Located on a gorgeous country estate with gated entrance, long winding driveway, rolling hills, wide-open elds, tranquil ponds, well-maintained lawns and lush landscaping, e Venue at Murphy Lane is not your typical barn venue…
• Beautiful Barn complete with 16’ foot barn doors and grand chandelier
• 8- . Wooden Farm Tables and 60” round tables with wooden cross-back chairs
• Covered and Enclosed Patio area with wrought-iron chandeliers, bistro lighting and lounge patio furniture
• Large Catering Kitchen
• Pristine Bridal Lounge with hair/makeup counter
• Groom’s Room and comfortable bathrooms
• Customized All-Inclusive wedding packages available
• PROPERTY UPDATE... We have added a vineyard to the rolling hills on our beautiful property!
From the first water supply in Newnan from Bolton Spring in 1893, to the first flicker of electricity that lit a downtown Newnan street corner, Newnan Utilities has been committed to delivering the services that enhance the quality of life throughout Coweta County.
STONE LODGE SPEAKER SERIES
Marimac Lake Park, Senoia
March 20 6:30 PM WINE TASTING & FOOD PAIRING
Chrissy Lesseki, The Classic Market
April 24 6:30 PM THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM A lighthearted film
At Georgia Bone & Joint, our sports medicine doctors take a team approach in helping you return to your favorite sports and activities. Our sports medicine doctors are trained in the treatment and care of sports-related injuries and conditions, such as torn ligaments (ACL & MCL), torn cartilage (meniscus), joint instability, muscle weakness, sprains, and fractures. With this advanced training, our physicians have the experience and expertise to assess, diagnose, and treat your sports medicine injur y individually to your needs.
➤ Cover Photo by Brooklyn Photography Grandchildren prepare for spring at the Newnan home of their grandparents, Pat and Mike Strain. The Strain grandchildren, from left, include Oaks, Wells, Rosemary, Meredith and Brantley. See cover story on page 44.
Warm days are coming
If you’ll recall, the first week of February did what February typically does here in Georgia. It brought us a handful of back-to-back warm days that tempted us to think winter was over and spring had arrived.
“Don’t believe it,” a coworker reminded me. “Winter will be back.”
Yes, cooler days returned, and we hoped that week, maybe the next, would mark the end of the chill and the true start of spring.
We keep hoping.
In anticipation of warm afternoons seven days a week, we present our Home & Garden Issue, chockful of ideas to inspire.
We visit local home rehabbers who have flipped houses, shifting them from unseemly to spectacular. Whether or not they got their inspiration from HGTV, they’re likely to make you realize that – while you may not have the bucks or bandwidth to flip a house – you might want to tackle updating one room. See page 30.
We catch up with the top three winners in last year’s Best Interior Design category of our Best of Coweta Readers’ Choice Awards. They share even more ideas about what’s trending in bed, bath and kitchen design. See page 37.
Because we wondered ourselves and thought maybe you’re curious, too, we enlisted the help of a local loft apartment dweller to introduce you to her abode, and a few more, while sharing insights into loft living in Coweta. See “What's Up There?” on page 24.
Sit down with a glass of sweet iced tea to read our story about local historic gardens. What beauty these patches of perfection bring to their residents and the entire community. See page 44.
Be sure to turn to page 64 to fill out your Best of Coweta ballot for this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards. We’ve added a few new categories and, if the 2024 contest was an indication, the competitiveness among businesses is growing stronger each year.
Remember:
• One ballot per person.
• Only vote for locally owned businesses.
• If there is more than one location, give a specific address.
Vote for your favorite businesses, products and services. You’ll be helping them to earn a little free publicity if they’re selected as one of the top three winners in their category!
Bring on the sun,
Jackie Kennedy, Editor magazine@newnan.com
Poppy quizzes her pet-mom Jackie Kennedy on when spring arrives.
Never Miss a Magazine!
Caroline Nicholson loves disappearing behind a good book and falling into fictional worlds. She has a Master of Arts in English from the University of West Georgia. In time, she hopes to publish her own young-adult novel.
Neil Monroe is a retired corporate communicator who worked with Southern Company, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola Enterprises. He and his wife, Rayleen, live in Sharpsburg where they enjoy tennis, golf and grandchildren.
Sara Moore’s warm and welcoming nature influences her photography. She lives the quiet country life in Newnan on a farm with horses, dogs, chickens and ducks.
Blue Cole is a writer and ne'er-do-well who lives in Sharpsburg with his wife, children and other wee creatures.
Joan Doggrell is retired from two professions: college English instructor and technical writer. She lives in Newnan with her husband and two hairy dogs.
Jennifer London lives in Newnan with her daughter. The two use their travels as inspiration for stories they create with Jennifer writing and her daughter illustrating. Jennifer believes that everyone has a story to tell, and she loves being a freelance writer and meeting new people.
Frances Kidd is a Newnan native who spent most of her adult years working as a nonprofit and marketing consultant. Although she’s an avid traveler, she never lost her Southern accent. If she’s not in Georgia, you can find her out in the country in Italy.
Like a Treasure Hunt
Reading each new edition of Newnan-Coweta magazine is like going on a treasure hunt – a discovery of people, places and things right here in our community, where my family has lived for 28 years. My first job was at a newspaper in Columbus, Ohio. It held a fascination, and excitement, for me that continues to this day. I get that same feeling looking at the magazine each time I pick one up. Thank you so much for letting me be a small part of our Newnan.
– Bob Comeans
Home Sick
My house is in a state of red hot chaos. Currently, there is a 55-gallon mountain of toxic Kleenex (peppered with soup cans and orange peels) growing in the living room.
Enfolded in a fuzzy haze of sweat, chills, headaches and aches, my innate impulse to overachieve has rewarded me with a double troubled case of Covid plus the flu. It’s my version of “go big or go home.”
So home it is.
The only upshot in being sick is that it forces you to slow down without guilt. Your body slams down on its internal brakes, forcing you to pull over. Putting into perspective what a normal day of frustration is, you vow to remember that frustration when you’re well again – because there’s nothing worse than having idle time on your hands and not having the hands to bid its making.
It’s a battle in an unfair world where finally there’s the time, but you simply can’t take advantage of it because the demand for patience and healing wins out.
“Another day” you whisper to the contaminated dishes teetering on the counter because your body won’t cooperate though your brain is full steam ahead. The numb balloon you’re floating in won’t pop despite needling your way through bottles of vitamin C.
We must be kinder to ourselves, give ourselves some grace, bask in bad TV while doing nothing, hoping to heal.
Doing nothing is difficult for me, yet here I am stuck, a blanketed burrito bursting with phlegm while pondering the pros of a shower.
This temporary halt has made me wistful for those childhood sick days of yore, which involved watching “The Price Is Right” while slurping on canned chicken soup and crunching saltines, the smell of Vicks Vapo-Rub hanging heavy in the air, a menthol and eucalyptus emporium that I’m sure even the mailman could smell outside.
Being sick reminds you of the comforts of home – the dog that knows your dent in the couch and the parent who soothes your pounding head. It’s the soup left on your side porch by a friend and the sounds of the vaporizer lulling you to sleep. It’s that flannel shirt you’ve had for decades, the one you only wear when sick, easing into its softness like an old friend you were hoping not to see again.
I will always be grateful for science and the magic it has on the mysteries that ail us. I also embrace my great grandma’s science of making potions out of bark, roots and leaves, curing even the skeptics under a full moon. Both methods conjure up cures; both provide relief.
So with a cocktail of meds from the clinic in one hand and a mug of homegrown peppermint tea in the other, I’m homebound, living the quarantine dream, pining for my mom’s soothing hands as I shout out the prices of luggage to the TV, hungry for hope and hoping for health.
Home sick. And, to be frank, wistfully homesick. NCM
Minnesota made yet Newnan Strong, Faith Farrell is involved with Newnan Theatre Company and Backstreet Arts. Her artwork can be viewed at faithfarrellart.com.
S‘ The Bookshop at Water’s End’
Reviewed by GLENDA HARRIS
et in the low country, “The Bookshop at Water’s End” is a compelling story by Patti Callahan Henry, the best-selling author of more than 20 books, including contemporary fiction and historical fiction. The author lives in Mountain Brook, Ala., and Bluffton, S.C., with her husband Pat.
Published in 2017, “The Bookshop at Water’s End” remains a fan favorite. It’s set in the fictional town of Watersend, S.C., where main character Bonny Blankenship spent summers at her family’s waterfront home. There are many memories here, both good and bad.
