Agnes & Muriel's in Buckhead: "Out of Business!"

A hand written sign tells the story, Agnes & Muriel's is closed, for good. After being purchased and relocated to Buckhead from Midtown, the eatery was never able to recreate what it had in its previous location nor was it able to woo its Midtown clientele up Piedmont to Buckhead. There has been talk that the owner's wife became pregnant and that may have played a part, but sadly, I believe instead that it was opened at the wrong time in the wrong location. Though the lease for the space was signed in November 2008, the store didn't open till February with few visible signs of what took them so long. While it would have been nice to have an alternative to J. Christopher's and The Flying Biscuit, unfortunately that wasn't in the cards. Repeat Atlanta!

Prickly Pear Taqueria Soon to Fix Midtown's Taco Drought

Prickly Pear will open late next week in Plaza Midtown and will feature a menu similar to Tin Lizzy's and slightly lower in price than The Original El Taco. The eatery is taking roughly half of the former Amore space: the space gives them a second level of "lounge style" seating. Prickly Pear will also have an entire wall of various tequilas on the main level bar. The eatery will feature some green aspects such as refurbished Delta Air Lines seats from a decommissioned Boeing airplane. They have also utilized lettering from old airport signage, the letters "P, P and T" to represent Prickly Pear Taqueria from the rebranding of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport years ago. All in all a nice addition to the neighborhood, and at a great price considering the economy. Repeat Atlanta!

DrewLewis Takes On The Universe (al) Gear Space!

DrewLewis, currently on West Peachtree in the bottom of the MidCity lofts, is relocating. Of all things, DrewLewis, is enlarging its offerings and also its space. Despite many retailers' grim forecasts for the next few months, DrewLewis is taking its concept to the next level with a new space after having launched early last year. Taking the closed Universal Gear space in the bottom on the Metropolis condos on Peachtree Street, the new 3000 s/f space is considerably bigger than their current location. Carrying lines such as Rogues Gallery, William Rast, Band of Outsiders and Paul Smith, the store will expand its selection of its existing lines while also adding others. The store will also begin to carry suits and additional accessories. Repeat Atlanta!

Back To Basics, Here To Serve Opening Second Noche

Tom Catherall of Here to Serve Restaurants, will open his 10th restaurant, Noche-Vinings, this May. Having tweaked the logo a bit, the new one reflects additions made to the new location. Tequila and Tapas Bar are now printed on the logo and it is a darker shade of blue. The 4350 s/f eatery is located in the popular Vinings Jubilee shopping center and will serve dinner nightly and offer lunch on the weekends. The bar is said to offer over 30 different tequilas and is sure to be a great addition. Noche-Vinings is set to open May 29. Repeat Atlanta!

Wanna Win? Brad Williford Wins First Repeat Atlanta Contest!

The Esperanza Atlanta T Giveaway has come to an end. Thanks to everyone who entered!!!

The Lucky winner was Brad Williford.

Though this was our inaugural contest, you can expect many more to come with a variety of prizes. In order to win the next contest, the only requirement will be to become a fan of Repeat Atlanta on facebook. The winner will be chosen at random from the list of fans.

Information on the next contest will be announced on RepeatATLANTA.com

As always, thanks for reading, and be sure to check out RepeatATLANTA.com for your insider information on Retail, Properties, and Eateries of Atlanta & for your chance to Win future contests!

Brides May Have To Hope For Bargains Elsewhere As Filene's Basement Files For Chapter 11

Filene's Basement was sold April 22 to an affiliate of Buxbaum Group, a liquidating and consulting company based in Agoura Hills, Calif. Its owner of late had been Retail Ventures whose portfolio also once included Value City which it closed last year and currently DSW and a portion of both American Eagle and American Signature Furniture. The local Filene's once had an American Signature above it but it was closed late last year. They both had great locations in Lenox Marketplace, across from Phipps Plaza in the heart of Buckhead. Retail Ventures said before the sale it was selling Filene's for no proceeds after the chain experienced "significant liquidity problems.'' Its unknown if all stores will be closed as result of the bankruptcy filing, but I would not be surprised if all were closed. Repeat Atlanta!

Rock Bottom Brewery Bottoms Out In Buckhead

After months of speculation, Rock Bottom Brewery in Buckhead has closed. Though I originally thought the 05 Peachtree development construction would have killed them long ago, the brewery closed a couple weeks ago and will reopen in July as a Gordon Biersch. The building is now boarded is and there is to be a complete renovation of the space and new amenities added ahead of their reopening. Though Rock Bottom seemed to have a developed a niche clientele in the uber competitive Buckhead sub-market, Gordon Biersch is the growth brand and the parent company, so the decision to re-brand was made. This will he second Atlanta area location for Gordon Biersch, the first, on Peachtree in Midtown. Repeat Atlanta!