After a much anticipated wait, locals can once again gather for a meal and a brew down by the tracks at one of Downtown Woodstock's most revered locations. The culinary creation of entrepreneur Neel Sengupta and Atlanta Chef Rob Morneweck, Freight Kitchen & Tap has announced that they are now open for business in the almost 100-year-old depot that formerly housed the Right Wing Tavern. The duo, who is also responsible for the popular Crepe Revolution restaurant in Smyrna, offers their new customers the finer side of traditional pub fare, a "polished casual" dining atmosphere and recommended …

The Bridal Exchange Boutique became part of Main Street's growing family of cozy boutiques Thursday, and owners Tracy Caron and Renee Perrelli want to celebrate in a big way. Operating as both a consignment bridal shop and the physical office space for several wedding-related vendors, the creative team behind The Bridal Exchange Boutique are all coming together for their grand opening during Friday Night Live."The vendors are putting on a giveaway for spa services; we'll be doing hair feathers, we'll be serving cake, and the photographer is offering discounts on all photography packages," …

There's another new kid on the block in Downtown Woodstock this week. Ready to cater to all your running, walking and athletic shoe needs, Natural Strides will open its doors to the public Monday.Conceptualized by the husband and wife duo of Greg and Kelly Scott, Natural Strides is staking their claim among the uprising crop of health-positive businesses moving onto Main Street, such as OutSpokin' Bicycles, Yoguri and Ember Yoga. "This location was optimal with the exposed brick and the character of downtown. A running store like this is a community, and that's what we want," Kelly said. …

Beneath the smiles of nearly one in two Americans hide the pain of suffering through an invisible, yet chronic illness. Add the stresses of full-time work, community involvement, volunteer work, a new home and a husband, and multiply by a series of small business ideas to understand the extent to which Woodstock resident and creator of the Bluehealer Diary, Angela Shipp, pushes herself.  “I know stress makes me sick,” Shipp said. When Shipp learned, at only 20 years of age, that she had ulcerative colitis, she turned her passion for publishing into a small business dedicated to helping other …

Woodstock resident Helena Paschal launched her latest venture entitled Helena’s Planners. The red carpet affair was held at the Cobb Galleria this past weekend and had a large turn out. Helena trains small business owners on the essential soft skills they need to develop their businesses such as public relations, event planning, public speaking, marketing as well as other areas. Twelve years ago, Helena began planning events as a means of public relations to promote her seminars and events. “I honestly feel like I’ve been planning events since I was a child,” she said. Correlations, Helena’s …

Parenting is no easy task. From the moment a child is born and even before, there are seemingly endless decisions to be made – cloth diapers or regular, breast or bottle, to work or stay home and on and on. Though each decision is important, few are as crucial to many parents as the nutrition their child receives. When area resident Agatha Achindu began researching baby foods for her son in 2004, she was not satisfied with the options she found on the store shelves and their seemingly long shelf-lives – two to three years in most cases. As a new mother, Achindu said she couldn’t fathom …

"Fashion fades. Only style remains." These words, first made famous by the indelible Coco Chanel, have now come to serve as the inspirational mantra for the Wild Orchid Salon, a designer boutique hair salon right here in Towne Lake. Master stylist and colorist Liza Goodwin opened the salon in 2010, bringing with her 25 years of experience in the beauty industry. A native Atlantan, Goodwin was raised in both the Buckhead and Brookhaven areas until her quest for knowledge in her trade transported her to such far flung locales as Toronto, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. "I knew I had talent …

Back in the old days in a train town like Woodstock, you could often witness kids stooped over railroad tracks on sunny afternoons placing their pennies on the steel rail and then standing back in bated anticipation for the coins to be flattened into shiny copper treasures. It was the youthful memory of this--the joy, the freedom, the exhilaration and the ultimate feeling of triumph--that served as the inspiration for the city's newest financial institution Acru and its resident coffeehouse, the Copper Coin. Matt Hames, the president and CEO of Acru, was seeking to create a unique and …

As a little girl growing up, Emily Parman didn't have to look much further than her own loving Roswell household when she needed a little crafty inspiration. "I had a stay-at-home mom who always did crafts with us, and she was always coming up with new things for us to do and make," Parman said. "My mom used to make our clothes and our hair bows." Now as a Woodstock mom with children of her own, Parman hopes to share that heirloom of creativity not only within her own family, but among the community as well.  Parman's business Doodlebug Boutique, which specializes in creative hair accessories…

According to Florida native Pacita Wilson, her Woodstock home decor store and interior design service Pineapple Park came to her one day in answer to a prayer.  Born and raised in the Sunshine State, Wilson sold her Florida business of 13 years after discovering her current location on an out-of-state design job. "We started praying about coming up here [to Georgia] seven years ago. I came into this building, and I just loved the building itself," said Wilson of the blue Victorian on Main Street. "We were designing a home for a client's lake house in Cumming, and that's how I found out about …

