vinegars, salt, salumi, canned seafood, beans, marinated artichokes and other staples – plus wine and beer are also available. Visit baffiatlanta. com for more information.

Decatur’s Independent Distilling Company has released its first whiskey made from Georgia grown rye and malted wheat: Independent Hellbender Straight Rye Whiskey. The spirit is aged in charred American White Oak barrels and has a distinct fruit-forward flavor of plump ripe plum and cherry, dill, pumpernickel, and cocoa. The distillery was established in 2014 to produce small-batch handcrafted spirits that focus on local and quality ingredients. For more information, visit independentdistilling.com.

Colony Square’s new food hall, Politan Row, has announced its first three concepts set to open this spring: Shaun Doty’s grass-fed burger concept Federal Burger, Sang Ho’s Vietnamese eatery Bun Mi Grill, and Rob Green’s health-focused YOM.

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THE STUDIO

Arts � Culture

Beautiful Chaos

The collage works of artist Anderson Smith provoke and empower

Anderson Smith in his studio space at Buckhead Art & Co. in Buckhead Village. (Photos by Isadora Pennington)

By Isadora Pennington At the intersection of art and advertisement, the collage works of artist Anderson Smith embrace sexuality and provoke the viewer’s ideas of fashion, luxury brands, advertising, and the human form. A fashion and product photographer by trade, Smith is well acquainted with commercial brands that often utilize sexuality and the female form to sell their goods. Inundated by advertisements in fashion magazines and inspired by a love for the narrative of classic cinema, he has developed a body of mixed media work that has captured the attention of celebrities and earned him representation at several local galleries.

One piece on display features words cut out from magazines that command and empower their audience. “People love whatever you do, own your content. Look at me now boss,” it says. Surrounding these words are an array of body parts. An oversized woman’s face with eyes covered by

34 March 2021 |

metal sits atop a seated nude figure. Four legs sprout beneath the body, each sporting high heels. Peeking out behind the head is a portion of the Statue of Liberty’s green crown.

“It’s beautiful chaos,” Smith says when asked what inspires his work. “There is chaos in beauty and there is beauty in chaos. And that’s the world we live in.”

His collages embody a degree of controlled wildness in the way they incorporate images that were intended to depict refined culture and style. Smith’s pieces are composed not just of paper, but also acrylic paint, spray paint, pigments, resin, and gel mediums.

Another piece laying nearby features a young Michael Jackson peeking out from inside a denim pocket while a nude woman’s figure opposite appears to be gazing up at the scene. The piece is mostly dark with splashes of color that shine through. Across the image are a variety of

spray painted Louis Vuitton logos.

“I was really never a safe photographer and I’m really not a safe artist,” Smith explains. ‘If you look at fashion labels like Louis Vuitton there is a lot of provocation in their brand and how they display their products.”

He says his goal is to spark conversation for his audience and asserts that it is not for him to interpret his art, rather for his viewers to render a judgment about what the message might be. His works embrace the looseness of sexuality in European art and media while touching on the consumable quality of nudity and how it

is used in fashion and marketing. These pieces bring to the forefront elements that are often intended to be used subtly. By combining different figures and blocking out body parts like eyes or exaggerating certain sexualized features, he asks the viewer to consider a deeper message behind the characters put forth in fashion and advertising.

Continued on Page 36 At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

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Continued on Page 34

While the composition of many of Smith’s collages may at first look appear to be arranged at random, his creative process is actually much more methodical. “It’s very intentional, very methodical. It’s like putting together a puzzle. It can start with just one image, and that image just starts

the whole idea,” he says.

The large scale pieces offer not only composition from afar, but also hidden messages, words, and plays on words that draw you in for a closer look. The perceptive viewer can also find certain recurring celebrity characters in the mix, such as Marilyn Monroe, David Bowie, Fred Astaire, Karl Lagerfeld, and Grace Jones.

Originally from the South Side neighborhood of Chicago, Smith moved to Atlanta 21 years ago. He has lived in Buckhead for the last 11 years. His father was a photographer but the arts never really interested Smith as a young man, instead focusing on athletics. It was ultimately his love of cinema that inspired him to pick up a camera, make films, and later begin his photography career.

