Plant Sales & Videodrome

- Quinn & Michael

 

 

 

I grew up in the suburbs south of Atlanta and was always a fan of science fiction and action movies. I worked at a couple of video stores in high school and while that expanded my film knowledge, it was not until I moved to Athens for my last 2 years of college that I discovered foreign and independent films. That was the time in which I totally immersed myself in cinema, going to the local theaters as much as possible, and spending a lot of time renting from Vision Video and a couple other stores there. After moving to Atlanta in 1996 without a ton of job opportunities, I took a part time job at a video store chain called Moovies in 1996. I worked at the Little Five Points location for a couple of years, and really liked the area and its customers. The store was very corporate and did not really satisfy the diverse interests of the neighborhood, so another employee, Jeff Sutton, and I decided to investigate opening a more alternative video store.

 

 

I am all over the place. I still love science fiction, but there are also some more specific genres like 90’s Hong Kong, 90’s American independent, 70’s crime, the British, Czech, and French New Waves, and Hammer Horror, that I can never get enough of. I’m always looking to watch films adjacent to those genres. I go through various stages of interests, watching and reading about one film leads to becoming interested in another. Lately, I've been rewatching a bunch of Blu-ray restorations of films from the 80’s and 90’s that I have always loved but have not seen since the VHS days. I also try to keep up with the new releases coming out.

 

 

I generally do most of the ordering (with input from our staff), picking mostly based on what customers are interested in. Our store has evolved over the years to match what the people who shop there ask for. We started as mostly an alternative to corporate video stores, carrying almost exclusively titles outside the mainstream. 23 years have gone by, and now we are the last video store in the city, so we have become a much more complete film library. The indie and arthouse and foreign and offbeat film stuff is still the backbone of our store, but we now carry a variety of mainstream Hollywood titles, as well.

 

 

I am usually not a fan of remakes. I think most filmmakers have their hearts in the right place when they attempt one, but they rarely work out.

 

 

The late 90’s was a very vibrant and exciting time in the city of Atlanta. Intown was extremely small and affordable, and I had made a lot of friends that were artists, musicians, and entrepreneurs. Everything seemed possible, and a lot of my friends were starting projects and other businesses. Running that corporate video store in Little Five Points had me thinking that the neighborhood needed a better option, and I just went for it.

 

 

About five years ago, we started to notice a decline in rental income. Our staff had a meeting and devised a plan to try to expand our brand as much as possible. We contacted the new owner of The Plaza Theatre, Chris Escobar, and asked him if we could start a film screening partnership on Thursday night where we could host screenings of our store favorites. He was down, and Plazadrome has become one of our favorite things to do outside the store. We’ve also co-hosted film related events and screenings at many bars, restaurants, and coffee shops around the city over the years.

 

 

Watch and play soccer, hang out with friends, cook dinner and watch movies and tv shows with my girlfriend.

 

 

It’s amazing how many cinephiles have popped up since the beginning of the pandemic. People had more time to dive into podcasts, interact with apps like Letterbxed, and most importantly watch films. Customers now come into the store fully armed with lists of titles that are not well represented on the streaming services. New releases are still important, but our catalog titles rent more than ever.

 

 

I’ll pick one who is gone - John Cassavetes. He pretty much single-handedly started the independent film movement in America. He was a well-known actor in the 1960’s and 1970’s who used his access and income to produce and direct a series of films outside the Hollywood system.

 

 

Honestly, I never thought it would last this long. But, at the moment we’re pretty optimistic. Streaming is fractured, expensive, and lacking a comprehensive collection of films made before the year 2000. Physical media fandom is making a comeback, and Blu-ray collecting is at an all-time high. So, as long as customers keep supporting us, we’ll be here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This time of year is always a popular time to revamp outside spaces before the heat of summer sets in. In contrast to previous years, this spring has also seen a marked increase in demand for not only beautiful flowering plants but also for so-called “victory gardens.”

 

 

The concept of a victory garden actually hearkens back to WWI and WWII when private yards and public parks were converted into plots full of vegetables and fruits to help combat food rationing and boost community morale during times of war. Given the supply chain issues and implications to our global food system posed by war, restrictions, and the lingering effects of the pandemic, many local families are taking this opportunity to begin kitchen gardens or victory gardens wherein they are able to grow some of their own produce.