The Blankenships invited friends to join them, and it was that first summer that a special friendship began between Bonny and Lainey and Owen, the children of her parents’ friends.
Decades later, Bonny now owns the home. She calls her childhood friend, Lainey, hoping to convince her
to return to the memory-filled home. To hopefully find balance, Bonny longs to ease conflicts in her mind that she can’t seem to let go of.
As the friends reunite, they spend the long lazy summer days reflecting on the paths that have led them back to their favorite place on earth. With lifechanging events bookending this story, you will laugh and cry along with these engaging characters.
This multi-generational tale combines themes of reflection, betrayal, long-held secrets and the power of memories. Most of all, this story epitomizes the power and saving grace of friendship.
Delivered with the author’s trademark tenderness and care, this story wraps around you like a favorite warm blanket.
“The Bookshop at Water’s End” was published by Berkley/ Penguin Random House; 326 pages; ★★★★★
Read a good book lately?
Share your favorite new read with Newnan-Coweta Magazine by writing a book review for possible publication in an upcoming issue. Keep your review at 200-300 words and please include the author’s name, page count and date of publication.
Send your review with your contact information to magazine@newnan.com or mail to Newnan-Coweta Magazine, 16 Jefferson St., Newnan, GA 30263.
NEWNAN-COWETA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Helping families become homeowners
Written by JOAN DOGGRELL
courtesy of
Most mammals on planet Earth make their homes in trees or in the ground, but humans need more substantial shelter. Renting an apartment or a house is a giant step ahead of a tent on the street, but homeownership goes a step further. It gives a person a stake in the community and an obligation to contribute to the welfare of all. The goal of Habitat for Humanity is to help people build and maintain such homes.
Formed in 1993, the Newnan-Coweta Habitat for Humanity is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International and adheres to its parent organization’s view of housing as a basic human right. Over the years, the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate has built new homes, renovated and repaired existing homes, and contributed to projects that support local neighborhood revitalization efforts.
Although recognized in Georgia as a 501(c)3
Photos
NEWNAN-COWETA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Gloria Sanders and her extended family celebrate her homeownership in front of her newly completed Habitat for Humanity house.
charitable organization, Newnan-Coweta Habitat requires its prospective homeowners to make substantial contributions to the building and maintenance of their homes. This includes investing “sweat equity,” which involves hands-on work alongside professionals and volunteers during the construction process.
Additionally, applicants must fulfill a set of criteria. For instance, they are expected to have lived or worked in Coweta County for the past year, have been employed for at least two years, and meet both credit and HUD income guidelines to ensure their ability to make mortgage payments.
CEO of Newnan-Coweta Habitat for Humanity.
The last three homes completed at East Broad Estates were purchased by Coweta residents Stacy Nalls, an employee of Yamaha; Lora Daniels, who works in the lab at Piedmont Hospital; and Shanta Hardaway, a certified nursing assistant at a local retirement community.
“I am very grateful and thankful for the generous support of this community. We would not be as effective a nonprofit without it.”
- Eric Miller, CEO of Newnan-Coweta Habitat for Humanity
East Broad Estates is the local Habitat for Humanity’s most recent construction project.
Begun in 2020, this pocket community of seven homes is now complete, according to Eric Miller,
With affordable mortgage payments (30% of their gross monthly income), these new homeowners don’t only live comfortably and securely themselves but also create generational wealth for their children and grandchildren.
“We’re terribly excited for them and very proud of that project,” says Miller.
“We think we have set a new standard for how beautiful workforce housing can be in this community.”
Miller has been with the local Habitat for almost 10 years and CEO for the last five.
“I absolutely love what I do,” he says.
by Joan
The three most recent Habitat for Humanity homeowners in East Broad Estates are, from left, Shanta Hardaway, Lora Daniels and Stacy Nalls who are standing in front of Hardaway's home.
Photo
Doggrell
Along with building new houses, the local Habitat takes part in a home maintenance and repair project called Brush with Kindness. The program is for people who own their homes but lack the means to complete necessary repairs.
“We will be engaging in those repairs over the next several months while we gear up for our next new construction project,” says Miller, noting that Habitat will build a new single home in Coweta County as soon as they take possession of the land.
Also, he adds, they have purchased 1.43 acres on Belt Road where Habitat plans to build another pocket community consisting of eight conjoined, single-story townhomes.
“I am very grateful and thankful for the generous support of this community,” says Miller. “We would not be as effective a nonprofit without it.”
Newnan-Coweta Habitat hosts two fundraising events annually: The Great Gingerbread Build and The Tin
Cup Golf Tournament. However, monetary and other donations are still needed.
“Land is a big deal right now for organizations like us,” says Miller. “Anyone who may be interested in donating land or thinks they have a good plot for us to purchase, please know that we're constantly looking for opportunities anywhere in Coweta County.”
Volunteers play a vital role in all aspects of Habitat’s work. In addition to helping with home construction, they manage the ReStore, which sells donated used furniture, home appliances, building materials and more. These items are sold at bargain prices with proceeds helping to finance Habitat projects.
The local ReStore is located at 216 Bullsboro Drive.
“I’m completely biased, but I think we have the best volunteer opportunity in the community,” says Miller. “You get the opportunity to build a home and raise the walls. We think it’s a great way to get involved with the community.” NCM
Gloria Sanders and her children enjoy living in their own home, thanks to Habitat for Humanity and the sweat equity they contributed towards homeownership.
The Women's Specialists of Fayette comprise a healthcare team that understands that women have special healthcare needs throughout their lives.
Our specialists are trained in the field of women's medicine which includes obstetrical and gynecological services such as pregnancy care, family planning needs and counseling, annual examinations, and minor office surgical procedures.
In addition, specialized care is available in areas such as high risk pregnancy and gynecological/ urogynecological surgery.
William T. Cook, M.D. Marlo Carter, M.D. Matthew Ralsten, M.D.
Nicole E. Quinn, M.D. Nykia Burke-Bray, M.D.
Sarah G. White, D.O.
What’s There? Loft living in Coweta County Up
Written by CAROLINE NICHOLSON
Photographed by SARA MOORE
How often do you look up while going about your day-to-day life? Once, maybe twice? We might be more inclined to turn our gazes skyward if we lived in cities rife with skyscrapers like New York City or Chicago.
Nevertheless, if you were to crane your neck back while enjoying one of Coweta County’s downtown squares, you might be shocked to find that there are people living right above the shops and restaurants you frequent.
Loft living is a fun way to stay in the mix of a bustling downtown, like Senoia, but with privacy on the second floor rather than the workday grind of ground floor businesses.
The Tigchelaars in Senoia
Chris Tigchelaar, a Senoia native, recently returned to Coweta County after spending six years in Canada. In September 2024, he moved back to Senoia with his wife, Holly, who was apprehensive at first about the concept of slow, Southern living. But Chris is steadily helping her warm up to Coweta’s charm from within the walls of their gorgeous, modern apartment in the heart of his hometown.
Chris’s father, Scott Tigchelaar, is the president of Senoia Enterprises Inc., the company responsible for
recent development of historic downtown Senoia, including the loft apartments above many of the businesses. With his dad as the landlord of these properties, the apartments were an obvious first choice for Chris and Holly.
In the center of downtown Senoia, it’s no surprise that Chris says his favorite part of living in their apartment is the people.
“The people are really intentional here,” says Chris. “You get to know them, and they remember you.”
An important part of that intentional living is the proximity to Main Street. Their apartment is perfectly nestled off the bustling thoroughfare, allowing for a private
feel while still within walking distance of Senoia’s downtown shops and restaurants.
Holly prefers to experience her new city from the seat of her bicycle. Before moving to Coweta, the Tigchelaars lived in a large city that wasn’t ideal for bike riding. So, when the couple unpacked their boxes and began to make a home for themselves in Senoia, Holly knew it was time to dust off her bike and put it to use.
From the spacious covered balcony overlooking the hustle and bustle of the city center to the modern interior with rustic accents like wood ceilings, Chris and Holly have found the ideal place to start their life together.
LEFT
Chris Tigchelaar lives in a Senoia loft apartment built by his dad, Scott Tigchelaar. From his top deck, he can enjoy the outdoors ambiance of downtown Senoia.
ABOVE
A barn door gives Chris Tigchelaar’s city home some country vibes.
The Nicolls in Senoia
Just a street over from the Tigchelaars, in an equally breathtaking apartment, lives the Nicoll family. David and Alicia Nicoll knew nothing of Coweta County and Senoia until a lengthy job interview process brought the couple here early last year.
