Sunday, April 27, 2008

Senoia Arts on the Move!

I heard rumors that the city of Senoia (in Coweta County) was in the midst of embracing the arts. Little tempting bits of information were being dropped into conversations that had me curious. So, Friday I took a drive down with a friend to have a look.

The town certainly has changed! Stores have been renovated and cute little shops had popped up since the last time I wandered through. I noticed a sign on one door referencing an art show, unfortunately, I was too early. The opening reception was Friday night, something I had to miss as it wasn't on the schedule and something else, not as much fun I think, was.

However, I told my husband about some of the interesting things I'd seen and he surprised me by suggesting we head down there for brunch at the Veranda Historic B & B Inn this morning. What a great treat! I'll be sharing a bit about our great experience at the Veranda in our Fayette Food and County Cuisine sections later.

After enjoying the great meal we toured the Veranda and spent some time talking with owners Rick and Laura Reynolds. We touched on their interest in the arts --- sounded like there's going to be some great things happening in that regard at the Veranda. More on that in another column once I learn more.

We left the Veranda and headed around the corner to the main drag to hopefully stop in some of the little stores. First stop was the Art Show I'd noticed on Friday. They had just opened the doors. Ten to twelve artists from the area have work on display. They are only open on weekends through Memorial Day. Saturday hours are 11 - 5, Sunday they're open from 1 - 5. Some of the work has already sold! Not bad for being open such a short time.

Now here's some of the rumors and tidbits I've heard... The movie studio, Riverwood, is building a bunch of condos that they'll be leasing. They'll also be using them for a movie set if my information is correct. Anyone leasing a condo has to agree to go out the back exit only when the studio is filming. I understand they're trying to attract artists, and that the condos will be leased at a fair price. I'm going to be putting in a call to the studio to find out more about this exciting venture (and to verify the bits I'm hearing).

There are some beautiful old homes for sale in the Senoia downtown area. It's a strange mix of old 1900's homes, some government duplexes, old brick home from maybe the 50s or 60s and a few more modern home stuck in the middle. There are untold numbers of new subdivisions going up - and it looks like they're selling, which is surprising in the current economy. I didn't see anything to rave about in the subdivisions, but then I'm not one to care for cookie-cutter homes. I prefer those old Victorian houses that have so much flavor! I don't live in one, probably never will, but I can still like them...

I didn't get to stop in any of the other little stores, ran out of time. I'll be going back just to check them out. I may save up my pennies and buy one of the pieces of art in the show. I saw a number I'd like to have.

I'll be sharing more on Senoia. As an artist I hope they make it work. I did ask about lease pricing on some of the stores on main street... I was surprised at how high the prices were! I could be wrong, but it sure seemed like they were out to make Peachtree City pricing look reasonable in comparison.

-jmd

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