Conventional wisdom held that opening a shop outside of the heart of downtown Blue Ridge’s shopping district was retail suicide. Conventional wisdom never met Michael Brunson and Jack Morton. Not ones to shy away from a challenge, Michael and Jack knew the world—or at least Blue Ridge shoppers—would beat a path to their door if they opened an elegant shop full of marvelous items unlike any others offered in town. Thus Wrapsody in Blue was born three-and-a-half years ago.

Michael and Jack first came to Blue Ridge five years ago to help their good friends—Atlanta’s 11Alive news anchor, Jill Becker, and her husband—decorate their newly purchased cabin in Blue Ridge. Like so many before them, they fell in love with the beautiful mountain town.

Michael had been working for years at the Atlanta Interfaith AIDS Network, running a day program for people with AIDS and HIV. It was taking more and more of an emotional toll on Michael to--as he says--“bury people.” Jack—who owns Indulgence Salon in Buckhead and has won four Emmy’s for hair, makeup and wardrobe—was also in a very high-stress environment. Buying a weekend cabin in the mountains seemed the perfect anecdote for their high-octane careers.

After a year of weekends spent in Blue Ridge, it was becoming harder and harder for the two to make the trip back to Atlanta on Sunday night. The desire grew strong to make Blue Ridge their permanent home.

There were two activities that Michael and Jack particularly enjoyed in the mountains—one was hiking, and the other was shopping in the lovely shops in downtown Blue Ridge. In their frequent shopping trips, Michael and Jack saw a niche that was not being filled among the great antique shops and stores that offer wonderful rustic cabin décor. Blue Ridge lacked a shop that carried new higher-end  traditional décor—something more akin to a shop you might find in Buckhead.

On one of their shopping trips, Michael and Jack noticed a “For Rent” sign in one of the buildings a block off the main shopping district. It would be the perfect space for the new shop that they had decided would be their ticket to a permanent residence in Blue Ridge. 

Wrapsody in Blue opened for business in 2005. A destination for refined shopping, Wrapsody in Blue is filled with occasional pieces of furniture--including a fascinating piece that converts from a buffet to a dining table that seats 12--decorative accessories, custom artwork, home decor, gourmet treats and hostess gifts. The items are unlike any you'll find in other Blue Ridge shops. As Michael cracks, "I'm the only antique in the store!"

According to Michael, the store’s best selling item is a line of candles from Northern Lights. Deliciously scented, the candles come in beautiful glass candle-holders that give off an elegant glow while burning. Michael and Jack were able to get the candles featured on the Today Show.  By that afternoon, their website was so inundated with orders for the candles, that folks started calling the store because they couldn’t get on the website. A year-and-a-half later, Wrapsody in Blue is still sending the Northern Lights candles to folks all over the country.

Be sure to visit Wrapsody in Blue when you are in Blue Ridge. You will be delighted, not just by the great selection of merchandise, but by Michael, who runs the store. His down-home folksy southern charm will win you over, and his wonderful shop will keep you coming back!

Michael Brunson, co-owner of Wrapsody in Blue

Wrapsody in Blue

771 East Main Street
Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513
Tel 706-258-2700 Fax 706-258-2701

We all have our tales to tell of "the one that got away." The fish--or the deal--that was within our grasp and we let it slip away.

The current real estate market in Blue Ridge is going to generate a lot of "the one that got away" tales of woe. NOW is the time to buy. Wait at your peril!

Using a year-to-date comparison, the median price of homes fell 17% compared to the same time period in 2007. (I am using median price, because a few high end sales tend to skew the average price.) 

However, if you compare August of 2007 with August of 2008, the median price differential is less than one percent.

What this tells me is that prices are continuing the stabilizing trend of the past few months.

NOW is the time to get some incredible deals on incredible properties.

Don't let this time of great opportunity slip through your fingers or you may wind up lamenting "the one that got away."

Walking into Multitudes Gallery feels like you are stepping into the middle of a living kaleidoscope. Colors swirl and bend as your eyes make their way around this magical gallery. Hand-blown glass artwork covers every surface, including pieces dangling from the ceiling.

Multitude's owner, David Alfrey, opened the gallery six years ago in the corner space of the then newly-renovated Hampton Square, a building that had for years housed the local roller skating rink. Multitudes has vast expanses of windows that make up three of the four sides of the space, providing the perfect light-filled backdrop for the dazzling glass pieces in the gallery.

David had worked for years in a glass gallery in Atlanta, so he was familiar with the top artists in the field and so was able to bring their works of glass art to Multitudes. David was also able to tap into the deep vein of talent that flows through the North Georgia mountains art community.  Multitudes Gallery now boasts close to 100 artists-local and national-whose works are on display.

David Alfrey, Multitudes Gallery Owner

  11 MOUNTAIN STREET ~ BLUE RIDGE, GEORGIA 30513
Phone: 706-632-1718 ~ Fax: 706-258-4838
Hours: Monday - Saturday 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sunday 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Closed Tuesday

www.multitudesgallery.com

The sounds of bluegrass music and laughing children float in the air along with the delicious aromas of roasting spareribs and chicken, and like a pied piper, they draw visitors from near and far to the annual Labor Day Bar-B-Q in beautiful downtown Blue Ridge.