The Illinois (David) and California (Alicia) natives spent the beginning of their marriage in a loft apartment above downtown Peoria, Ill., but when a great job opportunity opened for David at SANY in Peachtree City, the couple ventured to Georgia.
The Nicolls looked in Fayette and Coweta counties and immediately felt a connection to Senoia. In August 2024, they moved into their new loft apartment, and David started his new job as the chief executive officer of SANY. The job is extremely demanding, says David, so the couple appreciates living in a city that's separate from the job but close enough for convenience.
David and Alicia, who both come from large cities, enjoy the small-town feel of Senoia and its balance between country and city living. They share that living in their loft apartment here feels like starring in their very own Hallmark movie.
When it comes to their apartment, there’s a lot they’ve grown to love in
the few months they’ve lived there, the Nicolls agree. They adore the high ceilings and subtle country touches throughout the apartment. And who wouldn’t love their outdoor space that overlooks the streets of downtown Senoia?
Since moving here, the Nicolls have become an integral part of the community, volunteering at Senoia clean-up day, participating in the Light Up Senoia Christmas Parade, and hosting business meetings in the restaurants of Senoia.
After years spent in other cities across the country, David and Alicia feel they’ve found where they belong. Alicia happily proclaims: “Life here is delicious!”
“ Life here is delicious! ”
-Alicia Nicholl
ABOVE AND RIGHT
Alicia and David Nicoll enjoy the privacy of their loft apartment above the city streets of downtown Senoia.
Abby in Newnan
Abby Townsend, a downtown loft living veteran, moved into her cozy apartment off Jefferson Street in September of 2017. Coweta County, and more specifically Newnan, has been home to Abby since 2007. She first learned of the apartment that would become her long-term home from a close friend who lived
there. When it came time for that friend to move out, Abby knew the apartment was calling her name.
The one-bedroom, one-bathroom loft apartment is accented with rustic exposed brick walls throughout, one of the features that first drew Abby in. On top of the charming kitchen and living room walls, she also enjoys the quaintness of her loft apartment and its prime location tucked between the great restaurants and shops of downtown Newnan.
One of Abby’s favorite things to do in her home is to host parties. Her walls are decorated with pictures of her family and friends and, upon entering the apartment, it’s clear her place is filled with happy memories. Despite having lived in the apartment for the majority of her adult life, Abby doesn’t see herself moving out anytime soon. When you find a place that’s so perfectly home, why would you leave, she figures.
ABOVE
While the space is small in her one-bedroom, one-bath abode, there's no shortage on style in Abby Townsend's loft apartment where her kitchen boasts exposed brick and comfy character.
LEFT
Abby Townsend has lived in her Newnan loft apartment for seven years and enjoys the proximity it provides her to nearby shopping and dining establishments.
The Insider’s Scoop
by CAROLINE NICHOLSON
In my experience – and from conversations with others who, like me, live in loft apartments – loft living, specifically living above downtowns, is something you stumble into.
When I planned to move out of my childhood home in Senoia, I didn’t come to Newnan, see the windows above shops, and say, “I want to live there.”
In fact, like most people, I had no clue that living above downtown Newnan was even an option.
Acquiring my apartment was a winding journey that took over a year and is solely thanks to connections I made in my personal life.
In May of 2023, I toured an apartment in downtown Newnan that’s a few doors down from my current apartment. As soon as I walked in, I fell in love with not only the apartment
ABOVE
LEFT
but also with the romance of being a woman in her early 20s living above a city. Unfortunately, the job I had at the time would not support a move, so I had to abandon the fantasy.
I was devastated and yearned for that apartment for a year until I got a new job that afforded me the opportunity to move. The stars aligned, and only three months after starting my new job, I moved into my downtown apartment, neighbor to the one that started the dream.
The first thing I fell in love with about my apartment – and the first thing you notice when you enter –is the abundance of natural light that streams in from the six tall, vertical windows in the living room and bedroom.
Overall, the apartment is a little retro, but I’ve grown to adore it and its charming character. In addition, there are a plethora of things that make the apartment unique, including a nearly vertical ladder that leads to my second floor and an old-fashioned trash compactor that I didn’t figure out how to use until my third month of living here.
Every inch of the apartment, from the worn hardwood to the high ceilings, is saturated with history, and it feels tremendously touching to be a part of it.
Deeper than the physical attributes of the apartment, I cherish the independence and space it has afforded me. I went from living in a large room in my parents’ house for 23 years to having a one-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment all to myself. The short time I have spent here has taught me so much about who I am and allowed me to grow into a better version of myself.
Each week, I try to take advantage of living above downtown Newnan by shopping at my favorite stores, eating at the local restaurants, and going out with friends to bars on the weekends. Even in the midst of it, I know this is a special chapter of my life that, in years to come, I’ll look back on with fondness.
And at the heart of all the wonderful things happening in my life is my downtown loft apartment. NCM
Inside Caroline Nicholson’s quiet downtown loft apartment, you’d never expect that shops and restaurants are conducting business nearby.
A loft apartment in downtown Newnan is home to freelance writer Caroline Nicholson who finds that loft living has a personality all its own.
Artisan Custom Closets
Ever find yourself frozen with anxiety looking into a chaotic closet, pantry or garage area? You aren’t alone. Many homeowners find these spaces to be poorly designed catchalls that add to disorganization, stress and time management problems. There is hope, though.
Artisan Custom Closets has been bringing beauty and organization to clients’ homes since 2013. They specialize in custom built organizational systems for some of your most challenging spaces, including closets, garages, pantries, offices spaces, mudrooms and laundry areas. They also create beautiful built-ins and wall beds for other areas of the home.
Kimberly Lassiter, Senior Design Consultant
Senior Design Consultant
Kimberly Lassiter leads a team of 20 designers that serves Coweta and the surrounding areas.
Updating your home through Artisan Custom Closets is easier than ever with the opening of their new Fayetteville showroom. This showroom allows potential clients to see Artisan designs up close. Marketing Director Christina Johnson shares her excitement over brand new color releases as well as beautifully laid out vignettes for clients to browse. “We are so excited to be a part of the growth in Coweta by offering a showroom only a short drive from Newnan," says Johnson.
What Does Artisan Offer?
Artisan provides an all-inclusive suite of services that can take your custom built space from inspiration to realization. This includes free consultations, design software used to create highly customized designs, and even color schemes to match your taste and aesthetic.
Why Visit a Showroom?
Getting inside the showroom can really get the gears moving on new ideas for your home, according to Lassiter. It allows you to see the functionality of the spaces, designs, and little details that make a difference.
The Artisan Process
Most potential clients start their Artisan journey by visiting a showroom or booking a free consultation.
During the consultation, an Artisan designer will visit your home, evaluate your space, and make recommendations.
At your followup visit, you’ll view a 3D walk-through of the new space. The client can provide feedback before construction begins.
The Artisan Difference
When you work with Artisan, you’ll get a beautifully designed space and a life-changing upgrade to your home. Organizing spaces can improve the look of a room and have a profound impact on mental health and time management. When your space is organized, you plan the way you want to live each day rather than become overwhelmed by chaos.
Ready to see the possibilities with Artisan Custom Closets?
Visit their new showroom in Fayetteville or call to book a consultation.
artisancustomclosets.com • 770-790-5368
Fayetteville: 1240 Hwy 54 W, Ste 305 Fayetteville, GA 30214
Marietta: 600 Wylie Rd. SE, Marietta, GA 30067
Flipping Houses
This labor-intensive endeavor can be lucrative
Written by NEIL MONROE
If you’ve ever watched HGTV – and you know you have – you are undoubtedly familiar with the term “flipping houses.”
On a plethora of these shows, the main premise varies little: Enterprising folks buy a distressed house for cheap, renovate it, then sell it at a significant profit. The original flipping show, “Flip or Flop,” wraps things up in a neat 30-minute package. Subsequent flipping shows, such as “Unsellable Houses,” get an hour’s worth of airtime.
It’s a great family-friendly drama, usually with a crisis or two thrown in, and the house flipper always wins.
So, are these shows realistic? Does this happen right here in Coweta?
Turns out, they are realistic, and there is a definite houseflipping component of our local real estate market.
Joy Brown Barnes, a Berkshire Hathaway agent, is a Newnan native long familiar with Coweta real estate; she tied with Cindy Horsley of Bush Real Estate as Best Real Estate agent in the 2024 Best of Coweta Readers' Choice Awards.
“Our local environment has become much more complicated over the past several years,” says Barnes. “Interest rates are higher, inventory of homes is low, and there is a much greater presence of outside investors in our market. It makes finding houses that are good candidates for a flip more difficult, but there are opportunities, and several local people still are successfully flipping houses.”
