Going Up?

Loft Living

The open living areas and wall-less space of a loft is often refered to as the "raw" area. This raw area takes on many meanings to different loft dwellers but overall it represents spatial freedom. This space is the epitome of loft living and the essence of the lifestyle. The traditional idea of raw area brings up images of abandoned New York City warehouses where starving artists found refuge and not the refined loft of today's modern age.

For many who seek this lifestyle the appeal is the ability to design, customize, and personalize their own space. The open layout and design of a loft allows the loft dweller to be creative and define every nook and cranny. Loft seekers who dream big desire lofts that have the right amount of raw area to contain all that they envision. Raw space allows dwellers the ability to define their world from professional to personal and beyond.

Loft living is an expression of personal taste. Loft living is about freedom, a quality of life, and contemporary urban living. Loft living can be luxurious, minimalist, eclectic or artistic.

Get your chance to see first hand some of the great lofts in Downtown Augusta. See what all of the talk is about loft living and the modern lifestyle this First Friday, May 4, 2007.

For more information about Historic Augusta's Downtown Loft Tour, check out www.historicaugusta.org
or call 706-724-0436.

Clap If You Believe

The Davidson Fine Arts production of Peter Pan will have people clapping long and loud this weekend, and not just to save Tinkerbell. Children and adults alike will be caught up in the excitement and fantasy of this classic story brought to life about a boy who doesn't want to grow up. After all, most people are still kids at heart.

Davidson Fine Arts presents three performances of Peter Pan this weekend:
Friday, April 20, 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 21, 1 p.m. & 5 p.m.
Admission: Davidson Fine Arts Students $10; Senior Citizens/ Children/ Students $11; Adults $12
For more information visit http://davidson.rcboe.org/home.aspx.

Creative Ideas

Sometimes the best marketing ideas are relatively simple, and they produce benefits that far outweigh their production cost. First Friday is obviously one of them. After reading all of the creative and thoughtful responses to the "First Friday" post I thought that this might be a good opportunity for all of us to throw out a few of the ideas that have been rattling around in the backs of our head to see if any of them might lead to something worthwhile. The pub crawl (Beer and Loathing is great Coco and D) is a prime example. I have two ideas that I would like to throw out for comments or criticism. The first is January promotion that would run for 3 or 4 weeks. The theme is diner and a movie. The imperial would run a series of old movies on Tuesday nights (think Bogart and Hepburn) and patrons could attend for free if they got a coupon from one of the downtown restaurants or other participating businesses. The businesses could set their criteria fo receiving the coupon, and the next morning the Imperial could redeem the coupons for cash. My other idea is for a major free concert downtown funded in part by some of the larger downtown businesses. Beamies and The Boll Weevil could provide a thousand dollars each, for example, which could be meaningful if a few (20 to 25) other companies would participate at the same level. This would then be the seed money to bring in major sponsors and produce a big time show.

First Friday, Art Event or Retail Event

If April's First Friday was and example of what to expect in the future then the event may well be doomed. First Friday has certainly had difficulties in the last couple of years, and these difficulties can be traced directly back to the parties that were in charge of coordinating the event. The Arts Council now is the co-ordinating agency, but I think that this is a mistake because, in this case, the interest of art and business are not parallel. For example January's first Friday was a warm day with the promise of threatening weather. Late in the afternoon there was an anouncement from the Arts Council that First Friday was cancelled. A retail prespective would have been to announce that the street events were cancelled, but the restaurants and galleries were still open. As it turned out it never rained and a good opportunity was wasted. Downtown retailers are independent business owners who have made tremendous sacrafices to start their businesses. We have to pay the rent and make payroll through the good months and bad months. Street artist often are in business for the price of a saxaphone and are under no obligation to press on when it becomes inconvenient.