Known for his fashion and product photography, his client work often brings him to places like Miami where he photographs perfectly composed images highlighting swimsuits and chic poolside scenes. In contrast to the energy seen in his collage work, these photographs embody a stillness and symmetry that lends itself well to the products on display.

It was around 10 years ago that Smith first started exhibiting his collage work, which originated as a hobby he did in his spare time. In the years since he has garnered attention, gallery representation, and even landed some of his pieces in local rapper T.I.’s home. Smith and the rapper had been at many of the same events, including one at the Clermont Hotel in 2019 which included some of Smith’s collages on display. Ultimately, it was interactions through Instagram that put the two in touch and facilitated the conversation and eventual purchase of several works.

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Today, Smith can often be found working in the Buckhead Art & Company Studio in Buckhead Village.

He has been represented by Buckhead Art & Company for several years, and says it feels like he found a home there with owner Katie Jones. Behind the plate glass windows and in the shadow of a multitude of works by other renowned artists, Smith diligently works on his compositions. Surrounded by stacks of magazines, buckets of paint, blades and brushes, he creates his cheeky and provocative collages.

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In the Mix Plywood People’s Tuere Butler on working with John Lewis, favorite ATL spots challenges with returning veterans of Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom to establish the service-connected benefit of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. As a young staffer, the Congressman charged me with putting together a forum with all of the heavy hitters from the VA Administration to former Senator and war hero Max Cleland to our veteran constituents who were affected. He knew I was nervous and scared because of the magnitude and the weight of the potential outcome this forum would mean for veterans of the 5th District, but also across the country applying for service connected benefits. The Congressman told me he had faith in my ability and encouraged me to trust myself and effort put forth. It spoke volumes to me, a life lesson that will stay with me. I will forever be in awe of his memory and recall. The Congressman could recall specific details of the day, the time, who was there, who said what. Just about everything. He never forgot a face and when he said, “It’s good to see you, young man or it’s good to see you, young lady,” he truly meant it

Tuere Butler, director of operations for the nonprofit Plywood People, spent 20 years working side-by-side with the late Congressman John Lewis in constituent services and as district director. We asked her to tell us about her new role, share some memories of working with the civil rights icon, and what’s on repeat on Spotify.

Q. Tell us about your work with Plywood People and how the nonprofit helps the startup community.

A. Plywood is a nonprofit leading a community of startups doing good. Social entrepreneurship at its best. We have a strong Advisor Network (think mentors for entrepreneurs and startups) that I lead and recently just created our very own fellows program where two candidates get to immerse themselves in Plywood’s culture and our continuously growing startup family. I also oversee Plywood Place, which offers a safe co-working space for people looking for a vibey place to work. Basically, I handle the day to day operations of the organization. Plywood is very unique in that we offer coaching, assistance, and a cohort driven curriculum to startups both in the for profit and nonprofit sectors. Community is fostered organically by the rhythms and norms of daily interactions of our commuters and office tenants.

It truly is unlike any place in Atlanta!

Q. What lasting lesson did you learn while working for the people of the 5th District? Have you thought about running for office yourself?

A. Lasting lesson – people want to be heard and feel seen. No matter the circumstances, the overall need is that people long to be understood. So be available… You may not be able to help everyone with their issue, concern or challenge but treating people well and with respect even if you have to deliver news not favorable, they will walk away appreciating your intentionality

Q. What’s a fond memory – or two – of working alongside John Lewis?

A. It was 2008, and as a constituent services representative, one of my issue areas was Veterans Affairs. At the time, there were

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and integrity. Have I thought about it [running for office]?

Sure but I don’t think I will.

It’s not a desire of mine.

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Q. What are a few of your favorite things about Atlanta?

A. My local coffee shop is Dancing Goats on North Avenue. Before the pandemic, you would find my husband and I at the bar everyday chatting it up with our favorite baristas and other regulars.