Indeed, there are. We found three excellent examples from dramatically diverse backgrounds: Jeannie Doole, an agent/ broker with her own firm; Josh Boyd, a local band director who flips houses on the side; and Sandy Hiser, a brand new flipper. Here are their stories.
ABOVE
The completed kitchen at the 280 Highwoods project of Jeannie Doole and Peter Sterrey features ample cabinetry and tons of counter space.
A $900 profit
An active agent with her own firm, Jeannie Doole has been in the real estate business in Coweta for almost 20 years. When she was new to the real estate business, she had a friend whose house needed work because it would not sell “as is.” Doole and her business partner Peter Sterrey saw an opportunity.
they saw the potential for future flips. Now, 18 years later, they’ve completed approximately 20 flips and have never lost money on a house flip.
“We’ve been very lucky,” says Doole. “You always encounter unseen issues or problems, but now we have the experience to deal with them. For example, we bought a rather distressed property in west Coweta a few years ago; it had a new metal roof, which we saw as a real asset. When we started work, we found out that the metal roof had been improperly installed on top of an old roof, but we worked through it, fixed the roof, and profitably completed the project.”
Surprises like this turn up in house flips, she notes, but such issues can be overcome.
“My friend and her husband did not want to do the work, so we did it,” says Doole. “It was a big step, and we were not as experienced as we are now. We went a little overboard on improvements, and after it was all over, we made a whopping profit of $900.”
Though the profit was small, the experience was a positive one and
“We’ve learned how to renovate and design a house that minimizes costs to a point, yet matches basic design trends,” says Doole. “We don’t go overboard, but it’s important to come out with a quality product. We don’t cover anything up – ever. If we see a problem, we fix it. Taking short cuts creates more problems and can compromise the confidence that people have in your work.”
ABOVE Kitchen, before.
Photos courtesy of Jeannie Doole
LEFT
Jeannie Doole and Peter Sterrey team up to flip houses in Coweta County.
“ You always encounter unseen issues or problems, but now we have the experience to deal with them.”
- Jeannie Doole
Keys to success
Doole and Sterrey agree that one element of their success can be attributed to their access to skilled craftsmen who know and understand how to renovate homes. The renovators have crews they’ve worked with for years.
“We work closely with them when we’re planning a project and get them in on the ground floor,” says Doole. “They know we’re going to keep them busy.”
Since she and her partner started their business, they’ve gone through a near depression in the housing market, a market that turned hot with historically low interest rates, and now, a market with low home inventories amid a high-interest rate environment.
Yet, throughout the years, there’s been one constant challenge throughout: finding properties to flip.
“There’s a ton of competition for properties,” says Doole. “We pore through listings, but often, we learn of an opportunity through word of mouth. That’s also the way we’ve sold many of our homes. Neighbors see the work being done and recommend it to a family member or a friend.”
Does Doole get ideas for a flip from the HGTV shows?
Never, she says.
“At the end of a long day, the last thing I want to do is watch a real estate show,” Doole concludes. “But like on TV, we do have demo days when a project starts, and those can be fun.”
The house at 280 Highland was recently remodeled by Jeannie Doole and Peter Sterrey.
Jeannie Doole visits with homeowners Frank and Joy Nuckolls who purchased the house she and Peter Sterrey flipped.
Photos courtesy of Jeannie Doole
Photo by Sara Moore
From rentals to flips
Josh Boyd and his wife Rachel are Coweta natives who each chose education as their career early in their married life. Both graduated from Northgate and both began teaching at Newnan High School where Josh is band director and Rachel taught history.
About 15 years ago, when their sons Nathan and Cadence were young, the Boyds began looking for ways to supplement their financial security and decided to acquire rental property. Their first purchase was a double-wide mobile home near Grantville, and their new side career began. Rachel has since left teaching and is now a fulltime real estate agent.
“We learned a lot through that first property in Grantville, and we began to add other properties, which has worked out well,” says Josh.
Three years ago, third son Jeremy was born, and it was time to grow the family business again.
“We understood the rental market, but we felt that with the right situation, we could begin to flip properties, make a reasonable profit, and move on to another opportunity without the stress of rentals,” says Josh.
But the switch from rental property to flipping required a different financial approach with up front funding required. After attending a seminar led by Danny Williams, a longtime south Atlanta real estate investor, they took the plunge.
Continues on page 35
Josh and Rachel Boyd with their son Jeremy stand in front of the west Coweta house they recently renovated.
Exterior, before.
Contractor Don Wyman Jr. led an extensive renovation project for house flippers Josh and Rachel Boyd, shown with their son Jeremy.
Photo by Neil Monroe
Photo by Neil Monroe
Photo courtesy of Josh Boyd
Sandy Hiser: A first-time flipper
Written by NEIL MONROE | Photos courtesy of SANDY HISER
Formerly creative director with Newnan-Coweta Magazine, Sandy Hiser shifted her remarkable eye for color and design from print graphics (as shown here by The Newnan TimesHerald's cookbook, “Coweta Cooks,” which she designed) to home renovation and remodeling.
In her book, “Secrets of Six-Figure Women,” Barbara Stanny writes: “Feel the fear. Have the doubts. Go for it anyway.”
That’s exactly what Newnan resident Sandy Hiser did.
For more than 15 years, Sandy Hiser used a gifted stylistic flair as a graphic designer to generate creative pages and spreads for The Newnan Times-Herald and for this magazine. It was a wonderful job, according to Hiser, but it certainly wasn’t the typical career path into the risk-filled world of real estate and flipping houses.
And yet, that’s exactly where Hiser is today.
It all started with the EF-4 tornado that ripped through Coweta County in March 2021. Hiser’s Hollis Heights home in west Newnan withstood the storm but sustained damage that required extensive repairs.
A hands-on sort, Hiser set about managing the repair process, finding contractors, relying on friends, and doing work herself where she could. She directly managed each project and soon found herself using her graphic background to not just repair her home but to enhance it.
And though she didn’t quite know it at the time, she had taken the first steps toward a new career.
“I sensed that I was truly enjoying the process of updating my home,” says Hiser. “It was a bit of a surprise as I had never done any work of this type before. This revelation coincided with another personal decision – that I wanted to find a way to create more financial security for myself – so I thought, hey, let’s flip a house.”
She then worked to learn how to acquire a property, finance it, and to understand the ins and outs of flipping a house.
First there was trepidation, then confidence.
As she did her research, Hiser remained excited about the opportunity but deeply concerned about the financial side of flipping. The project would require funding with a combination of loans and personal retirement funds, which seemed a somewhat frightening combination|of risks.
Yet, she moved forward, buoyed in part by life lessons from Barbara Stanny’s book and her own inner confidence.
Hiser began searching for a property in late 2023, found one with excellent potential, and then survived an up-and-down process to buy the home.
“I had it, then I didn’t have it, and then I got it back – at less than the original price,” she says. “One house flipping basic I’d tried to keep in mind is that you determine your profit when you buy the house. I was thrilled to get it for less than I’d originally planned.”
The property was near her own home, so she knew the area well. The house was a 1970s era split-level with a solid layout. But it needed tons of cleaning and work, including a new roof, new kitchen, new floors and new heating and air system. The roof came first, just weeks after closing, and from there, she was consumed with getting the project done.
“At first, I tried to continue to work and manage the house in my spare time, but I quickly realized I had to devote myself to the project,” says Hiser.
So, she retired.
“Lots of folks thought this was a mid-life crisis,” she notes. “But it was something I had to do, and I’m very glad I did.”
The budding house renovator was fortunate to find quality subcontractors, who worked with her to create her vision for the style of the home and to provide high quality work. In addition, she had another strong asset in her close friend, Colin LaClair.
“Colin was invaluable,” says Hiser. “He worked diligently and helped so much in a variety of ways. We did much of the demo and cleaning together which, despite what you see on TV, is very hard work. We put in tons of sweat equity staining, painting and designing.”
The pair replaced a single door in the kitchen with double glass doors to allow natural light to fill the space and draw attention to the huge deck and wooded area behind the house.
They upgraded the primary bath to include practical features, like a touch-backlit mirror with defogger, a USB port inside the vanity, custom shelving in the wall and seamless shower surround panels.
An unfinished area in the basement was converted into a designated laundry room with a separate utility closet.
In late December, she put out the “For Sale” sign. And on January 8, Hiser realized the fruits of her choices and her labor over the past 10 months. After only two weeks on the market, the house sold for $10,000 above the initial asking price.
