Blog

When Anthony Manetta and Taylor Bennett of Brookside Stone Mountain Senior Living reached out to the LBA, we were very happy to accept an invitation to visit. As a business sector, senior living has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and was the subject of a series of articles in the AJC at that time. The LBA is all about helping our local business community thrive and looked forward to our visit.

Brookside has been at its West Park Place location for many years and does not have the glitz and glamour you find at premier newer assisted living communities around Atlanta but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Brookside came under new ownership and management in 2018. What we found on our visit was a warm home-like environment including a beautiful garden area.  

Brookside has 45 rooms including some that are for double occupancy such as for couples and even has a memory care unit They provide assisted living care at affordable all inclusive rates, rather than the more complicated fee structure found in many communities. For clients with VA benefits, they are able to facilitate access to those funds. There are no move-in fees or long-term contracts. Respite care is also available.

Because I had recently visited Brookside, it came to mind during a discussion with a friend on the increasing care needs of a family member. Her wish was to have her mother-in-law nearby rather than in Cumming which can be a long drive to help with doctor visits and errands. I suggested she look at Brookside, a short drive from her home.

Her family member had recently spent time for rehab in a newer community with a higher end environment. She is much happier in the smaller homey environment at Brookside and enjoys frequent visits with her family. She is relieved that the monthly cost of Brookside is mostly covered by her Social Security plus VA benefits.

I’m not sure if my friend would have thought to look at Brookside if I had not suggested it. The holidays are often a time to observe and discuss the care needs of loved ones. Should that be the case, consider a visit to nearby Brookside Stone Mountain Senior Living.

We had a great time at our Zoom LBA meeting yesterday interviewing Scott Mecredy of Music On Main Street or MOMS. The interview was recorded so you can enjoy the entire session (see link at the end of this post).

Scott pays tribute to his own late mother not only in the naming of his and his wife's business (MOMS) but also in the charity Gracenote Foundation. The foundation promotes the role of music in child development, throughout adult life, and within communities in a variety of ways. Foundation support projects have included instrument donations, camp and lesson funding and even a benefit concert to help someone from the music community fighting cancer.

In appreciation for being a positive influence on the business and extended Lilburn communities, LBA will be making a donation to the Gracenote Foundation in the amount of $100.

Link to full interview:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/QN5a3yDV17u4q1NLZ2uvHJlglcefMG2zGHAx9KpO1gjx9xvkJcy-ond2reo6yOh-G1mejnyh9CvMsXN-.05AxvutnQV6VN-aY

Brian Burchik, Community Development Administrator & PIO (Public Information Officer) for the City of Lilburn gave us lots of information on things happening behind the scenes at City Hall.  It is always interesting to hear the thoughts and efforts involved that are driving the changes in and around Old Town. The City has enlisted the help of Retail Strategies in finding more upscale businesses to open locations in our area.  A recent RFP involved development the Main Street property next to the Station Master's House.  The DDA is reviewing the submitted projects. The Steel Building on Railroad Ave is to be vacated Oct 1st and is slated to become a brewery and food hall. Stay informed on further developments on the Old Town Lilburn website and on Brian's podcast, The Burn podcast on the City of Lilburn Facebook page.

Meet husband and wife Associate Broker John Seay and REALTOR Susan Seay of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers!

Susan was born in Atlanta, and John has lived here most of his life. Currently living in Lilburn, no one knows the neighborhoods like they do. Together, they have a wealth of real estate experience and knowledge of the metro area.

John and Susan love helping others through the process of buying and selling real estate. They enjoy meeting new people, many of whom become life-long friends.

John and Susan like working together, but they each have different strengths. John teaches the prelicense class which is a requirement toward becoming a real estate agent. Susan has an interior design background and is happy to give suggestions on staging your home to sell.

In their spare time, they love travel and college football. They also enjoy finding new parks, hiking trails, restaurants, and hidden gems around Atlanta.

Contact the Seay Team if you need some guidance selling your property or finding your next home. They would love to meet you!

Crescent Sun Gallery is a small, fine art gallery located in downtown Lilburn right next to the prestigious 1910 Restaurant and Taproom. We started with just two artists specializing in photography and oil painting, but hope to grow quickly and add additional artists!

Crescent moons are a fairly common occurrence, but a crescent sun comes along only once in a while, during a solar eclipse. Since Brittany Lunsford-Kurz and Kevin Kurz, the founders of the gallery, are avid eclipse chasers, this seemed like the perfect name for the new-found gallery.

Brittany is a world-renowned photographer, with over 20 years of experience. Her photography and post-production work has been exhibited all over the country. An avid eclipse chaser, she's always got her eye on the sun.

