Woodstock’s Magnolia Thomas Restaurant–Gracious Southern Dining In Your Own Good Time

By: Jennifer Carter, Community Advocate
Posted: June 26th, 2009
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A Restaurant Worth “Coming Home” To…

A peaceful sense of calm leans in to meet you as you step up onto that front porch of the Magnolia Thomas Restaurant. Maybe it comes from the evening breezes that are just starting to lessen the sweltering of another Georgia summer day and swaying those rocking chairs in invitation to sit down and stay a while. Perhaps it’s the smiling face that greets you, looking genuinely glad to see you there, as you walk through the front door. Or it could be the soothing glow of the oil lanterns flickering from atop every white-linen tablecloth, already set with water and wine glasses at the ready. I have my own theory about that familiar, easy feeling you get from a dining experience at the Magnolia Thomas: it’s a feeling greatly akin to coming home, a home where you know you’ll be always be well taken care of.

Relaxed and Leisurely: A Gracious Southern Dining Experience

With an elegance refined yet unpretentious, the Magnolia Thomas owners Bill and Tom Nienburg have managed to redefine southern cuisine as we traditionally perceive it. Putting a more upscale spin on southern ”comfort food,” the menu reflects such locally-revered favorites as Georgia Coast Crabcakes, Magnolia’s Fried Buttermilk Chicken, and Blueberry Mountain Filet Mignon. Head chef Anthony Pickens, a culinary graduate of the prestigious Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, prides himself on inventing dishes for guests that leave an impression of both gastromic and visual decadence. Coupled with an inspired wine list and a list of stellar, in-house prepared desserts, the superior fare of the Magnolia Thomas has put downtown Woodstock on the “foodie” map as a small town destination worthy of big city sustenance. Perhaps best of all, the restaurant encourages their customers to enjoy their meals at the leisurely, unhurried pace reminiscent of the days when laughter and conversation still accompanied a fine dinner or brunch. Not “table turners” by any means, the Magnolia Thomas entreats you to linger a while at their table, savoring both food and good friends in your own good time.

Magnolia Thomas Information
108 Arnold Mill Road
Woodstock, GA 30188

Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 5-10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 5-11 p.m.
Sunday Brunch: 10:30 a.m - 3 p.m

For reservations or catering, call 678-445-5789 or book online at http://www.magnoliathomas.com

Estately opens to Atlanta Real Estate market

By: Brad Nix, Managing Broker
Posted: June 25th, 2009
Discussion: Comments

Estately.com recently opened it’s ‘context’ based real estate search engine to the Atlanta Real Estate Market

In their own words…. “Estately was created with the belief that home buyers need context when they’re looking for a home. At Estately you can learn about the surrounding area, the nearby shops, the character of the neighborhood and the style, size and price of a property.”

Maxsell Real Estate agents are part of the Estately network

Estately matches people who are going to buy or sell a home with the best agents from dozens of local real estate brokerages based on their area, their needs, and feedback from previous clients. When consumers sign up to work with an agent, the Estately team matches them with the best local experts for their needs. A wide variety of great agents work with estately, but all share devotion to helping their clients. When a client who comes from Estately completes a successful transaction, the agent is charged a 20% referral fee.

Atlanta Listings Added

Earlier this month, they announced the addition of their tenth metropolitan market as they bring Atlanta under their fold. Adding 127,000 listings from two Georgia MLS databases, it now brings the total number of properties for sale on Estately.com to over 459,000.

Joel Burslem, Future of Real Estate Marketing, recently had this to say… “Estately’s search tool is a very robust and impressive product, as I’ve noted a number of times in the past. It’s one of my favorite search destinations on the web. I especially like their transit search tool which calculates a property’s distance from a particular transit line. In Atlanta, you can now do these kind of searches in proximity to the MARTA line.”

Check out the results for Woodstock’s 30188 zip code:

Disclaimer: Brad Nix is Estately’s licensed broker in the state of Georgia.

Right Wing Tavern’s Woodstock Beer Festival to be Held on Saturday, June 20

By: Jennifer Carter, Community Advocate
Posted: June 17th, 2009
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Four Southern Breweries, Twelve Delicious Beers

The beer garden beckons this Saturday afternoon as the Right Wing Tavern in downtown Woodstock invites you to sample some of its impressive Southern brews. Three selections each from the Abita Beer Company, Atlanta Brewing Company, Sweetwater Brewing Company, and the Terrapin Beer Company will all be represented at the event, which will be held from 1-4 p.m. Tickets for the festival can be purchased in advance for $15 or $20 at the door. Come and join in the weekend revelry, and show your support for some great Southern beers and your favorite downtown watering hole!

