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BUSINESS
jjHaiilMa March 10 -16, 2016 » Page 18A
Boutique hotel focuses on Southern hospitality
The inn may resemble an antebellum mansion, but it’s actually Previously known as Silver Hill, the boutique hotel is
approximately 20 years old. now called Stone Mountain Manor.
by Kathy Mitchell
T he white mansion-like
structure with a wide porch
and imposing white columns
that sits atop a hill on Stone
Mountain’s Main Street may appear
to be straight off the set of Gone
With the Wind, but “it’s an optical
illusion,” owner Adam Holcomb
said with a chuckle.
The building may evoke
thoughts of the antebellum South,
but it’s actually approximately 20
years old, built to give visitors to the
1996 Olympic Games a sense that
they had indeed come to Dixie.
The lodging, previously known
as Silver Hill, was purchased
last year by Holcomb, who spent
several months redecorating and
bringing the building up to code in
preparation for its reopening as a
boutique hotel to be renamed Stone
Mountain Manor. A ribbon cutting
for the facility was held March 3.
“A boutique hotel is one that
emphasizes design and personal
service. It’s a concept that started
gaining popularity in the late 1980s
and has now become quite trendy,”
Holcomb said. “Boutique hotels
are one-of-a kind. You won’t find
a chain of them. I want guests to
feel comfortable and at home and
not as though they are at one of
hundreds of nearly identical hotels.”
Holcomb grew up in Chatsworth
and attended college in south
Georgia. “I knew the north part
of the state and the south part,
but I hadn’t spent much time in
the Atlanta area. Growing up, all
I knew about Stone Mountain
was the park. Discovering Stone
Mountain Village has been exciting.
I love the small town charm that’s
so abundant in Stone Mountain
Village. My first goal, of course, is
to make a go of Stone Mountain
Manor, but my second goal is
to help Stone Mountain Village
continue to develop as the truly
special place it is.”
He said local individuals and
organizations, especially the City
of Stone Mountain Downtown
Development Authority and
the Stone Mountain Business
Association, provided valuable help
as he was preparing to reopen the
facility, which has had two previous
owners.
After working in other fields,
Holcomb was driven by shifts in
the economy to change careers. “I
was living in San Francisco when
I decided to reinvent myself. I
had always been interested in the
hospitality industry so I went back
to school and got a degree in hotel
management from San Francisco
City College. I worked six years
in hospitality there. I wanted my
own place, but even small inns in
the San Francisco area start at $5
million. So I decided to come back
to Georgia.”
Holcomb said he looked into
several properties before settling
on the inn he turned into Stone
Mountain Manor. The Old South
flair, he said, was part of the
appeal. “I was raised on good
food and good manners with lots
of charm.” Stone Mountain Manor,
he said, “embodies that Southern
charm and honors the past, while
looking forward with modern style
and amenities. It’s a lovely peaceful
setting that’s only 20 minutes from
downtown Atlanta, so guests can
come here and have the best of
both worlds.”
Stone Mountain Manor has nine
guest rooms and common areas
and gardens decorated to suggest
gracious living. In addition to being
a unique lodging option, the facility
is being marketed as an event
venue. “It’s a beautiful place for
weddings, showers, family reunions
and other celebrations. There’s a
gazebo in the courtyard that we’re
still doing a little work on that would
be perfect for a small wedding.
We’re also still designing the
gardens and those should be really
impressive when we’re done.”
Asunroom on the north side
of the building looks out on the
gardens and gazebo. “This is
absolutely breathtaking at sunrise
or sunset,” commented a Holcomb
family friend who has stayed
overnight at the inn several times.
Behind the main building are
a pool and a log cabin. Also on
the property is a cottage that is
Holcomb’s residence. “I live right
here, so I’m here nearly all the
time,” he said. “If someone wants
a tour of the property I’m usually
available to give it to them.”
COLLABORATION
DeKalb Chamber of Commerce • Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont flve., Suite, Decatur, GA 30030 • 404.378.8000 • www.dekalbchamber.org
Owner Adam Holcomb spent months redecorating before he officially opened the nine-bedroom lodging and event venue to the
public in this month. Photos by Kathy Mitchell
Dir Kal b Chamber.
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