Thursday, December 13, 2012
This week's Business Spotlight focuses on an upscale thrift store that offers "something for everyone that anyone can afford."
Mark Galloway-Stillions, owner of Margins Charity Thrift and Variety Mall, is a retired interior designer who worked for years at Haverty Furniture. Of all things, a garage sale inspired him to start the store. Because of his fantastic taste and eye for design, people were drawn to his garage sales again and again. So, he decided to rent a small space in Lawrenceville, followed by one in Decatur. But Mark has more than just a passion for design – his goal in life and business is to make the world a better place, right here in Snellville. Last year, Mark and his partner sponsored 17 homeless families during the Christmas holidays. They invited them into their home on Christmas Eve and day, and made sure the children had presents, food and a…
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Wayne Baxter hopes to take his home brewery to the next level.
Although Monkey Wrench Brewing is not yet in operation, Wayne Baxter doesn't feel that it's that far off. After home brewing for sixteen years, his dream is to own and operate a microbrewery in Snellville, or at least close by. The only thing stopping him is finding the right investors – and with his business savvy, a passionate team and optimism for the future of craft beer, that shouldn't be a problem. The market for craft beer has been growing by about 14-15% per year for the past five years. There is a trend toward buying local and drinking local, according to Baxter. “If I use honey in one of my beers,” he said, “I'll buy it from the guy at the farmers market.” He tries to include local ingredients in all of his beers, and while he …
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Find out more about the art of Shinkendo and the man behind the sword.
If you’ve ever been stopped at the light on the corner of Scenic Highway and Dogwood or Ronald Reagan, you’ve probably seen small signs advertising Japanese sword lessons. It’s a bit of an unusual thing to see advertised in Snellville, so of course I had to find out what this was all about. I first saw one of their shows at the Snellville International Festival and was struck by the grace and strength of this martial art form known as Shinkendo. Shinkendo teaches students "classical Japanese customs, etiquette, strategy and the Japanese Language to enhance technical and cultural understanding," according to the school's website. Under the direction of branch manager Nayef Smith, around twenty or so students learn an art form that was at …
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
This dance school just moved into the space formerly occupied by New London Theatre.
Triple 7 Dance Studio recently moved into the spot formerly occupied by New London Theatre, on East Main Street. After a full remodel, which included refinishing the floors, painting the walls, remodeling the bathrooms and taking down a staircase, they now have 180 kids enrolled in the program. The school was previously located in the Kroger Plaza on the Centerville side of Highway 124. Snellville Patch spoke with founder and artistic director Tamara Whitehead, who was full of excitement about the new location and plans for the future. Snellville Patch: What do you like best about your new facility? Whitehead: What’s great about the new place is that we will now be able to practice on stage, instead of asking the kids to use their …
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
If you’re looking for rejuvenated skin without plastic surgery, About Face Skin Care is the place to go.
Owned by husband and wife team Sam and Chrissy Thomas, this med-spa offers everything from facial toning to Botox fillers. Chrissy is an RN and BSN and has worked in the field of skin care since 1996. She has worked as charge nurse of plastic surgery for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and was the director of adult plastic surgery and director of skin care services for Plastic Surgery Consultants in Atlanta. Sam, a graduate of Emory University, left a career in Information Technology to work with Chrissy in 2010. He handles things like the daily operations, marketing, client retention, web development and social media, and business expansion. Snellville Patch: What drew you to skin care? Chrissy: I was a plastic surgery nurse… I trained …
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Have a taste for rhinestone-studded shoes and all things glittery?
Ta’Kisha Moore, mother of five, has a degree in criminal justice and sociology from Georgia State. Once she graduated, however, she found that she had a passion and gift for designing shoes and accessories. It all started when she went over to a friend’s house to play a game of Keno. Her friends all had cute little boxes to keep their change in, so Moore ran over to Joann Fabric’s to pick up a little wooden box and some paints. What she ended up creating was so cute, all her friends wanted one. Bling by KishaNicole was born. From boxes, she went on to add glitter, studs, precious stones, you name it, to anything that could be made just a little more dazzling. Then, when her husband bought her a pair of cute, but boring, shoes, she found …
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Look for owner Barry Ewing's specialty wheelchairs in the 2012 London Paralympics.
Barry Ewing, owner of Eagle Sportschairs, started building wheelchairs in 1979, after his brother-in-law was hurt in a car accident. His brother, a paraplegic, wanted to play sports despite his challenges, and Ewing jumped at the opportunity. At that time, there were no sports wheelchairs. Now, his company is internationally recognized. Ewing designs chairs for the Paralympics, which begin on Aug. 29 in London. Cassy Mitchell, 31, will represent Team USA in the wheelchair track and field event, and as a paracycler. She uses Ewing’s chairs, as does Tatyana McFadden, a six-time Paralympic medalist. Soon, Ewing will head to South America to design chairs for the disabled population there. He also builds wheelchairs for Wounded Warriors and …
Jeremiah Chandler
3:01 pm on Friday, December 14, 2012
Looking forward to visiting the store and seeing a play at the theatre in there. Wonderful to see Mark and his partner doing so much for Snellville and the community. Thanks for posting the article! more ›