Smith's Olde Bar forced to leave decades-old home

[JoeTarheel]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

I find the local traffic better out here. Nothing like the clogged roads of the city during commuting hours or even on weekends. Going into the city is a whole different ballgame and primarily a result of city and not suburban traffic - but I fortunately rarely have to deal with that.

I found it to be exactly opposite...in non-rush hour situations I found myself sitting through stoplights changing 3 or more times before I could get through in the northern suburbs, but in the city that would only happen if a big event was going on. On a normal weekend or non-rush hour weekday, the traffic around Midtown/Downtown and close-in areas is usually very light. The worst off-peak traffic is in the burbs, where the population has grown faster than road improvements in many cases.

[Hokiehaven]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I have had some good times at Smith's but I agree that it's time to at least change the carpet. The last time I was there it felt like walking through a mud bog.

That's true, we went once, and it was sticky and kind of gross, the carpets that is.

[atlantagreg30127]

There have been a couple of people bickering back and forth - stop - now. Stick to the topic, please.

[stillinthesouth]

Not only will Smith's Olde Bar be sticking around, it will also receive some upgrades. Nice to see this thoughtful approach to re-development instead of Atlanta's more common bulldozer approach.

An excerpt from the article Deal lets popular Atlanta music venue play on (Atlanta Business Chronicle):

Smith’s Olde Bar, an Atlanta venue that’s helped foster the city’s music scene since 1993, has a new lease on life with the help of an Atlanta real estate developer.

Charlie Hendon, president and CEO of Hendon Properties, has entered into a 50/50 partnership with Smith’s owner, Dan Nolen. Hendon bought out previous co-owner Mike Reeves and plans to inject some needed capital into the neighborhood bar.

The deal marks an exciting outcome for Smith’s, which just a few months ago was almost forced out of its 9,000-square-foot spot at the Morningside Strip Center, which sits at Monroe Drive and Piedmont Avenue.

When the property’s original owner, Beverly Taylor, died in March, the building was put up for sale. Smith’s soon received a 60-day notice to vacate, and in response, filed a lawsuit to fight the eviction.

In December, Atlanta’s Selig Enterprises Inc. stepped up and purchased the strip center for $3 million, and Hendon and Nolen were able to sign a new 5-year lease.

Now, the new partnership could help Smith’s grow toward the future, with some planned improvements in the works.

“Charlie came in and it was just like an earth angel showing up,” Nolen said. “There are certain things in Atlanta that need to stay. It’s got so much soul and so much history.”

[magnetar]

Originally Posted by stillinthesouth

Not only will Smith's Olde Bar be sticking around, it will also receive some upgrades. Nice to see this thoughtful approach to re-development instead of Atlanta's more common bulldozer approach.

Any chance we'll remember this the next time we light our hair on fire about a bit of development news? All the drama and wasted breath over this place shutting down, and it's not even going to happen.

[stillinthesouth]

Originally Posted by magnetar

Any chance we'll remember this the next time we light our hair on fire about a bit of development news? All the drama and wasted breath over this place shutting down, and it's not even going to happen.

OK, carry on. I guess you could say we waste our breath about a lot of trivial matters on C-D...

[DTL3000]

This sort of thing has been happening a lot in Atlanta over the past few years. I think Criminal Records started the most recent trend when everybody started panicking that they were about to shut down only to not go anywhere. Are places doing this to drum up hype?