Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2B
Tourist sites hope Georgians come low lake
Helen sees big turnout for Memorial Day
By Harris Blackwood
FCN regional staff
Kay Mathena believes
gas topping $4 a gallon will
present an opportunity for
tourism this summer in
Helen.
“We’ve got 4 million
people in Atlanta and every
survey says that they are tak¬
ing shorter, three-day, four
day or weekend trips and are
staying within two to three
hours of home,” said
Mathena, executive director
of the Helen Chamber of
Commerce. “That’s right in
our bailiwick.”
By midweek last week,
more than half of the motel
rooms in Helen were booked
for the Memorial Day week¬
end, which Mathena said
was an indicator that most
would be full for the holiday.
The same was true at
Lake Lanier Islands, where
the reservations started com¬
ing in midweek, according to
BANKING from IB
“We want to make certain
the overall development is
something the whole commu¬
nity will be proud of, that will
be an enhancement to the
whole community.”
The property is under con¬
tract and Barrett hopes to close
within the next 45 days. He
said the bank still is working
on logistics and design. But
plans for the mixed-use devel¬
opment include office space,
some retail and maybe a
restaurant. The development
won’t include any residential
units.
“The most important thing
to me is that we deliver some¬
thing that is really appealing
for the people in the city of
Cumming and Forsyth
County,” Barrett said.
The bank opened for busi¬
ness Jan 22 at its current loca¬
tion on East Maple Street.
Though it’s early, Barrett said
he is pleased with the bank’s
steady progress and is “happier
with where we are than I dared
to hope we’d be at this point.”
“Banking is not a sexy busi-
PAWN from IB
onties.
“We look at everyone the
same, whether they come in and
buy something or pawn some¬
thing,” Everett Smith said.
“You’ve also got to have a
pawnshop that services different
classes of people.
“You’ve got to have service
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Items sit neatly on the shelves and inside the case as Smith works at the register at
his new business.
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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS — Thursday, May 29, 2008
Grier Todd, chief operating
officer for the resort.
Todd said they anticipat¬
ed a good weekend, especial¬
ly with the Bpach &
WaterPark open for the sum¬
mer.
Memorial Day signaled
the start of the major tourism
season in North Georgia.
While the mountains have
their highest visitation dur¬
ing the fall leaf season, the
return of warm weather
brings outdoor enthusiasts to
the region.
Tourism is big business in
Georgia and, in 2007, con¬
tributed $846 million to the
state’s economy.
But Stefanie Paupeck, a
spokeswoman for the
Georgia Department of
Economic Development,
said one part of the state’s
tourism effort has been to get
Georgians to visit their own
backyard.
“We’re constantly mar¬
keting what we have to the
■
-
.
Hope Baker, a personal
banker, works Tuesday at
Community Business
Bank.
ness,” he said. “It’s about being
steadily and thoughtful in your
approach.”
Steady and thoughtful is
how the bank plans to
approach its development. Last
week, it received approval for
its rezoning request during the
monthly meeting of the
Cumming City Council. The
for people today that can’t
afford to put gas in their car.
And you’ve got to have service
for someone coming in to buy a
nice piece of jewelry or good
equipment or an ATV - and can
afford it.”
Sean Smith said business has
been steady at Five Star Pawn
typically found in a western
national park lodge.
Nearing completion are
six lakefront villas, which
can accommodate larger
family groups under one
roof.
In Helen, the summer
season kicks off in mid-June
when the Festhalle will fea¬
ture performances of
Bavarian music Saturday
nights and Sunday after¬
noons.
Further north, the moun¬
tain towns of Hiawassee and
Blairsville also are anxious
for their share of the tourism
dollars.
Cheryl Smith, regional
tourism representative for
the Georgia Departmgnt of
Economic Development,
said tourist-dependent busi¬
nesses are optimistic.
“Lake Chatuge is at full
pool and everyone there is
hopeful, Smith said.
“People work hard and
deserve a break and, hope¬
fully, they will take it here
in Northeast Georgia.”
Georgia audience,” Paupeck
said. “A lot of people in
Georgia need to discover the
unexpected. Most people
don’t know that we have the
largest kangaroo population
outside of Australia in
Dawsonville.”
She said Georgia has
great treasures throughout
the state.
“The German history and
heritage in Helen is a huge
draw. Our history in
Savannah is also a huge
draw. Our job is to make
sure people know about
them, but also go out and see
them.
For Todd, Memorial Day
also marked the unofficial
opening of the resort’s newly
renovated Emerald Pointe
Resort.
The 18-month renovation
has transformed the contem¬
porary style hotel into a
more rustic lodge, with
exposed timbers and room
furnishings that would be
property was rezoned from
office professional to central
business district.
Grant Schmeelk, the bank’s
senior vice president, is orga¬
nizing the new property.
Schmeelk, who specializes in
construction and real estate
lending, hopes the bank can be
at the center of the city’s busi¬
ness district.
Schmeelk said the bank
will be in partnership with the
surrounding businesses, which
likely will buy the remaining
surrounding parcels.
44 We will not be in the
development business, we’re in
the banking business,” he said.
“We want to be convenient for
everyone in the area and we
wanted ... to do something
architecturally significant to
help foster the redevelopment
of the city.
“I think it’s a business des¬
tination, and that’s the flavor
of our bank it’s a business
bank.”
E-mail Jennifer Sami at
jennifersami@forsythnews
.com.
since it opened about two
months ago.
What makes his pawnshop
different than others in Forsyth
County, he said, is its clean,
upscale nature. There’s no clut¬
ter, the showcases are lit with
track lighting and the merchan¬
dise is new, clean and in good
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Carter Barrett, president, Jill Nanney, assistant vice president, and Grant Schmeelk,
senior vice president, sit in front of the building plans for the new Community
Business Bank.
condition.
“We won’t buy junky stuff,
or outdated items as far as tech¬
nology,” Sean Smith said. “We
price our stuff below most of the
competition and we’re nego¬
tiable on our prices. Nothing
here is set in stone.”
Over his time in the pawn
industry, the younger Smith has
seen an extensive collection of
merchandise, from gold and fine
jewelry to a pressure washer.
Perhaps the most memo¬
rable customer was one who
tried to pawn his driver’s
license. The conversation did
not go well for the seller, he
recalled.
He wanted about $25 and
you can get one for $15, so it
wasn’t a great bargain chip he
had,” Sean Smith said.
The shop’s name is based, in
part, on the negative stereotypes
often associated with pawn
shops.
■. When a lot of people think
of a pawn shop, they think of a
dirty, dingy place where the guy
sitting behind the counter is
smoking a cigarette or cigar,”
said Sean Smith, adding their
environment couldn’t be more
different. “It’s a very friendly,
customer-driven service-related
pawn shop. "
He said Forsyth County is a
great location for his business,
citing residents who are “very
friendly and understanding.
E-tnail Jennifer Sami at jen
nifersami@forsythnews.com
Memorial
Day sig¬
naled the
start of
the major
tourism
season in
North
Georgia.
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Sean Smith looks over some of the video games avail¬
able at the store.
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