Kevin Kurz is a photographer and painter specializing in landscapes with a pop-culture twist.

We're always looking for new artists to spotlight at Crescent Sun Gallery!

You may have noticed the consignment store, Back by Popular Demand (BBPD) on Lawrenceville Hwy close to Main Street. BBPD has been around Lilburn for 41 years. The owner Melissa Baxter began working in consignment at age 15. She purchased BBPD located in Old Town, sight unseen, 19 years ago at the age of 20. She ultimately relocated the business to the building on Lawrenceville Hwy and expanded her Lilburn offerings to cover over 8000 sq ft of space. The clothing and accessory offerings focus on name brands. They also have small furniture and household décor. There is also a Marietta boutique location

Melissa is well known in the consignment world for being forward thinking and an innovator. She founded Atlanta Consignment Stores, a local directory of Atlanta area consignment stores in 2008 which hosts bus tours, is visible around town, and has a community map of local consignment stores. She was an early adopter of LIVE “Online Shopping” on Facebook and has been featured on the front cover of the financials for USA Today in 2017.

In addition to the daily LIVE Facebook offerings, the online store was a platform that really took off during the pandemic. They are always on the lookout for new employees that love clothes and love people. She has employed high school students that worked through their college years gaining valuable business experience. With the growth in the online business they are now looking to hire a shipping manager.

Melissa approaches her personal like with the same vigor as her business life. She is strong in her Christian faith, she has 2 elementary age children (one on the Autistic Spectrum) and she fosters senior dogs, particularly those under hospice care.

LBA congratulates Melissa on her business success which is the result of hard work, risk taking and innovation. A big thank you to Sherise Sherman, store manager of the Lilburn store who did an awesome job representing Melissa and BBPD at the June LBA lunch meeting.

Teresa Ingalls is an Old Town resident and archeologist employed by New South Associates as a Digital Data Manager. These days, much of an archeologists workflow is digital. They may be hired by a developer for above and underground work to fulfill Federal permitting requirements. This can get interesting if the development is near a historically significant site.

Teresa has a side project called Keep It Historic. Here she presents short videos of historical sites that catch her interest. Her Lilburn videos cover the antique shop in old town, Salem Missionary Church and the Wynne-Russell House.

Check out her website and purchase some of her cool merchandise.

Carlos' first experience in the restaurant business was as a dishwasher/busboy where his father worked. This job was supposed to be encouragement for him to improve his school grades. He actually fell in love with the restaurant business and has worked in it his whole life, except for a construction job where he only lasted 2 weeks. It is always good to know what you don’t want to do as a career.

The 3 Agavero restaurant locations each offer a different dining experience. The Midtown location is higher priced and caters to a more affluent crowd, with a taste for high end margaritas and drinks, etc. The Lawrenceville Highway location is more suburban with lower prices but also popular for date night.  Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day are always busy at the Lawrenceville Hwy location.  The Bus is set up for fast casual dining, with a more limited menu.  He wants the Bus to be like a Mexican Chick-fil-A, with fast and friendly service, but saying “My Pleasure” in Spanish, but it did not sound quite right!

The restaurants struggled at the beginning of the pandemic but were able to make it with the support of the community.  The Bus was the first location to reopen for business, since they have the open-air patio. Carlos plans to add shade or awning to the top part of the bus, for the sunny summer days.

Important business lesson learned from his grandfather and father was work ethic.  His grandfather worked in restaurants 6 days a week.  His father, a waiter, helped Carlos learn the importance of being social and to interact with the customers, to keep them happy and want to come back.

We are very happy Carlos has made Agavero Parkside such a wonderful addition to Lilburn City Park.

----  Andrea Alvarez

Joe Goodman was the presenter at our May Breakfast Zoom meeting. Joe's lifelong love of publishing started in junior high in his journalism class, an early career with a large publishing house in NY and continued 19 years ago when he started Up Close & Person in Tucker.

In planning his magazine, Joe decided to use a Biographical/Autobiographical hook, something he had never seen with a publication. He began with a Tucker-focus, but realized the close connection Tucker had with Lilburn. Fourteen years ago he added a Lilburn addition to his offerings.

In 19 years, he has never lacked for an interesting person/story from the target communities for his magazine cover story. His subjects have included astronauts, a ghost writer of well known books, an Olympic athlete, a Freedom Rider and the organist for the Braves. His knowledge of so many interesting local residents has turned Joe into a very interesting person himself!

Have you ever thought of getting a business coach. John Davis of Action Coach shared with us 5 key areas for a successful business. Is marketing an expense or an investment? Do you use metrics in your business? What does it cost to acquire a customer? Are you able to generate passive income? Check out John's presentation.