Catch "Greater Tuna" at Le Chat Noir

For those who missed the first weekend of Le Chat Noir's current production, "Greater Tuna," there are two more weekends to catch this hysterical satire about life in Tuna, Texas' third-smallest town. This is a great choice for those who want to have a fun, and funny, night out.

"Greater Tuna" is showing April 12-14 and 19-21 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15. Reserve your tickets early since seating is limited to about 80 people. For more information about "Greater Tuna" and Le Chat Noir, visit http://www.lcnaugusta.com/ or call 706.722.3322.

Parking Management is Key

Downtown Augusta is choking on its own success. In 1996 when the Soul Bar and Nachos were just getting started you could stand in the middle of 10th and Broad on Saturday noon and not see more than a handful of cars. Today most of the parking is gone by early morning. Unfortunately many of the spaces are occupied by employees and residents which discourages shoppers and diners. From time to time the city funds a study which usually results in a pie in the sky approach to downtown's parking problems, but before we demolish half of the town to build parking garages why don't we first manage what we already have. For example on 9th street near the amphitheater parking is restricted around the fountain, presumably for aesthetic reasons. Yet Riverwalk is a public park funded by the very people to whom access is being denied. The parking garage at the convention center behind the Marriot is also also a public facility which loses money, so you would think that the city would have at least one sign directing visitors and locals to use it, right? Well it's not that obvious to whomever is in charge of such things. So here are my 7 simple low cost steps to better parking: (1) Use Common sense. (2) Provide safe off street parking for residents and employees. (3) Re institute metered parking in the Broad Street parking bays. (4) Enforce 2 hours parking restrictions (5) Give property owners tax abatements for providing public parking on vacant lots in high density areas. (6) Designate George Patty as Director of Downtown Parking and implement his recommendations. (7) Stop funding parking studies

The Outsider

It seems some feathers are ruffled from my first post on the new and only independent voice of downtown Augusta! Why are people so offended with good news and praise for the real “doers” who are making great things happen? I guess that’s what happens when you are in the fray!

The mean spirited rag called my column a “fawning imitation”! I have always been one to make lemonade out of lemons so the way I look at it is BAD PUBLICITY IS FREE PUBLICITY! I have been so busy answering my fan mail…thanks to everyone for your positive feedback!

In addition, I have received several posts from some dude named “coco” asking if I was writing about his message board.

No “coco”, I was not talking about you!

Why would I?

Sorry man, but who the heck are you?

First of all I write about people I know personally and second of all, about those who are making a difference…for the better.

Like Justin Anderson, owner of the new theater off Broad, Le Chat Noir. Now here is gentlemen, who like Deke and Julian, has invested money in our downtown and restored the old Capri Theater. Not only is the finished product “top gun”, but so are the plays and musical performances. It is a grown up place and non-smoking to boot. If you have not been, please visit this new jewel on the corner of 8th Street & Ellis.

Rick Toole of Toole Engineering has purchased the building on the north side of Broad at 10th. Currently an elevator shaft is being constructed on the exterior of the bldg. and interior improvements are underway and soon he will relocate his engineering firm there. Thanks Rick for your investment and your true commitment to downtown Augusta. You have “staying power” as well.

Congratulations Flash Gordon, new director of the James Brown Arena, for a fun-filled family evening with the Harlem Globetrotters. Not only is Flash investing his time and efforts in booking class acts at the arena and bringing folks downtown, he has invested a lot of sweat equity in the downtown business he owns, Pyramid Records.

Hats off to the new business association, Downtown Augusta Alliance or DA squared. This enthusiastic group plans to work with the Downtown Development Authority to promote downtown. New marketing campaigns and events are in the planning phases.
Another great example of movers and shakers who take responsibility for their individual successes…doers not talkers.

And finally, thank you Damon Cline for the great new business section in the Monday Augusta Chronicle. It is so refreshing to hear the good things that are going on in the area. I actually display your publication on my coffee table for guests to see.

And that mean spirited rag is used to line my kitty litter box.