She had beaten the odds and completed a highly successful flip on her first try.
“I’m thrilled, and I can’t wait to do it again,” she says. “We have two leads already, both with significant potential. I’m sure there will be bumps in the road on future projects – there certainly were on this one – but I’m also sure there will be a way to overcome them.”
Continued from page 33
Credibility is the foundation of success
“We learned how to reach out to investors, to create an investor pool to meet the capital needs of flipping a house,” says Josh. “At the core of the process, it’s my credibility that creates the opportunity. Investors must believe in you. We think it’s essential to pay a fair price, sell at a fair price, do quality work and stand behind it.”
The couple successfully flipped four homes in the past two years and today, they are nearing completion on their latest flip, a 100-year-old home in west Coweta. The house needed extensive renovation, a project led by Don Wyman Jr., a contractor who has worked with Josh exclusively for the past two years and is a 50/50 partner on the current project.
Wyman himself has 30 years of experience in reconstruction and in flipping homes. He started at 18, working on his own, and was actively flipping houses prior to the real estate downturn in 2008 and 2009.
“I was young, but I worked hard and was able to make a lot of friends who helped me tremendously,” says Wyman.
Regarding his latest project with the Boyds?
“This house was unique,” says Wyman. “We essentially took it down to the studs. It’s going to be a great home for someone.”
With their success in flipping houses, Josh and Rachel say they’re only getting started.
“We’re just ramping up,” says Rachel. “We see a bright future ahead for this business.” NCM
“ We essentially took it down to the studs. It's going to be a great home for someone.”
- Don Wyman Jr.
Kitchen, before.
In her debut house flip/remodel, Sandy Hiser opened the wall between the living room and kitchen to allow a clear view of the kitchen island.
Living room, before.
Sandy Hiser utilized a warm, neutral color palette to assure the living room exudes calmness and serenity.
What’s IN when it comes to Interior Design?
Written by JENNIFER LONDON
Photographed by SARA MOORE
What’s in, what’s out when it comes to interior design in west Georgia?
Those are the questions we posed to three area design firms whose expertise is appreciated by readers of Newnan-Coweta Magazine who voted them tops in interior design in last year’s Best of Coweta Readers’ Choice Awards contest.
Here, experienced designers catch Cowetans up on what’s hot and what’s not in the new year of interior design.
The mudroom here, a Knox Powell design, incorporates brick flooring and wallpaper with warm colors.
Photos courtesy of Knox Powell Designs
Knox Powell Designs
Emily Gray Pritchard and Sara Knox
Rund co-own and are principal designers at Knox Powell Designs since establishing it in 2021. The full-service interior design firm is located inside Knox Furniture, which is family-owned and operated by Rund’s father, Mark Knox.
At Knox Powell Designs, trends are getting more vibrant, according to Pritchard.
“For a while, everything was very neutral, which is great and some people still have those neutral kind of vibes that they like,” she says. “But we love color, and color is definitely coming back in, and we’re excited about that. Though neutrals are not going out of style, we love to incorporate patterns; we love new mixing with old. We have an eclectic style and are traditional at the same time, but we love popping in new things, old things, antiques and heirlooms.”
According to Pritchard, Knox Powell Designs typically presents clients with three design options.
“One may be a completely off the wall option, and the second or third may be things that we feel are in their comfort zone,” says Pritchard. “Of course, we want it to look beautiful and we want them to love it and feel comfortable with it. We like to voice our opinions, but we also like to hear what they like as well.”
As for design trends in 2025, wallpaper is back, according to Pritchard.
“We are installing so much wallpaper, from fun patterns to grass cloths,” she says, noting that many clients are opting for wallpaper in their powder rooms, children’s bedrooms and bathrooms. “It’s just a fun pop of interest.”
ABOVE
Emily Pritchard, left, and Sara Rund operate Knox Powell Designs in Newnan.
LEFT
This Knox Powell-designed dining room features bold wallpaper and artwork.
BELOW
Emily Pritchard, left, and Sara Rund work together to bring their best designs to life.
LEFT
The second place winner for Best Interior Design Service in NCM’s 2024 Best of Coweta contest, Knox Powell Designs put together this charming powder room featuring patterned wallpaper, which is making a big comeback, according to the business owners.
Photos by Michelle Cannon Smith
Photos by Michelle Cannon Smith
Blue Fern Design Studio
Blue Fern Design Studio owner and designer
Lori Duncan has operated her design studio since 2015. After running a boutique design store as well for almost a decade, she closed her retail space last October and switched gears to a full-time, full design studio.
“We can do anything from an in-home design consultation, and we can talk about the space, what they love, we can give them ideas,” Duncan says, “or we can do everything from a DIY room design, full room design, we can do multiple spaces or we can start from concept to finish.”
In the last few years, according to Duncan, color schemes in home design have been neutral and going towards whites. Though whiter neutrals are still “in,” she says, warm neutrals and jewel tones are coming into play. Duncan also reports seeing warm blacks and dark greens for wall colors, as well as ceilings, trim and walls painted the same color to create a more cohesive look. Browns have come back and brown mauve, not the pink mauve of the ’80s, she says.
“And golds, gold walls,” she adds. “Even deep, deep purple are great accents for walls.”
That’s what’s in. How about what’s out?
“Light greys are definitely out, the word ‘farmhouse’ is definitely out,” says Duncan. “I don’t like to hear the word ‘farmhouse’ unless you’re talking about a true farmhouse.”
Using curated pieces is the best part of decorating a home, according to the designer.
“Finding those pieces that stand out and make people ask the question, ‘Oh my, where is that from? Where did you get that piece?’ – those are the things that you want to keep in your house,” she says. “Having curated or family pieces, or well-traveled pieces, is what makes your house your home.”
First and foremost, Duncan concludes, a home design needs to reflect the homeowners.
“The biggest thing is to be comfortable in your own space,” she says. “We’re going to make it as fabulous as we possibly can on the budget that you’ve given us, and we just want you to be happy.”
BELOW
Lori Duncan’s eye for flair and sophistication is revealed in the details of her decor throughout her home and home office.
Drama and vintage pieces are typical of Blue Fern’s designs.
ABOVE
Megan Lichty and Gage, the office dog at Auld House Design, third place winner in last year’s Best of Coweta, show off a variety of materials.
BELOW
Kitchen and bathroom cabinets and countertops are focal points where thoughtful design can make or break the room.
BELOW
the
Auld House Design
Megan Lichty, owner of Auld House Design in Newnan, has an extensive background in construction and home design. She majored in art and studied interior design in college and worked as a designer in Atlanta for about nine years before opening her Newnan business in March 2020.
Megan and husband Daniel Lichty work together on designs for remodels and new construction with assistance from two more designers.
“We have a great team,” says Megan. “We’re all moms with our own gifts and talents. Everybody has a flexible schedule, and we all help each other out.”
Lichty says she witnessed the comeback of warmer tones and more color when she worked in the big city.
“Atlanta always leads in trends and is often two to three years ahead, if not more,” she says. “When I left in 2019, we were already seeing warmer tones, warmer neutrals, greens and navies. We were already using brass finishes. I feel like that’s just started catching on down here. We still have a lot of people who want to do white kitchens, and we try to steer people away from grey because trends are really going a lot warmer.”
Her clients are choosing warmer hard finishes, like brasses and blacks for lighting and plumbing, according to Megan. She says a big focus for the industry since the Covid-19 pandemic, when many people worked from home, has been on making homes more comfortable and functional. Outdoor spaces have been increasingly popular with pool houses, pergolas and outdoor kitchens, she adds.
Gone is the master bathtub in most homes, according to Megan.
“We have a lot of people delete that. They want a large shower or more cabinetry and storage. Almost all of our master bath remodels are minus the tub. Maybe two out of eight customers say they actually use their tub.”
Megan feels blessed to live in an area with a good clientele.
“There are great people in Coweta County,” she says. “You develop a relationship with them when you spend all this time with them, and doing something in somebody’s home is extremely personal. You’re modifying it for their lifestyle, and they have to give you a lot of detail as to why they need this to happen and what they envision.”
Interior designers must be able to talk with and interact with people in order to guide them in a kind and constructive way, according to Megan.
“They’re paying for your professional opinion and your expertise, so you have to be a people person and good at negotiating. One thing that’s sometimes a little misconstrued with interior design is that some think it’s just furniture, but it’s not. Interior design is not just icing on the cake. There’s a lot more that goes into making that cake than just the finishing touches.” NCM
Blue Fern Design Studio’s consulting area shows clients
types of designs they could use in their home or home office. Blue Fern won first place in last year's Best of Coweta contest.