If you’re into tea, Just Add Honey, which is right off the BeltLine behind Ladybird, is phenomenal! We are big on museums and would often frequent the High for exhibits; our favorites were Virgil Abloh and Basquiat.

We are also big on ramen and almost lost our minds when LA’s Silver Lake Ramen opened up right in the heart of the city. Always down to exploring new places in the different pockets of Atlanta. I love being outside, so the BeltLine is the perfect way to get around on the weekends. Never a dull moment.

Q. What song or album is currently on repeat on Spotify?

A. Promises, Maverick City Vol. 3.

Listen to Tuere Butler’s playlist by opening the Spotify app, clicking search, then the camera icon to scan the code above. Or just search for AtlantaIntown on Spotify.

Online events portal gets new name, but has same mission Online events portal Art Beats Atlanta has changed its name to Art Currents Atlanta. The website will still offer the same options for arts organizations and artists throughout the Atlantaarea to showcase virtual events, information, and classes, and member organizations wishing to submit events will follow the same policies and procedures as on the original website.

The new website is now live at ArtCurrentsATL.com and can be found on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at @artcurrentsatl.

Art Currents provides a space to share online arts programming during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a long-term goal to build Art Currents into a permanent resource for the greater Atlanta-area. The goal is also to inspire people to learn more about the arts community, and how they can become more engaged.

“The idea for Art Currents is rooted in a couple of beliefs,” says Rachel May, Producing Artistic Director of Synchronicity Theatre, and one of the founding members. “First, people need entertainment, amusement and engagement for their emotional well-being.

Since this is our business, the arts community has the innate ability to serve this need.

Second, having one place where people can find high-quality digital content will keep people engaged in the arts, and bring them back to us when restrictions are lifted.”

Atlanta Intown is a proud media sponsor of Art Currents.

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Back in the day, Chastain Park’s amphitheater was the place to see concerts On a beautiful May morning in 1978, I was an excited, nervous 25-year-old on the way to my new job broadcasting middays on WQXI in Atlanta.

Tower Place was the glass palace this legendary radio station called home. Little did I know that this day would be the beginning of an amazing, long and, I must admit, colorful career. I had experiences that most people dream of, in the greatest city in the world…Atlanta.

I’m Kelly McCoy and I want to remember/relive a lot of those experiences with any Atlantans who were enjoying concerts, clubs, restaurants and the Kelly McCoy entertainment from those days we is a veteran “seasoned” humans experienced. If you broadcaster who weren’t here then, I’m hopeful you’ll learn worked for more than four decades more about those days before we became a at radio stations in major city. the metro Atlanta I’ll maybe give you some inside scoop market before his that we people in the biz were privy to — retirement. how we were the station that the TV show “WKRP in Cincinnati” was patterned after; how on-air interviews with artists, bands and stars happened all the time since we, and our sister station 94Q were dominant in the market.

Hanging in recording studios, backstage after the show for “meet and greets,” industry parties, wild conventions, lunches and dinners with artists and musicians, and enjoying life in the semi fast lane was our way of life.

There were plenty of entertaining places to eat and drink in the mid 70s: Jeryl’s, Billy’s, Nikolai’s Roof, Manuel’s Tavern, The Colonnade. The Coach and Six was

From the Crates

This photo of Kelly McCoy and Whitney Houston was taken at a celebration of Houston’s 21st birthday at Chastain Park’s amphitheater. “Little did we know that many years later our daughters would go to elementary and middle school together,” McCoy said. “Her daughter, ‘Krissi,’ as the kids called her, is a year younger than my daughter Courtney. We saw Bobby [Brown] and Whitney quite often doing family things and supporting their child. No bodyguards, no drugs...just being normal.”

happening way before this new place, Bones, opened (in 1979). Writers Ron Hudspeth and Lewis Grizzard showed up here and there. Harrisons, Café Erewon and Cy Timmons…all great names, and places we experienced. Music, recorded or live, could be found at record stores such as Turtles or in venues such as The Omni, The Agora, the Great Southeast Music Hall.