 

Additionally, many local residents are interested in gardening to help our local ecosystem. By sourcing and planting native plants to help pollinators and attract birds, neighbors are actually playing an important role in the health of our plants and nurseries. After all, pollinators are responsible for bringing one out of every three bites of our food, a statistic supported by the USDA. They also increase our nation’s crop value by a whopping $15 million per year!

 

So this year, whether you’re wanting to attract birds, help pollinators and our local ecosystem, provide essential nutrients to your family and community, or simply to beautify your gardens and outdoor spaces of your home, consider investing in native plants at these great local nurseries and plant sales.

 

 

Tucked away amid the breweries and art district of Avondale Estates, Andersson Gardens is a personal favorite spot to pick up a wide variety of native plants. Here you can find garden favorites such as Azaleas, Wisteria, Boxwoods, but also a ton of great fruit trees, herbs, and vegetables. Owner Marjorie is incredibly knowledgeable and can offer great wisdom about which plants would succeed in your yard. Visit the nursery 7 days a week, open 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday and 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays at 2832 Washington Street in Avondale Estates, GA. You can also encounter the Andersson Gardens team at the Avondale Estates Farmers Market which takes place on Sunday mornings in the parking lot adjacent to My Parents Basement. More info.

 

Open Thursdays through Sundays from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, the Beech Hollow Farm outpost at 393 N Clarendon Avenue in Scottdale near the Your Dekalb Farmers Market is one of the most convenient locations to find not only native plants but also gain insights into their importance and care near the metro area. They recently added a reading room and reference room to help educate buyers about native plants. More info.

 

This traditional, independent intown nursery located at 353 Boulevard Street in Grant Park offers both native and non-native plants. Browse their selection of rare, under-utilized, and hard-to-find plants, plus edible herbs, vegetables, and fruiting trees and shrubs. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 AM through 5:00 PM, and Sundays from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, the Garden*Hood staff is knowledgeable and happy to help customers determine which plants are best for their homes. More info.

 

Sustainability is the name of the game at North Georgia Native Plant Nursery. Located in Canton, GA, things operate a little differently here. All available plants are grown from collected or nursery grown seed, division, or through other propagation methods and they are never collected from the wild. In keeping with this sustainable methodology, the majority of ephemerals are sold in the spring, pollinator plants in the summer, and trees in the fall. The nursery is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays in the spring and fall, and by appointment during the week. More info.

 

Open since 1955, Pike Nurseries was the ambitious idea of native Georgian Pete Pike who was serving in the Air Force and working part time at a nursery. He opened his first small nursery in Marietta with only three employees, sometimes having to borrow electricity and restroom access from a gas station next door. Today, Pike Nurseries has 19 employee-owned nurseries in Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina. They offer a wide selection of houseplants, annuals, shrubs, perennials, plus garden and yard accessories like furniture and decor. More info, including locations and hours, can be found on their website.

 

Founded in 1983, this locally-owned nursery is known for its wide variety of perennial and annual plants, trees, shrubs, vegetable plants, succulents, and herbs. Shoppers here can find seasonal annuals, hanging baskets in the spring and summer, azaleas, hydrangeas, knockout roses, and hosta among others. The majority of the plants for sale at Little Creek Farm were propagated or seed grown there at the nursery, ensuring that all of their plants are pesticide and neonicotinoid-free. Open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at 774 Seals Road in Dallas, GA 30157. More info.

 

 

 

 

 

The Georgia Audubon and Oconee Rivers Audubon Society are coming together to supply a large selection of bird-friendly, native plants. Interested buyers must pre-order online at Georgia Audubon between April 19 and May 15. Plants can be picked up locally at Beech Hollow in Scottdale, 389 N. Clarendon Ave, Scottdale, GA 30079 on Sunday, May 22, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and from Beech Hollow Wildflowers Farm, 1575 Elberton Road, Lexington on Saturday, May 21, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

 

Whether you’re seeking native grasses and sedges or beautiful flowering plants, the GSU Perimeter College Spring native plant sale has a wide selection of native plants. Their spring plant sale will take place at 3251 Panthersville Road on Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, open on April 22-23, April 29-30, and May 6-7. More info.

 

The North Metro Atlanta 2022 Spring Plant Sale will take place on Saturday, April 30th. Hosted in conjunction with the City of Alpharetta’s Community Agriculture Program, high school students will have the opportunity to learn about growing and selling organic produce, herbs, and cut flowers at Alpharetta’s Old Rucker Farm. The North Metro Atlanta Georgia Native Plant Society will also have a broad selection of local native plant and seed vendors. More info.