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20 years later,
Atlanta 30306 thrives
Chris Schroder
By Chris Schroder
Twenty years ago, I quit my job and
produced, printed and mailed the first
issue of Atlanta 30306 (now INtown) to
10,000 homes and then took a long nap.
Two days later, the phone started to ring
with calls from appreciative neighbors
who agreed it was time for a positive
publication that did a deep dive on what
was then an under-reported renaissance
of close-in communities.
Today Atlanta INtown is more
secure with its fourth owner, though the
monthly has all along remained true to
our founding principles that people want
to feel connected to and do business with
neighbors, even as we were all becoming
more global.
Hundreds of people joined “the
band” to lovingly prepare the 238 issues
since then, and each have added their
own individual spice to the homegrown
recipe. Notables include my sister, some
high school buddies, my two children,
who wrote columns for years, and Jan
(whom I married 10 years ago, a few
years after we had both left the papers)
and her daughter.
One of my favorite stories was after
we started posting content on the then-
new World Wide Web. We received an
email from a new resident who said he
started reading our publication online
while living in the Northeast and was so
enamored of the people and stores we
profiled that he packed up and moved
to 30306. We were thrilled to see clips of
our articles on refrigerators all over town
years later.
In the first issue, we reported on the 12
new coffee houses opening in the ‘hood and
profiled neighbors who had built and lived
in their original houses from the 1920s.
As the years rolled on, we liked to think
we had a small hand in stitching together
what has become some of the most popular
neighborhoods in the city.
Just last month, I took a trip through
the early years as we organized a
complete collection of the numerous
newspapers we printed, and delivered
them to the Atlanta History Center to be
part of its permanent collection.
Many stores and houses have changed
names and owners since then, but the
sense of community is only getting
stronger. ESI
Atlanta native Chris Schroder founded
this newspaper from his Morningside
home. Today, he owns a PR firm in
Midtown and publishes The Atlanta 100
eNewsletter.
About the special anniversary cover
Kyle Brooks
In 2012, INtown asked Atlanta artist Kyle Brooks, who
works under the name blackcattips, to create a special
cover for our September issue featuring art on the Atlanta
BeltLine. It turned out to be not only one of our favorite
covers, but also a hit with readers and fans of Kyle’s
whimsical work.
In the spring, I reached out to Kyle about creating a
painting for our 20th anniversary issue. I gave him some
very basic parameters about size and shape, but told him to
just have fun and create a piece that not only celebrated our
two decades covering the community, but also included his
hallmark characters. Over the summer, Kyle emailed me a
rough sketch of the birthday cake, and I knew he was on the
right path.
We could have easily used
old covers, graphic fonts or
some other hackneyed idea
for this issue, but I wanted
something bold, fun and
original. That’s how I -
and Kyle - see the Intown
neighborhoods we cover.
Since that cover in 2012,
Kyle’s work has become iconic
around Intown, not only in
murals along the BeltLine and
in Cabbagetown, but in favorite
restaurants and local businesses
who have commissioned him
to bring some fun and flavor to
their establishments.
If you’ve been to Fox
Bros. BBQ, had a cocktail
on the rooftop lounge at
the Renaissance Hotel in
Midtown, picked up sweet
treat at Sublime Doughnuts,
or popped in for a beer at the
Midway Pub, you’ve seen his work.
He’s created the signs and logos
for Grant Central Pizza and Atlanta Progressive School,
painted murals for kids at WestSide Atlanta Charter School
and for parishioners for Village Church in East Atlanta.
His work is also sought after by collectors, who buy his
pieces or have commissioned him to paint murals in their
homes. Recently, he even gave an “automobile tattoo” to
someone’s van.
We hope you’ll love this month’s cover as much as we
do. If you want to find out more about Kyle and his work,
visit blackcattips.com. ESI
- By Collin Kelley
North by Northwest
After the success of Atlanta
30306, a new publication focusing
on Buckhead called Atlanta
30305 was launched in 1996. In
this July issue, all eyes were on
the Summer Olympic Games,
which would bring thousands of
athletes and millions of visitors
to the city for two weeks. There
was also a story on new places to
party in the club strip that was
known as Buckhead Village.
AtlantalNtownPaper.com
November 2014 | INtOWIl 5