Proceeds from the beloved annual event benefit the Good Samaritans of Fannin County, an inter-denominational group made up of members of many churches in Blue Ridge--Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Disciples of Christ, Episcopal, and Charismatic--whose mission is to assist those in financial, physical or mental need in the community.

The event is kicked off on Sunday evening with a community worship service, beginning at 6 p.m. in the park, followed by an old-fashioned ice cream social.

On Monday, delicious barbecue plates will be served from 11:30 to 6:00, or until the foods all gone!!  Dinner includes your choice of barbecue pork ribs or half-chicken, baked beans, pickles, cole slaw and bread, plus sweet Southern iced tea and homemade desserts, all for only $9.00, OR, barbecue sandwich plates for only $7.00!

Join your Blue Ridge neighbors and friends, welcome visitors to our beautiful town, and savor the delicious slow-cooked delights while you listen to the sounds of bluegrass, Southern gospel and good 'ol mountain music.  

The Labor Day Bar-B-Q is hosted each year by volunteers from the community and all proceeds benefit the Good Samaritans of Fannin County.

Please join us for a day of good food, good fun and good music, all for a good cause!

For more information, visit http://www.brumc.org/Labor_day_bbq.htm.

An article in today's Washington Post, "When Cutting the Price, Take a Big Bite, Not a Bunch of Nibbles," puts forth the premise that, when considering making price cuts to your listings, you consider one BIG cut as opposed to several little ones--even though you may eventually wind up at the same price.

The theory is that big cuts make far more of a splash than little ones and are more likely to catch the attention of other agents and potential buyers.

I can vouch for the truth to that. I have two higher-priced listings: the first started out at $799,000 and the second at $709,900.  Both are beautiful homes that two years ago would have been snapped up at these prices.  Both sets of sellers have exactly the same back-story--they built these beautiful homes with the intention of someday retiring to them. Both sets of sellers then, because of health or family reasons, opted to stay put in their primary residence. Both homes were beautifully built with no expense spared.

The $799K listing languished for months with very little showing activity. Each time I spoke with the owners, I would gently suggest that we'd get more showings if we came down in price. They wanted to wait. After all, they loved this home and thought surely someone would come along who saw the value in it and would love it as much as they did.

Finally, after several months with nary a nibble, the owners were ready to consider price change. They called me and asked what it would take to sell the house.  I took a deep breath and told them: Reduce the house to $625,000!  I explained to them what was selling at what price points. The sale of higher end homes had come to a virtual standstill, unless they were on Lake Blue Ridge or the Toccoa River. Their home was neither, although it does have amazing views of the lake and surrounding mountains.    

After a moment of shocked silence, the owners agreed to reduce the price almost $175,000!!! Within weeks of dropping the price, we had a serious offer on the property and are scheduled to close (fingers-crossed!!) on September 5th.

The second home that I had listed at $709,900, also languished. Again, I recommended a price cut to the owners. They did agree to a $10,000 cut, but it did not have an effect on viewing activity.  Because we have talked about it a lot, and they have received regular market updates, they know that they would need to come down in price dramatically to hope to sell in this market.

They are going to come into the office this week and talk about what they want to do. They are simply not ready to drop their price much more than they already have--and I can understand that. I believe they are leaning towards taking the home off the market until sales start to pick back up. In lieu of a deeply discounted price, I think that would be a very wise decision.

Bottom Line: If you hope to sell now, you must be extremely aggressive with your pricing. This market is not for the faint of heart. The alternative is waiting until the market picks up before you put your home on the market.

SSSHINEY BAUBLES is a new addition to the shopping landscape in Blue Ridge. And what a sparkly, fun addition it is! Located at 701 East Main Street, SSSHINEY BAUBLES brings to mind a small Beverly Hills boutique--the space may be tiny, but there's such a riot of dazzling jewelry, clothing and handbags everywhere you look, that the opportunity for great shopping is HUGE!   

The shop is the ‘baby' of Susan Dunahoo, a tall elegant blond who's beauty makes it easy to see why she was once a model for St. John Knits and an international flight attendant for United Airlines for 24 years. Susan and her husband-who call Atlanta home-bought a home in Blue Ridge three years ago. Since then, Susan-like so many of us who start out here part-time--has been trying to figure out a way to make Blue Ridge her full-time home. 

SSSHINEY BAUBLES started as a jewelry line that Susan has had for 11 years-a high-quality, full-of-fun, reasonably priced line of Hollywood-inspired costume jewelry. Susan had a long-held dream of expanding into clothing and handbags and opening a boutique.

Marrying her two desires of owning a boutique and living in Blue Ridge, Susan found the perfect space for her shop and--VOILÀ!-SSSHINEY BAUBLES boutique was born. The shop is open seven days a week and if you come in on Thursday, Friday or weekends, you can meet the delightful and charmingly Southern Ms. Dunahoo.

Bursting with funky and unique clothing, eye-popping jewelry, and "look-at-me" handbags, SSSHINEY BAUBLES brings a touch of Rodeo Drive to Blue Ridge.

Susan Dunahoo, Owner of SSSHINEY BAUBLES