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Storms leave a mark downtown
| | Early morning storms ripped through the area August 4, causing power outages for most of downtown and exterior damage to many buildings. Luvici's experienced extensive damage loosing their roof and resulting in water damage to the interior of the building. No worries, though...they'll be back. SOA will keep you updated and will announce the re-opening hopefully in the next month.
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Downtown Shirts Now at Gray & Holt
| | We love downtown Athens and we LOVE these bags and shirts. |
Show the love at Wildwood Deli
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Wildwood Deli wants to hear what their customers "love" about them. Stop by and show your love on the board.
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Upcoming this weekend...
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Bennett's Clothing 215 W. Washington Street Bennett's has extended their hours and is having a huge sale for Tax Free Weekend. Friday and Saturday 9:00 am - 5:30 pm. Sunday from 1:00pm - 6:00pm. See a sample of sale items! Belles and Beaus 210 S Jefferson Street All summer merchandise is 50% off. Also accepting fall consignment now. Trinity's 204 W. Market Street Starting Monday, Trinity's will be having a "End of Summer" sale, select items will be 50% off. Alabama Veteran's Museum Coffee Call 100 West Pryor Street Saturday, August 6 8 AM CRUISE IN Photo by Alissa Rose Clark Saturday, August 6 2-8 PM |
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"Ready, set...JUMP!" SOA trains to get to next level
| | by Diane Lehr, Organization Chair, Spirit of Athens
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Jan Miller shows examples of Columbus, MS during reception at ASU's Center for Lifelong Learning
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Jan Miller, Central District Director for the Mississippi Main Street Association, recently traveled to Athens and served as the featured speaker during a two day instructional conference. Miller provides advice and support to tweynty-one Main Street communities in Mississippi. Miller has been responsible for the creation of one of Mississippi's most walkable downtown districts, as well as one of the most lucrative festivals in the State of Mississippi. Local Athenians attended some of the meetings and learned more about Spirit of Athens' work to revitalize the downtown district of Athens. The informative Miller also showed the attendees the progress of successful cities like Columbus, MS, and other Mississippi cities of similar size. Columbus, MS was recently selected as the recipient of the 2010 Great American Main Street Award. She explained what these communities have done to improve their existing downtowns and how to secure their future development. Through the committees of Organization, Promotion, Design and Economic Restructuring, many cities have experienced positive growth and have preserved their history while growing.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) established the National Main Street Center in 1980 to provide support and to encourage the revitalization of Main Street communities based on historic preservation and sound business practices. To date, over 2,000 communities participate in the Main Street program nationwide. What began as a historic preservation program has evolved into one of the largest economic development programs in the United States.
During Miller's recent visit to Athens, she stated that this community "has great stock in historic buildings" and described many of the Spirit of Athens as "right of target." She pointed out that loft apartments and condominiums are a reachable goal downtown. She applauded the Organization Committee's efforts and their work to make the annual Awards Luncheon a huge success. The iWalk and Parking images that represented Organization Committee campaigns, were developed by Brent Hobbs, who was selected Volunteer of the Year, for Spirit of Athens in 2010. These campaign images were described by Miller as "award winning."
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Members at E/R Training Session
| She was further impressed by the business inventory collected by Spirit of Athens via the Economic Restructuring Committee goal. She hailed the Promotions Committee in its work to promote and publicize the downtown as a whole. The Promotion committee hosts events such as the Bunny breakfast and the Easter Egg Hunt on the Courthouse grounds. The Promotion committee also has two retail events annually, including the Christmas Open House event held downtown each November,in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce. She further extolled the accomplishments of the Design Committee and it's Facade Grant Program that serves to offset some of the costs associated with improving the appearance of downtown buildings. Miller offered input on several planned events and projects. She further stated that, "Spirit of Athens is on the diving board and ready to take that leap to the next level" of downtown revitalization.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact Diane Lehr @ RNbullit@aol.com or check out specific volunteer opportunities by visiting the website.
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PARKING!
| | by Teresa Higgins, Organization Committee
DID YOU KNOW? FREE parking in downtown Athens boasts 952 spaces! With 382 parking spaces available in public lots and 570 on-street spaces, there is plenty of space for everyone to come downtown to peruse the shops and enjoy a great dining experience. Next time you are downtown, make sure to notice the new parking signs for your convenience. Click here for a detailed map on all the locations of the public lots, on-street, and handicap parking.
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What's New Downtown!
| | Pottery by You, 103 Clinton Street by Letisha Brinkley, Promotion Chair
Things are shaping up this summer at one of our local businesses downtown- POTTERY BY YOU is owned and operated by the sweet Leah Handley and her two lovely daughters!:) They have had this creative business now for 8 years and their other location is off of Hughes Road in Madison, AL. Recently, they decided to bring their business to Athens and show us what they have to offer our community, with fun things like: bridal showers,birthday parties and even Ladies Night Out:)... They also participate in fundraisers as well as camps for children!! So, stop by POTTERY BY YOU located downtown next door to Athens Florist!:) At "POTTERY BY YOU EVERYONE IS AN ARTIST"
ReRuns ReSale Thrift Shop 116 North Jefferson Street
Be sure to visit ReRuns ReSale Thrift Shop at 116 North Jefferson Street. They're open Tuesday - Saturday 10-5 PM. Enjoy specials often and for those stylish seniors (55 and up), shop on Wednesdays and you'll get 40% off!!
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ReRuns ReSale Owner Kim Hill runs store with husband Michael
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Hope you enjoyed SOAP Online! Want to spread the word about our downtown, recommend this enewsletter to your family, friends, and co-workers. See you downtown SOON!
Trisha Black Executive Director |
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