When Michael Farrar's grandmother "Nonni" journeyed to America from her home in Casalbordino, Italy, little did she know that she would be setting off a chain of events that would eventually lead to the dining pleasure of many Towne Lake residents. Farrar, who opened his Corner Bistro location in the Collonade shopping center two years ago, comes from a long line of food-loving family members who have not only passed on their sacred recipes, but also encouraged Farrar in his endeavors to establish his own restaurant in Woodstock. "I've always loved food," Farrar admits, and recalls making …

The lilting of a jazz piano tune, the strum of classical guitar chords or a finely pitched rendition of the National Anthem are all sounds one could expect to hear upon entering Peggy Still School of Music. The school, whose first location was founded in Roswell in 1988, was born from owner Peggy Still Johnson's strong desire to stray away from typically stiff methods of teaching music to create a unique curriculum ranging in styles from classical to pop and everything in between. When she was ready, she aligned herself with a circle of talented and multi-faceted musicians, a decision that …

When fans peel comic books away from their cellophane wrappers, they do so with an expectant level of certainty that they're going to be able to recognize the hero from the villain and discern the good from the evil. The creation of this sort of "animated sanctuary" is befittingly seductive to comic loyalists, especially in a time when making such distinctions in the "real world" has become almost, well, comical. And fortunately for the comic and fantasy-gaming enthusiasts of Woodstock, Titan Games and Comics has created a sanctuary of its own, one that encourages regulars to hang out, shop …

When you walk into Main Street's Blue Frog Imports, it's immediately apparent that co-owners Deidra Youmans and Dave Smith don't inhabit a drab, neutral world. Quite the contrary, theirs is an existence of fearless color, vibrant spirits and inspired artistic talent that they are eager to share with their patrons and other would-be artists. After six years in business in their Alpharetta location, the couple were attracted to the downtown scene of Woodstock for its revitalized beauty and its growing community of creatives who share their interest in the arts. Specializing in folk art, …

Annette Esposito has certainly come a long way, both in miles and magnitude, since her days attending to Hollywood celebs at Tiffany's in Beverly Hills. Now as the owner of Holly Springs Jewelers and a graduate gemologist with 30 years of experience, she still fondly remembers her fledgling days in the jewelry business. "It was quite exciting in the '80s," Esposito said of the experience. "It's kind of funny what goes on behind the scenes...all the movie stars that come in through the back door and leave through the front. Ladies would try on dresses, and I'd have to carry the jewelry to them…

As you walk through the swinging door of the Nifty Thrift, the first thing you'll see behind the counter is the taped-up photo of Anthony, a little boy from Bolivia whose serious face betrays his age and for whom your dollars will probably mean his dinner. But just as poignant is what you won't see: the recently removed photo of Maria, who with the help of proceeds from the thrift store, was finally able to move with her family out of their Peruvian ghetto and no longer needs financial help. Or, a little closer to home, there's the Woodstock single mother of six who was finally able to …

Just a stone's throw from Downtown Woodstock, shoppers will discover a refurbished warehouse that is filled to the brim with eclectic goods, lovely vignettes and two owners who have devoted their lives to providing their customers with the unique details that turn a house into a home. Karen Bennett and Lisa Welty, who opened The Woodstock Market in November of 2008, have done well to transform a once defunct Walmart shopping center into one of the city's most attractive shopping outposts for everything from antique furniture to local produce. "Don't let our location in an old Walmart
 …

It was on the sands of a Sanibel Island beach off the Florida coast that Pat Tom and his wife first conceived the idea for what would eventually become Towne Lake's premiere wine shop. Always an avid birdwatcher and nature lover, Tom observed the kingfishers and knew immediately that would be name of his newest venture. Tom, who came from Columbus to open Kingfisher Wine Shop in 2007, loves to welcome Woodstock residents to educate them and share his knowledge about wines from all over the world. "We love wine," Tom proclaims on his website. "Our business is organized around the philosophy …

Housed inside the red brick walls that once divided the Woodstock streets from its ne'er-do-wells, Salon Bastille has taken up residence as one of this town's most reputed boutique style salons. The 1914 former jailhouse, complete with its original iron bars and a ring of warden keys outside of its old holding cell, has been transformed by owner Ashley Bahlau into a French-inspired hair studio that still preserves its historic charm. Bahlau admitted to having no immediate intentions of opening up her own place until she was driving one day in 2009 and saw the "For Rent" sign that would change…

There's a place on Highway 92 where two men have managed to bring hard-core Harley bikers and self-professed remote-control helicopter "geeks" under one roof. Scott Queen, a master of Harley Davidson customization and 10-year owner of Cherokee Choppers, has invited heli-enthusiast Rob Dix to join his team. Queen, who grew up in a family who loved to build things, has always sought new and innovative ways to improve his business. As for his work on motorcycles, he's gained a reputation around town for being a being a sort of "magican" with metal, turning the simplest of designs into works of …