4B
FEATURES
The Paper | Thursday, July 16, 2015
Sips n Strokes is now operating in Hoschton Grand opening celebration held for new family venture that offers kids, adult classes By FARAH BOHANNON
fbohannon@clickthepaper.com
Hoschton’s newest business, Sips n Strokes officially opened July 9 and kicked off their first day with a grand opening celebration. More than 20 women attended the celebration and had a great time painting, sipping beverages of choice and socializing with friends. Owner Sally Cobb said she was thrilled with such a wonderful turnout and is excited to run such a fun place for people of all ages to gather in Jackson County. Cobb’s husband, Joe, principal of West Jackson Middle School, was in attendance as well as their children, Griffin and Ella. Joe helped Sally’s event to run smoothly, and Griffin and Ella were wonderful helpers as well, greeting guests, providing canvases and paint swatches and directing everyone to their seats. The guests chose between a hydrangea painting or a wine glass one, while an interim instructor guided them through the process of painting. Everyone was focused, and enjoyed a relaxing evening at Sips n Strokes. Sips n Strokes is a franchise, with locations in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama, but the Cobb family makes it feel like a family-owned business since everyone, even the kids, chip in to help. Sally frequently attended classes at other Georgia locations, and formed relationships with the owners. After a lot of discussion and positive uplifting, Sally made the
decision to open one in Jackson County. The location is perfect because it is halfway between Jefferson and Braselton, convenient for all residents and even those in the surrounding cities. “I am so excited and could not be happier,” said Sally. “We will offer kids classes in
Faraj Bohannon The Paper
On its opening evening, Sips n Strokes welcomed nearly two dozen to put their creativity to work on blank canvasses while they enjoyed the company of others and some snacks and sips of their favorite beverages. Below: Sally and Joe Cobb and their chidlrne, Ella and Griffin are excited about the new venture which is a family affair.
Faraj Bohannon The Paper
An interim instructor at Sips n Strokes shows off twoof the artistic creations which grand opening attendees could select from. The decor is highlights with masterpieces of inspiration and even includes a wine bottle being poured into a wine glass to showcase the socializing atmosphere proomoted at the businesss.
Saturday mornings, as well as classes and parties for adults. Our hours vary, so I urge everyone to check our calendar to see what we will be doing.” The calendar for the Hoschton location can be viewed by visiting www.sipsnstrokes.com, followed by clicking on the “calendar” tab at the top of the page. Click on “Hoschton” and that will show the calendar, paintings and hours. Sips n Strokes exists to let its customers of all ages and experience levels un-
leash the artist from within. Customers create their own masterpieces with easily understood, step-by-step guidance from a trained instructor. Wendy LoVoy is the original creator of Sips n Strokes, which originated in Alabama in 2003, and set a goal of teaching art in a “different” way. That is still the goal today, and so many customers have fallen in love with this concept. Food and beverage is not provided at Sips n Strokes, but customers are welcome to bring their favorite beverage of choice
as well as bites to snack on while painting. “The beauty of the franchise is that there are thousands of paintings in the database, so we do not have to start from scratch,” said Joe Cobb. “We have already had a lot of fun here, and cannot wait to continue to serve the community.” The Hoschton location is at 55 Freedom Parkway, in the shopping center with Laguna Mexican Grill and Traditions Nails & Spa. They can be reached by calling 706-988-6902.