Enjoying the scenery of
Coweta’s Historic Gardens
Written by FRANCES KIDD
The South has a long history of gardening, beginning almost the moment the first settlers landed. Fortunately for historians and students of gardening, a lot of the early new Americans left private diaries, journals and letters prepared for the sponsors of their explorations. Much of their work has been preserved and some reprinted so it’s possible to easily trace the stories of those working the land.
This long tradition – whether subsistence farming or small flower gardens, or the sometimes-intricate gardens of larger estates – lives on in many places in the South. Many larger gardens have been lost through the years to neglect and property division. Fortunately, in Coweta, some have been given new life by visionaries who see their potential and want to recreate some of the historical elements of local gardens and homes.
Thoughtful touches add interest to the Coweta garden of Mike and Pat Strain.
Photo courtesy of Pat Strain
Bankshaven
One Coweta property, known by many as Bankshaven, is the former home of William Banks, a writer, historian and antiques authority. The Banks family established the estate in 1929 and hired William C. Pauley, the first professionally licensed landscape architect in Georgia, to plan the gardens. The Banks family maintained the gardens until Banks’ death in 2019; today, Pamela and Richard Prange are the property’s owners and stewards.
For the most part, the family tended the original garden plan, with Banks and his mother constantly working in the garden. In an interview before his death, Banks said, “Pauley worked on these gardens until his death, well over 30 years at least.”
Typical of grand estates, Pauley ’s design placed formal gardens close to the house, leaving outlying areas largely untouched and creating natural vistas. Banks maintained the landscape’s bones even after replacing the original Tudor house with a Federal-style house he moved from Haddock, Ga.
After Banks died, the property was divided, but 18 acres remain, including the house, the formal gardens, the pool and the Venetian pool house and pond, named Pearl Springs.
The Pranges, who have saved other historic homes in the area, are partial to Bankshaven.
“Of the properties we’ve done, this one is the most significant,” says Pamela, noting that she has the property's original landscape plans done by Pauley.
Oak Grove Plantation and Gardens
About 10 miles north of Newnan’s Court Square stands Oak Grove Plantation and Gardens. Morrison Burney bought the parcel in Georgia’s Land Lottery of 1827 and eventually sold it to an Arnold family from North Carolina. A Georgian-style, two-story house was built in either the 1830s or 1840s and, while renovated over the years, remains much as it was in the late 1800s.
Elizabeth “Liz” and George Tedder acquired the house and 10 acres in 1983 and later bought an additional 20
“Of the properties we’ve done, this one is the most significant.” - Pamela Prange
The Banks family established their Newnan estate in 1929 and William C. Pauley designed the garden, typical of grand estates of that era.
Photo courtesy of Pamela and Richard Prange
Mike and Pat Strain’s courtyard garden features English holly and a water fountain.
Photos courtesy of Pat Strain
Hydrangeas bloom in season at the Strain home.
acres to complete their plans. The Tedders continued a rehabilitation project begun by the previous owners and committed to keeping up the Arnold family cemetery on the property. Liz Tedder hosts an annual garden tour of Oak Grove to raise money for repair and maintenance of the 23 headstones in the cemetery.
Today, the 20-acre property comprises the main house, early 20th century outbuildings, a terraced field and a 19th century family cemetery.
While the existing garden is not original to the property, Liz has filled it with plants she has propagated, many native to the area. There’s a gazebo in the formal garden, a herb garden and a sunken garden with a koi pond. The property has lots of trees: oaks, dogwoods, crepe myrtles and magnolias.
The main house has been on the National Register of Historic Places for over 30 years for its architectural significance and agricultural history. Recently, Liz donated a conservation easement to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, ensuring protection of the property in perpetuity.
Dent-Scott Home
Brothers are responsible for two neighboring historic homes in Newnan, both in the College-Temple neighborhood.
The Dent-Scott home was built by William Barton Wade Dent in 1851. Dent was a U.S. Congressman who once owned Stone Mountain as well as additional land in Georgia and Alabama.
In 1901, Joseph T. Kirby, Dent’s brother-in-law, purchased the home from the estate. Kirby’s wife made some changes and additions to the home while
maintaining the original character of the building. The house stayed in the family until 1963. There were two other owners before Michael Scott bought it in 1986. Today, Michael and wife Larisa live in the home.
In addition to the house, the property features a smokehouse, root cellar and barn, all being renovated by the Scotts, who have invested ample energy and effort at the property.
In May, the Scotts will host visitors to their side garden for PorchFest, a fundraiser for Newnan-Coweta History Center, for which Larisa serves as executive director. The event features a garden walk at select homes in the College-Temple area.
Strain Home
Dent’s brother, Joseph Ephraim Dent, built a house almost identical to his sibling’s around the corner. The Strain family now lives in that College Street home.
Mike Strain, a retired physician with Digestive Healthcare of Georgia and his wife, Pat, purchased the property in December 2013 and started renovation the following April.
Nothing says spring in Georgia like azaleas, including these at Oak Grove.
Spring blooms in separate plantings punctuate the yard and gardens at the home of Michael and Larisa Scott.
Photo courtesy of Larisa Scott
Photo courtesy of Liz Tedder
“We brought in Newnan architect Mitch Ginn who hit the ground running,” wrote Pat Strain in the blog the couple used to talk about their project. “We had no original plans. He put together drawings in keeping with the historical essence of the house while updating it for today’s lifestyle.”
When the Strains took ownership, the gardens and yard were unkempt, except for a large pecan tree that a former owner had deeded to itself for its own protection. Mike realized this when he noticed that the tree was not included in any maps of the property.
A one-and-a-half-acre garden in back has been successful through the years due to the richness of its soil, according to Mike. Using an initial garden plan drawn by Georgia landscape architect Dennis Mills, the Strains have reinvigorated the back garden and look forward to adding fruit trees.
Georgia decorator James Farmer did interior decorating at the Strain home and designed other gardens around the house, including a courtyard garden with English holly and a water element. The Strains’ home is pictured on the cover of Farmer’s 2017 book, “A Place to Call Home: Timeless Southern Charm,” co-written with Emily Followill.
Bringing Back the Past
Pat III and Julie Yancey each grew up with a deep appreciation of history.
“I grew up in a Neel Reid house in Columbus,”
says Julie. “ When you grow up with that magnificent architecture, it kind of goes into your soul.”
Reid’s architecture firm was one of the most important Atlanta firms in the 1910s and is said to have served as a training ground for Philip Trammell Shutze, the leading architect of what is now called the Georgia School of Classicism.
Both Yanceys apparently love the look since the home they built 28 years ago north of Newnan incorporates a number of architectural accents from Julie’s childhood home. While it was a contemporary build, they wanted the house to look like it had been there for 100 years.
For example, the Yanceys got a circular staircase from Julie’s father.
“ Mitch Glenn helped us build our house around that staircase,” says Julie. “ We scavenged for two years. We took boards out of old houses that were scheduled for demolition and reclaimed heart pine wood room-by-room.”
Pat had his eyes and hands on the garden. The ground was red mud and a forester had told them, “There’s no way you could garden out here.”
Again, perseverance prevailed. Today they have a garden filled with American boxwood, daylilies, peonies and dahlias. As a nod to the particular history of Newnan, they grow hydrangeas started with clippings from Bankshaven and passed down through their family.
Ah, the Coweta garden comes full circle. NCM
Photo courtesy of Pat and Julie Yancey
The walking garden of Pat III and Julie Yancey features color galore thanks to an abundance of native flowers thoughtfully planted and tended.
Green Thumbs
The Garden Club of Senoia
Written by JACKIE KENNEDY
Photos courtesy of THE GARDEN CLUB OF SENOIA
Carol McMackin founded the Garden Club of Senoia (GCS) in 2020 with 24 members, all women with a common interest in gardening and broadening botanical education and social connections with like-minded women.
Five years in, GCS has 54 active members along with several associate members who share knowledge to enhance their home gardens and work together to preserve public gardens in Senoia.
“Our group is dedicated to the beautification and preservation of our historic Senoia gardens and public parks, in addition to our focused interest and attention given to our own private gardens,” says Hilary De Puy, GCS president. “Through our garden projects, we further our mission to promote the love of gardening and horticultural knowledge, and to beautify historic Senoia community gardens and common green spaces.”
The club promotes sensible plantings that sustain the local environment and wildlife and conserve natural resources, according to De Puy.