I thought I’d start with one of the best places to hear live music that this great city has to offer: Chastain Park Amphitheatre. Chastain, before it had corporate names, was just called Chastain. I’ve said many times that there’s nothing better, and that nothing says “Atlanta,” quite like a perfect Chastain evening…definitely a crown jewel. When temperatures, and the weather cooperated, it was musical magic.

Over the years, hundreds of performances happened on Chastain’s stage. I attended scores of shows there, seeing and hearing anyone from Tony Bennett to The Allman Brothers Band.

Having worked making ads for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, I started appearing as a narrator with the orchestra and emceed a good number of Chastain shows. Of course, our radio stations usually were involved to promote certain acts. As one of the on-air people, I got to “meet and greet” the patrons, and quite often meet with the performer(s) before and after show time.

Every age group could be there. We even took our kids to see the Monkees at Chastain after their resurgence in popularity thanks to Nickelodeon. They were most surprised to see the Monkees looked like their parents and not the silly dudes on TV. Chastain’s patrons included some of Buckhead’s finest decked out in high style and rockers who rolled in from just about anywhere in the state. In those days – before catering companies would deliver your feast – menus could vary widely for the patrons who brought in dinner. Candelabras, and champagne flutes gleamed from the tables in front. A few tables away, there would be a group enjoying a KFC dinner with cold beer.

40 March 2021 |

At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

I’ve been to concerts at Chastain that were so crowded, women would go to the men’s restroom and no one cared.

Once again, these were the “old days,” and amenities have greatly improved.

You could catch any kind of act -- from Motown legends, to rockers with lots of hair.

There were big The venue is now known as Cadence Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park. names, both current and from the past.

Chastain was a favorite of Frank Sinatra. Tom Jones played there. On one of those perfect evenings, we got to enjoy The Allman Brothers with Gregg Allman.

Graydon The great blues artist BB King celebrated his 80th birthday there…what a night!

Buckhead As an evening progressed, quite often the adult beverages would usually be abundant.

One evening I heard a band say, “the more you drink, the better they sound.” This was before Uber, of course, and cabs were pretty nonexistent. Having a designated driver or behaving yourself was usually the best way to stay safe getting home after the show.

That was then. Now with the pandemic, many venues and clubs where musicians appeared have shut their doors, at least for now. According to Pollstar, the entertainment industry has lost more than $30 billion. Yes, billion.

I know you join me in looking forward to more perfect Atlanta evenings while enjoying one of the best places to catch a concert in our city, state and country: Chastain.

Editor’s Note: Kelly McCoy was inducted into the Georgia Radio Museum and Hall of Fame in 2013. Through his “From the Crates” column, he’ll revisit the days when music was recorded on vinyl and stored in open-sided wooden boxes. He’ll take a regular look at the concerts, venues and musical celebrities he recalls from the days when metro Atlanta was becoming a major music center.

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M 404.863.4213 O 404.352.2010 stephaniemarinac@dorseyalston.com

100 West Paces Ferry Road | Atlanta, Georgia 30305 | dorseyalston.com Information believed accurate but not warranted. Equal Housing Opportunity.

42 March 2021 |

By John Ruch

As summer camps return for a pandemic season, they face the same tension underlying schools’ decision on when and how to reopen: the demands of personal and public safety versus the costs of lost learning.

That goes double for arts and sports camps, where group collaboration and consistent practice are key to the fun and the education.

“Artists and human beings in general are creative, adaptable creatures,” said Lynn Stalling, executive director of Atlanta Workshop Players (atlantaworkshopplayers.com), which hosts classes and summer camp in theater and filmmaking at Brandon Hall School in Sandy Springs.” When challenges are presented, people go into warp-speed to find new ways of meeting the needs of humanity.”

At last year’s COVID-era camp, AWP film students produced a 30-minute movie called “(DIS) CONNECTED” about the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. Stalling said most of it was shot by students in their own homes with guidance via Zoom from “Emmy Awardwinning directors from around the country.” Other footage was shot longdistance, including via drones. “A very new way of filming, indeed. This was a story that needed to be told, so we found a creative way to tell it in a very different world,” said Stalling.