Braselton DDA focuses on promotion of businesses By FARAH BOHANNON
fbohannon@clickthepaper.com
The Braselton Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and the internal committees gave an official report with progress and updates during the DDA’s monthly meeting held July 9. The economic development Committee is excited to visit Avalon, located in Alpharetta, during their next small town visit. DDA treasurer Cindy Green invited all of the other members to see how other small downs operate on a regular basis, and said she hopes to see what works for them as well as share successes that happen here in Braselton. The group plans to schedule this on a Saturday in the next few weeks. Another exciting update from the economic development committee is that they plan to participate in a “First Impression Exchange.” “We find a partner town, and create a checklist,” said Green. “If you live in a town, you may not see certain things that outsiders may see. We also might want to consider partnering with a larger town that could serve as a mentor, like Gainesville. We are going to come up with a list of potential first impression towns, and are excited to move forward with this.” Cheri Huff and the design committee have a meeting planned for July 13, and mentioned that they are still seeking additional volunteers. The lighting of the town’s trees is still out for bid, so this committee currently waits for this project to be given the thumbs up. DDA member Robbie Bettis commented on the beauty of the rear of the Braselton Brothers Store, which has recently been given a colorful makeover by Lloyd with The Garden of Braselton. The design is beautiful, and the center focal point is eye-catching. Bettis, head of the promotions committee, announced that in December, there will be a Christmas caroling event. It will take place Dec. 12 from 5-8 p.m. Downtown Director Amy Pinnell reported she plans to recruit
various organizational and business groups to join in on the fun—churches, daycare centers, etc. “We think that this will be something that not only the carolers will enjoy, but I think at the time, the store owners will enjoy it as well. We will also have a best Christmas tree competition where carolers will vote.” Bettis said there will be two winners of the best Christmas tree competition. Each downtown business can do whatever they please to promote their businesses during this event. Events like this allow people to linger and explore downtown as much as possible. the promotions committee is currently in the process of creating a logo. “We want to pick something that we can use for a long time,” said Pinnell. “We will use this logo on letterheads, T-shirts, tote bags and items that we can use for fundraising. We do want an image that represents Main Street and the Main Street program.” Green agreed and said the logo needs to represent Main Street, especially since the town worked very hard to achieve Main Street status. She also mentioned that the rough draft that the committee provided looked awesome, but that the outline of the Braselton Brothers store needed to be softened, and not too “bold.” DDA vice chairman Clay Eubanks agreed, and said that Main Street must be represented on the logo. He also said that the colors can be changed up based on the season and where it will be displayed. Pinnell urged DDA members to look at logos from other towns to get ideas and to share thoughts with her. Promotions committee plans to meet again on July 20 in the Braselton Community Room near the park. Organization committee chair Cindy Phillips, who also serves as DDA chairman, was absent from the meeting. After the DDA committees updated one another with their progress, it was time for project and event updates.
Cheri Huff successfully sold two more chairs as a part of the Seat Yourself fundraiser, and has two more remaining. There are also benches left, but the plan is to save them for Toast to Braselton in October. Pinnell launched an online photo contest, where Braselton residents, business owners and employees submit a photo of a location in the town that matters to them. The contest has been extended, and Pinnell plans to promote this more in the coming weeks. Participants are to upload their photo to the Downtown Braselton
Facebook page or email it to Pinnell, who will will then create an album. The photos with the highest amount of likes will win. The deadline is July 24, but there is a possibility that it will be extended again. Phillips is in charge of Toast to Braselton, but since she was absent from the meeting, a very brief update was given by Green who said Phillips is in the process of finding a theme, but is leaning toward a Promenade to Braselton with a country western theme. The plan is to include line dancing during the event to get people on
the dance floor. There will be a silent and live auction. The date is still to be determined, but it should be finalized soon as there are already inquiries about registering for this event. McKenna Brandenburg is officially the DDA representative for Jackson County’s Got Talent, and DDA members are already brainstorming ways to receive the most votes. Jackson County’s Got Talent will take place in January of 2016. Pinnell said the DDA keeps half of what they raise through votes, which is one dollar per vote. The other half goes to the Jack-
son County Arts Council. “We want to win,” said Pinnell. “We need to promote McKenna as much as possible, so that we can get a lot of votes.” The DDA plans to ask Brandenburg to sing at Toast to Braselton and the Lighting of the Tree to start receiving votes and to get the word out about her, and agreed to brainstorm other ways to promote her. Voting at live events will be easy—payment can be made to DDA members right there, and Pinnell plans to open online payment as well.
Surgical Associates
Welcome to the Group! Pierpont Brown, III, MD, FACS; Casey Graybeal, MD, FACS; Ronald Lewis, MD, FACS; Alex Nguyen, MD, FACS; Edward Foxhall, MD, FACS; Emily Anne Black, MD; and the staff of Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) Surgical Associates welcome Sujata Gill, MD, to our practice.
NGPG Surgical Associates Medical Plaza B 1404 River Place, Ste. 201 Braselton, GA 30517 Call 770-219-9200 to schedule appointments. Monday – Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Suja
ta Gill, M Northea D st Georg ia Surgical Physicians Gro up Associa tes O fferin
g general s urge specialties r y and surgical includin • Bariatric g: • Hear tbur n/GER • Oncologic D • Thoracic • Endocrin e
ngpg.org/su rger y
Dr. Gill received her medical degree from State University of New York at Buffalo. She completed her general surgery residency at Georgetown University Hospital and a minimally invasive surgery fellowship at Emory University Hospital. Dr. Gill is a member of the American College of Surgeons, Association for Surgical Education, Association for Women in Surgery and Society of Laparascopic Surgery. Improving the health of the community in all we do