Their newest project is a community vegetable garden to be located at the Freeman-Sasser building in Senoia’s Seavy Street Park. With construction slated to begin this spring, the Freeman-Sasser Community Vegetable Garden will feature production of many organic foods that will be offered to the Senoia community at large during seasonal harvests, according to De Puy.
The Garden Club of Senoia’s other projects include:
Main Street City Hall Planters, which the club maintains with seasonal plantings.
Gardener’s Alley, which the club designed and planted between the Main Street Buggy Museum and
LEFT
Vice president of the Garden Club of Senoia, Heather Sambdman is a gifted gardener who cares for her own masterful flower and food garden.
RIGHT
Ever wonder how the planters at Senoia City Hall remain so attractive and well-maintained? Look no further than the Garden Club of Senoia whose members work to keep the spot lovely through all seasons.
BELOW
Flowers and foliage chosen by the garden club for planters in Senoia feature items that attract pollinators like butterflies and bees.
Senoia City Hall; the 50-foot alleyway features seasonal plantings and photo opportunities.
Meditation Garden, which GCS plants and maintains at Senoia United Methodist Church.
Wisteria Way, which GCS plants and maintains at the 28 Main Street alleyway.
Lillie Holberg Garden, originally a classic Victorian garden, which GCS plants and maintains at the Historic Veranda Inn, which originated as the Holberg Hotel.
“The garden club is restoring the Lillie Holberg Garden, which Holberg, a socialite and community leader, designed in 1906 with classic details from the period, many of which still remain,” says De Puy.
Along with these projects, the Garden Club of Senoia hosts a speaker series and a garden tour this year.
A new venture, their Stone Lodge Speaker Series kicked off in January with a talk by Grace Manning, a biologist and manager of the Beltline Arboretum City of Trees Project in Atlanta. The event is held at the GCS Stone Lodge clubhouse in Senoia's Marimac Lake Park on fourth Thursdays. Upcoming speakers include sommelier Chrissy Lesseski speaking on wine and food pairing at the March event. In April, the
Hilary De Puy, president of the Garden Club of Senoia, enjoys caring for a variety of trees in her forest woodland, which boasts 10 species of oak and four species of maple along with cedar, white ash, pine, hickory, river birch, cherry, dogwood, fruit trees and more.
The club designed and planted what's known as Gardener's Alley, a 50-foot alleyway between Senoia City Hall and the Main Street Buggy Museum.
club will host a private screening of “The Biggest Little Farm,” a documentary about a couple’s journey to develop a sustainable farm on 200 acres outside of Los Angeles.
The club’s Springtime in Senoia Garden Party Tour on April 26 invites guests to six gardens in historic downtown Senoia where food, libations and live music will punctuate the beauty of gardens at 30 Couch Street, 38 Couch Street, 471 Pylant Street, 163 Seavy Street, 133 Barnes Street and 229 Bridge Street.
On Oct. 4, the club plans to host a Harvest Moon Dinner & Dance Party in the Lillie Holberg Gardens at the Historic Veranda Inn on Seavy Street. NCM
Sat., May 3rd Downtown Newnan
7:45 AM Tot Trot (Ages 5 & under)
8:00 AM Mia's Mile Fun Run/Walk
8:30 AM 5K (USATF Certified Course/ Peachtree Road Race Qualifier)
13th Annual for the RACE Orphans
9:30 AM Awards (CASH prizes to top winners)
from the RACE go to adopting families to help bring their children HOME!
For more information and to register, visit www.RaceForTheOrphans.org
The dreaded sweetgum tree
Written by BLUE COLE
Liquidambar styraciflua.
Definition: upright pyramidal tree, beautiful fall colors, fast growing, decorative bark and prolific wildlife feeder; resistant to breakage with little pruning required; native to the eastern United States; some industrial and commercial uses, including veneer; amber-colored, resinous sap and thick foliage; in nature, thickets form from the easily germinating seeds; named 2004’s Tree of the Year by the International Dendrological Society.
Sounds like the perfect tree, right?
It’s also one of the most hated trees in the South – the sweetgum.
How can such a delicious-sounding tree be considered so nasty? Well, it will drop 100% of its leaves and is a prolific grower, especially if you cut back the main trunk. Its common name is American sweetgum, but it’s better known by the vulgar name, gumball tree, which derives from the quarter-sized, spiny seed pods it drops each fall. One tree can drop thousands of these nuisances. The bane of barefoot children everywhere, the gumball is despised by many.
One hoity-toity landscape and design guide puts it this way: "Not recommended for sidewalk or street plantings."
My grandfather worded it another way: "Can’t burn it in hell with a blowtorch."
"Can’t split it, either," he added. "It’ll keep you busy all day.”
I suppose I was lucky. He could have asked me to split it.
“I’d cut every one of them down if I could,” my father grumbled more than once, usually as he pulled out the chainsaw. Unlike my grandfather, my dad said, “I’ll let you split it.”
The American sweetgum is one of over a dozen sweetgum varieties worldwide. This tree family has been around almost 100 million years with fossil records going back to the Cretaceous period. It’s a prolific tree, one that is all around us, despite the age and modern bias.
Landscapers, homeowners and even children grumble when the first sweetgum balls appear, but the spiky, hard outer shell is a perfectly designed seed-carrier. The outer layer of the gumball has spiny hooks, designed to grab
passing fur or clothing. The balls contain meaty seeds, beloved by tailed rodents and birds. Possums and other wild animals forage on the dried seeds once the husk splits. The seeds, if they find the right conditions, will easily germinate.
Dismissed by most as a "trash tree," the sweetgum has plenty of commercial uses. The mature tree's hardwood is used in furniture, shipping and as veneer. Smaller specimens are shredded and become part of OSB, a strand board used worldwide.
The namesake of the tree, the fragrant gum, comes from the sap of the tree. The amber colored resin has been used for centuries in medicinal, practical and in commercial applications.
The foliage of the sweetgum is simple, yet bountiful. The five-
pointed, star-shaped leaves put on a show each year, transforming from green to livid red to a deep yellow, sometimes overnight. Orange and deep purple are sometimes present, depending on temperature and genetics. The leaves are plentiful on the tree, lending great shade during the hot summers and as shelter to numerous animals.
Once mature, the sweetgum is drought tolerant. It also has a shallow, aggressive root system. This pushes up sidewalks and parking lots in urban settings, leading it to eventually go from being a favorite of street designers to shunned.
Which, actually, is the state the misunderstood sweetgum typically finds itself in among homeowners and businessmen as well: shunned. NCM
An EggCellent Easter Brunch
Written and Photographed by JACKIE KENNEDY
With Easter right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about a holiday meal. And if it’s one featuring eggs, you might want to start saving up for them now. Egg prices are at an all-time high, and the breakfast staple can be hard to come by. In January, some big box retailers had nary an egg on the shelf, while smaller stores had only a handful of cartons. If you have a neighbor who raises chickens, you’re in luck. Prices for free-range eggs are more in line with what’s at the supermarket than they’ve ever been. Here we share a few egg-centric recipes from local cookbooks. Try one or all five for Easter brunch, lunch or dinner.
Deviled Eggs with Bacon Bits
From “Coweta Cooks: Sharing a Legacy of Our Favorite Recipes”
1 dozen large eggs
¼ cup salad cubes or diced sweet pickles
½ cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper, to taste Bacon bits
Boil eggs; peel and rinse. Cut eggs in half lengthwise and remove yolks. Place whites on a serving plate. Place yolks in small bowl and smash them with a fork until smooth. Add mayonnaise, salad cubes, salt and pepper. Mix well. With a spoon, fill each egg with some of yolk mixture. Garnish with bacon bits.
-Susan Gaddy
Tex-Mex Deviled Eggs
From “Feast of Saint George”
6 hard-boiled eggs
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon minced green onion
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
¼ cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt, to taste
Chili powder, to taste
Cut eggs lengthwise into halves and remove yolks, reserving the whites. Mash yolks in a bowl, add mustard and vinegar; mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients, except chili powder, and combine. Mound yolk mixture into the reserved egg whites and sprinkle with chili powder. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
-Jay Stiles
Spinach Quiche
From “Feast of Saint George”
1 package chopped spinach, cooked and drained
2 to 3 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
5 eggs
1 (13-ounce) can evaporated milk
½ pound Swiss cheese, grated
½ cup parmesan or Romano cheese
1 onion, diced
2 (9-inch) pie shells
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prebake pie shells about 5 minutes. Melt butter in a frying pan; saute spinach and onions. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt, pepper, Swiss cheese and half of the parmesan cheese. Pour this mixture into lukewarm spinach mixture; stir, and pour all into pie shells. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese on top. Bake about 45 minutes.
