Subway restaurant coming to Town Center in Watkinsville

Watkinsville diners will soon have another choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Town Center.

Normally this would not make me bat an eye, but biking past local restauranteur and former UGA football coach Ray Goff coming out of Mirko's Pasta, I saw a "coming soon Subway" banner adorning the middle section where the clothing store used to be. Once upon a time there was a Quizno's where Mirko's is, so things have changed in this downtown space before. I would well imagine Mike Thornton is behind this one as well, but I do not know that.

There are some Oconee County diners who will surely be happy to have a choice out of the David Weeks continuum of Mirko's and Barberitos and not wanting to take their family to Chops and Hops. There are others who dread the continued encroachment of a national chain and would rather keep Watkinsville weird (to paraphrase a slogan swiped from Austin and fitting for Athens).

I worry about the negative effect on the sales to Krimson Kafe and the Big Easy. One Subway cannot kill the character of our lovely county seat, but it can make us increasingly bland and generic. I will probably try their new egg white breakfast thing sometime, and am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. My son loves the turkey sandwiches at Subway after sports practices, and I guess this one is a little closer to my house.

Watkinsville is a wonderful place with soul and funky places of commerce that can co-exist with the mega-chains, but only if we choose to vote with our wallets and pocketbooks. Go to Girasoles, eat at Aunt Gail's, support our unique businesses or we do risk running our town down to a level of Snellville or any other faceless suburban sprawl.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jeff Dantzler's arrests may be the best thing that ever happened to him

THis has next to nothing to do with Oconee County with the possible exception of the location of his former office, but a former colleague of mine on the radio got popped today for four counts. Any one who has listened to 960 the Ref AM sports talk radio or heard the UGA Lady Dawgs or men's baseball team has surely heard the encyclopedic knowledge of one Jeff Dantzler. Jeff and I are pretty much diametrically opposed poltically, but today he was arrested on four counts including DUI. I hope he gets the help he needs following his incarceration. I work for a lawyer who could help him out if he does not having someone already representing him. This man is a great broadcaster and I hope this arrest serves as a wake-up call for him and his rock and roll lifestyle. I live a far from perfect life myself but long ago and far away I learned how and when not to drink. Now we will be without he dulcet tones on Lady Bulldog broadcasts as well as on Georgia baseball games and also on the after...
Read more

A deep wound waiting to be healed - restoring order and dignity in the city cemetery

Image
The Watkinsville City Cemetery is an oasis amidst the houses on the east side of the municipality, near the neighborhood once called Sidney. There is a large section of the cemetery that remains a mystery, but perhaps we can work together to dignify the eternal resting spot somewhat better than the current neglected and forgotten (not to mention unmarked) graves of 70 people, more than likely of African-American descent. They deserve to be honored as well. An effort has been undertaken to repair the graves with fill dirt to stop the continued erosion amongst the graves. The most recent grave and bench belong to Larry Sheats,  and as any one who played basketball at Herman C. Michael Park or knew him otherwise  can attest, he was among the best people this county has ever seen. Larry was always ready to help. Now it is our turn to help. Do it for someone you knew there, maybe the Hardens, or the Downs, or any number of other people, but allow me to reminisce about how L...
Read more

I strongly disagree with the impending demolishing of the iconic Watkinsville Water Tower

Image
I know the Watkinsville Water Tower near where the "Big Spring" of what was one called Big Springs, Georgia serves no functional purpose anymore. I know it is a hazard. I know it is rusty and old and past its usefulness for the most part. I see a purpose beyond the aesthetic and instead as a possible financial benefit.  I know there is a way to keep it and make money for our municipality. I wonder who is doing the seemingly shoddy job of removing it (or at least preparing to raze it) and who stands to make money off that?  The dismantling of the Watkinsville Water Tower has already caused one gas leak and I can only imagine what problems await the demolition of the dinosaur.  If it is only because a group of kids have been crawling up it, then build a fence around it. I would think the City of Watkinsville would benefit and making monthly lease fees if they would instead do what about 90% of these abandoned water towers do and that is become a cellular telephone tow...
Read more