In a Tuesday evening Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission regular session, Jessica Reynolds presented the commission with news that the city of Athens is now the newest 2021 Georgia Exceptional Main Street community.
Reynolds is the director for the Office of Downtown Development at the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, which manages the Georgia Main Street Program. Downtown Athens will receive a gateway sign that will read âWelcome to Downtown Athens, A Georgia Exceptional Main Street City.â
Reynolds gave credit to the Athens Downtown Development Authorityâs âcommitment to excellence and stable leadership.â She said over the past three years, downtown Athens has seen $118 million in both public and private investment.
For the past year, K.A. Artist Shop has been shuttered, limiting its service for local art lovers. This month, the business will open its doors for in-person shopping.
Kristen MacCarthy opened K.A. Artist Shop in 2014 after falling in love with the studio space. After starting out as a way to expand her Etsy shop, MacCarthy soon transformed the studio into what it is today â an outlet for various creative services like selling art supplies, teaching art classes and photographing and printing artistsâ work.
Over the past year, MacCarthy has been offering services through curbside pickup and live streamed art classes. In December 2020, she announced that in-person shopping would be available through appointment only, limiting the storeâs capacity to three shoppers at a time. As of March 12, exactly one year after shutting its doors, MacCarthy said that her store will reopen completely for in-store shopping.
Bob Sleppy: When the Music Stopped
February 26, 2021
Nuçi’s Space
Athens’ once vibrant music scene has been muted. And for now, the town just isn’t the same. Especially for the musicians themselves.
The pandemic’s impact on the music community last spring was swift. One Athens-based band was onstage in the middle of a set when its musicians learned the rest of the tour was canceled. In a matter of days, people in the industry lost their livelihoods and their outlet for social connection and self-expression.
“It wasn’t just people losing their jobs. Our entire industry stopped,” says Bob Sleppy
The visual contrast between the scruffy, long-established bar and the refurbished sandwich shop next door on W. Washington Street was hard to ignore. Indicative of a trend in downtown Athens, both businesses are gone now, replaced with something shiny and new.
Uncle Ernieâs Pub nâ Grub and The Max Canada â the two adjoining businesses at 235 and 243 W. Washington Street â officially closed their doors early this January. Both businesses were managed by father-son duo, Ernie and Daniel Battinelli.
The space will be occupied by a new tapas and cocktail concept called Paloma Park, slated to open this spring. According to Daniel Battinelli, Jason Dunn is taking over. Dunn owns and manages Infusia Inc., one of the many corporations involved in downtown development projects, and has held management roles at places like Sandbar and Buddha Bar.
The City of Niota has several projects in mind for 2021, including the return of its annual festivals.
Niota City Mayor Lois Preece shared her hopes for the new year, starting with the cityâs plans for the water department.
âWe had a water grant a year or so ago to improve our rate in controlling water loss,â Preece said. âWe have gradually improved on that and we will be installing automatic read meters, which will also help in that process.â
The city also received a grant for the sewer system, which officials plan to use to replace the equipment that had been installed 46 years ago.