AWP is eagerly awaiting the postpandemic theater Agape Tennis Center world – “We are very ‘huggy’ people” said Stalling – but it’s also easing into live events. For the 2021 camp, AWP is returning to in-person programs with distancing, testing, mask-wearing and similar standard protocols. AWP has already staged live shows with performers who went mask-less after testing negative for COVID-19 immediately beforehand, Stalling said. In late spring, AWP aims to open performances to a “very limited, live, masked audience seated in ‘family pods,’” she said.

Joe Gransden, a well-known jazz band leader in metro Atlanta, canceled his four-year-old Joe’s Jazz Camp (joesjazzcamp.com) last year, which was set to host 100 students at a new location at Sandy Springs’ City Springs civic center. As of mid-February, he was unsure whether he would stage a 2021 edition for both financial and safety reasons.

One factor on his mind is what the loss of opportunity could mean for budding musicians.

“It’s depressing in the fact that, for a guy my age, for that camp to disappear for a year or two years is not a big deal,” said the musician.

“But for kids who have been there in the past, that’s the difference between high school and college.”

Charissa Gransden, who is married to Joe, is a band teacher and assistant director of fine arts at the Lovett School in Buckhead, which hosts its own array of camps. She said that, besides the usual slate of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention precautions, the band classes come with elaborate extra protocols. Brass players wear specialized Continued on Page 45 At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m

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March 2021 | INTOWN

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44 March 2021 |

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��Advertise your Camp in April camps@springspublishing.com (agapetennisacademy.com) said they have been practicing the CDC precautions for all players at their metro Atlanta centers and will do the masks with a slit just big enough for the mouthpiece, and their same for their summer campers this year. instruments may wear masks, too – a veil of fabric over the mouth of Amy Pazahanick, founder and CEO of Agape, said that has allowed the trumpet, for example. Water keys, which allow the moisture from young tennis students to stay on top of their game. breath to be drained out of the instrument, are now emptied onto toilet“Yes, our students are able to still consistently practice tennis and are training pads made for puppies. still able to collaborate safely,” she said. “The big advantage of tennis is But the biggest challenge may be the basic precautions that mean that it is outdoors. We have been very fortunate to have minimal cases a band isn’t quite a band. “Normally, I would teach 50 kids at a time. of COVID – especially with the youth – at the tennis center.”

Now I’m teaching eight or nine at a time,” said Charissa Gransden. Band “As you can imagine, it has been an exhausting task” for everyone students want to be in an ensemble, “So we are having to find different involved in the process of following the precautions, said Kathy Glanker, woodward.edu/camps ways to keep the kids’ morale up,” she said.

UTA’s summer camp coordinator. “During this time the need for some register today!

Sports camps require plenty of precautions, too, but outdoor arrive. Explore ourof full exercise camp offerings and exists for most people and we believe that tennis is level still May 24 - June 25 activities like tennis have a leg up, according to camp directors. summer experience from the moment they still a sport that can be enjoyed safely,” in Johns Creek she said.

Your child will be immersed in a one-of-a-kind Universal Tennis Academy (utatennis.com) and Agape Tennis Academy Continued from Page 42

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woodward.edu/camps HAVING FUN BECOMING BETTER PLAYERS AND BETTER PEOPLE Camps are located at DeKalb Tennis Center: 1400 McConnell Drive Decatur, GA 30033

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March 2021 | INTOWN

45

PARTING SHOTS

See more photos

@AtlantaIntown

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The April 15, 1974 edition of Sports Illustrated celebrating the late Hank Aaron’s record-breaking home run as a member of the Atlanta Braves; Sculptor Dorothy Berge’s “Sabine Woman,” originally commissioned in 1968 for Colony Squre, will have a permanent new home at Arts District Plaza at 15th and Peachtree in Midtown; MARTA’s Artbound project saw artists Jenevieve Reed, Many Dey, Krista Jones, and Angie Jerez (pictured) painting traffic barriers outside the Five Points Station.

46 March 2021 |

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CELEBRATING OUR

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48 March 2021 |

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