Right Wing Tavern Information:

251 E. Main St.

Woodstock, GA 30188

For further information or for tickets to this event, please call 678-445-2099 or email info@rightwingtavern.com.

3 Guys Watering 1 Plant

By: Brad Nix, Managing Broker
Posted: June 15th, 2009
Discussion: Comments

This morning, on my way to a Cherokee Association of REALTORS board of directors meeting, I passed these guys watering a hanging basket plant and couldn’t stop myself from posting this tweet:

“Just drove past 3 guys watering 1 plant. Your city of Woodstock tax dollars at work!”

My twitter account auto-posts to my Facebook account, so the same message appeared in both locations. Well, after my meeting I get a call from one of our Maxsell agents. She was a key player in getting the hanging baskets of flowers placed in downtown Woodstock in a citizen effort to beautify our town. Apparently she has been getting little help in keeping these plants watered. So, she asked the city to help.

Now here I am with an interesting situation on my hands… I have potentially upset City Officials and possibly hurt the status of one or more of my agents with my recent comment. You see, we are really involved in our local community… our agents volunteer all the time, lead committees, start non-profits for trail systems, highlight the local merchants, interview citizens of the town and we truly love the City of Woodstock as individuals and as a company. Yet, I feel it my duty (and our company’s obligation) to be open and honest in everything we do or say. I truly feel that 3 guys watering 1 plant is a waste of effort (and possibly tax dollars).

So, what do I do now?

I praise my agent for leading a beautification project with obvious and immediate impact. I thank the city for the willingness to help keep the project maintained. And I suggest ways to improve the system (because I hate people who just complain and never volunteer or suggest ways to make it better)… possible solution: send 1 person to water the plants, but equip him/her with a pole and hook to take the basket down - add water - and return to hanging position. This could be accomplished with a simple garden rake if said pole and hook did not exist in the city’s closet.

Furthermore, I promise to keep our company focused on helping our communities improve (through beautification or efficiency or in any other way we are capable). I have already shared Woodstock Farmer’s Market info directly with three local citizens who are sure to join in a coming event. Heck, our Community Advocate (how many other local companies have Community Advocates anyways) just posted a great article on the new Woodstock Farmer’s Market. We will continue to support our local merchants and spotlight the faces of our community. I can only hope that our City Officials understand that we are here to help make our community a better place to live, work and play, but that doesn’t mean we can’t complain and suggest improvements as well.

Here is our slideshow/love affair with the City of Woodstock:

view photos from other local communities on our flickr page

UPDATE:

After more conversation with my agent, it seems my ‘pole with hook’ idea will not work. It seems that using a ladder is the only way and there is truly a need to have someone support the ladder as the ground is very uneven. So, I guess we really do need 2 guys watering 1 plant. but 3?

Woodstock Farmers Market Kicks off its Summer Season

By: Jennifer Carter, Community Advocate
Posted: June 15th, 2009
Discussion: Comments

Locals Gather in Downtown Woodstock for Home-Grown Music and Veggies

An air of festive abundance emanated from Fowler Street this past Saturday as locals gathered to stock up on fresh greens, preserves, locally-produced specialty cooking oils, and hand-cut flowers. Before I could even see the Woodstock Farmers Market, I could hear it. The acoustic guitar melodies of local musician Shane Cunningham rose up into the early morning, leading the way to the lot appointed for the market next to the new Woodstock development. Upon my arrival, I was happy to amble through the line of vendors, sampling various jams and picking my family’s fresh produce for the week straight from farmers’ baskets. On site to represent the Canton farm Sweetwater Growers, James Dault was eager to discuss his hydroponically grown specialty greens, culinary herbs, and award-winning herb infused oils. Merrily McLaughlin’s signature line of sauces and jams, products of Woodstock’s own Merrilily Gardens, also graced the tables and the most discerning palates at the market. The Greenprints Alliance’s Brian Stockton was also on hand to distribute information and appeal for support for their worthy project of adding sixty miles of hiking and biking trails throughout the city.

Woodstock Farmers Market Information:

The Woodstock Farmers Market will be an on-going summer event scheduled every Saturday, June 13-August 29, from 8-12 a.m. The selection of produce will change depending on the season and vendors present. For more information, please contact farmersmarket@oldetownewoodstock.com Come on out and support your local growers!

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