-Nancy Mader
Egg Custard
From “Diverse Power Place and Plate:
Culture and Cooking in West Georgia”
½ cup butter, melted
1¼ cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
¼ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9-inch) pie crust
Mix together the first six ingredients. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes.
I bake several of these at a time. They're good to take to a friend or shut-in. “ ”
-Phyllis Bruce
Egg Bake
From “Moreland Mills and Memories”
1 can crescent rolls
1 pound sausage, cooked and drained
5 eggs
¾ cup milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ pound cheddar cheese, grated
Flatten crescent rolls in bottom of 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle with sausage. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and seasoning. Pour over sausage. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
-Dorcas Miller
MARCH 1-29, 2025
ONLY CURRENTLY OPERATING, LOCALLY-OWNED, COWETA COUNTY BUSINESSES/ENTITIES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR VOTING. BIG-BOX STORES AND NATIONAL CHAINS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO BE VOTED BEST OF COWETA.
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BEST OF COWETA 2025 Voting and Prize Drawing Official Rules
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. ALL FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY.
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PHOTOCOPIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. ALL PRINT AND ONLINE BALLOTS MUST CONTAIN A VALID AND LEGIBLE FIRST AND LAST NAME, PHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS TO BE ELIGIBLE. 50% OF BALLOT MUST BE COMPLETED TO BE ELIGIBLE. INCOMPLETE BALLOTS WILL NOT BE COUNTED, NOR WILL THEY BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE PRIZE DRAWING.
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Learning to Drive
Written by JUDY FREEMAN
I got my learner’s license in 1967 when I was 15 and living in Bloomington, Ind. I didn't get to take driver’s ed in summer school like my brother and friends had, which was a rite of passage at Bloomington High School. I had to take it during the regular school year when I was in tenth grade. The coach who taught it was controversial, but his motto was “Drive Defensively.” He showed us films of car crashes, which the parents didn’t like at all. He taught us to never assume that a car was going to stop just because there was a stop sign or red light and to try to avoid a crash no matter what.
Dad taught me to drive in our VW Bug; he said if I learned to drive a stick shift, then I could drive anything. We both learned a valuable lesson once when I was driving to my job at JCPenney. The road angled into a main road and a bus was coming. Dad said “Go,” so I started to pull out. Then he said, “No, stop,” so I was stopping when he said, “No, go!” He ended up having to steer the car out of the path of the bus.
I was relying on his judgment and doing what he said. He later realized that he should not have told me when to go because my reaction time was much slower than his. If that bus had hit us, we both would have been flattened inside the VW. We have told this story many times to hopefully teach others this valuable lesson.
We also know God was with us, surely, that day.
When I turned 16 in 1968, I wasn’t done with driver’s ed, so Dad said I had to wait until I had finished it before I could get my license. I assumed that would be as soon as school was out, but Dad said I needed more driving experience. I begged to take the test and said if the state of Indiana said I could drive, that should be good enough for him. His reply was that the state of Indiana wouldn’t be paying for my wrecks. I was a cautious driver, thanks to my driver’s ed teacher, but maybe Dad couldn’t get that bus headed right at us out of his mind. That summer, I finally got to take the driving test. On the way, we drove on the street behind
the testing place. Dad said to pull up beside a green Mustang and parallel park; I had not parallel parked before. When I was driving with the officer, we headed down the same street. Lo and behold, he said to parallel park behind the same green Mustang. It was no problem since I'd just done that minutes before.
In August 1968, we were ready for our summer trip to Georgia. My brother and I were going to drive my Dad’s Mustang because they’d gone down earlier. I was excited, thinking we could stop whenever we wanted. I found out that my brother was worse than Dad. He was driving down the road and asked if I wanted to drive. He told me to slide over on the console, and we changed places without even stopping. Talk about crazy teenagers! Thinking back, we were 16 and 17, yet our parents let us do a long drive from Indiana to Georgia by ourselves. There were no cell phones or GPS back then. Maybe our parents were the crazy ones.
Dad was so proud of that Mustang. He tells the story of seeing it at a car lot and stopping to look at it. He couldn’t believe the price, so he traded in the VW. He and Mother picked up my brother from football practice, and my brother asked where the VW Bug was. My parents pointed to the Mustang, and my brother could hardly believe it belonged to our family.
My brother and I were supposed to share the Mustang for after-school stuff, but every time I got in it, the gas tank was almost empty. One time, I had it after school to drive home and then back to school for a game. Then he got it after the game to take his girlfriend home. I went to the gas station and asked how much was one gallon of gas? Back then, someone pumped the gas when you told them how much you wanted. I think I paid 26 cents for one gallon of gas. I don’t guess he ran out of gas, for I don’t remember it being an issue. Was I being a mean sister or just getting even?
One time, we had taken his girlfriend home when he asked if I wanted to drive. “Of course,” I said. He stopped and I jumped out to get around
to the driver’s side, but he took off, leaving me on the dark county road for a long time. It was pitch dark. He did come back for me, maybe because he knew he couldn’t go home without me.
Thankfully, God took care of us crazy teenagers learning to drive and learning about life.
My driver’s ed teacher did instill in me to drive defensively and never assume anything while driving, a lesson I practice to this day. Also, I have tried to teach my kids and grandkids the same thing about driving. Hopefully they listened. I have told them it’s better to be safe than sorry and better late than never. I have lots of sayings – not only for driving but for life in general. After all, I have learned a few things in all of my years. NCM
Judy Freeman, of Moreland, was born in Georgia but lived in several states, thanks to her preacher dad. This story is from her book, "Stories of my Childhood & Youth," published by StoryWorth and dedicated to her parents. Her father died last July, so the stories and memories mean even more now, according to Freeman, who has lived in Coweta County with her family since 1980.
Artist Gallery & Gift Shop
Teaching Classes, Ages 3 to Adult • Painting Parties available onsite and offsite • Ceramics Painting • Local Artists’ Work & Gifts
30 South Court Square in Downtown Newnan, GA Mon., Tues., Thur., Fri. 12-6 • Sat. 11-3 • Sun. & Wed. Closed cornerartsgallery@gmail.com • 678-633-5705 facebook.com/cornerarts • cornerartsgallery.net
located in Newnan!
Her prestigious awards include the John Jay College Justice Award; the Distinguished Service Scroll Award from the University of Georgia School of Law (the highest award for alumni of the law school); Atlanta NAACP Jondelle Johnson Freedom Award; the SCLCWomen Drum Major of Justice Award; Emory University School of Business and Rollins School of Public Health Martin Luther King Service Day Award; special recognition from the Atlanta Gate City Bar Association.
Located in The Commercial House Building 19 Perry Street, Suite B02, Newnan 404-522-1200 | bj@bernsteinfirm.com
Casilee Harper's Agency
Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.® 28 Hospital Road, Newnan Bus. 678-552-4758 Fax 770-683-5556 Casilee@newnaninsurancepro.com
Ingrid Stanley photographed this tiger swallowtail visiting lilies at her home.
Wayne Davis photographed a dragonfly in the split second it was still.
Judy Gresham caught this butterfly feasting on coneflowers.
Sally Ray routinely enjoys watching the antics of butterflies at her home in Moreland.
submit your photos
Email us your photos of life in and around Coweta County and we may choose yours for a future edition of Blacktop!
Photos must be original, high-resolution (300 DPI) digital photos in .jpg format, at least 3x5 inches in size. Please include your name so that we can give you credit for your photo in the magazine! Email your photos with the subject “Blacktop” to the address below.
30th
celebrating our 30th summer concert season!
2025 concert season
APR 5
MAY 2
MAY 3
MAY 9
2025 concert season
Jeff Foxworthy
Gene Simmons Band
Melissa Etheridge + Joss Stone
APR 5
MAY 2
MAY 3
MAY 9
MAY 31
JUNE 21
JUNE 28
MAY 31
JUNE 21
JULY 19
JUNE 28
AUG 8
JULY 19
AUG 8
AUG 30
AUG 30
SEPT 12
SEPT 12
SEPT 13
SEPT 13
OCT 12
OCT 12
Let’s Sing Taylor - A Live Band
Jeff Foxworthy
Gene Simmons Band
Experience Celebrating the Music of Taylor Swift
Melissa Etheridge + Joss Stone
Let’s Sing Taylor - A Live Band
Night Ranger + 7 Sharp 9
The Gap Band + Soul Cartel
Experience Celebrating the Music of Taylor Swift
Night Ranger + 7 Sharp 9
Guardians of the Jukebox + Flannel Nation
The Gap Band + Soul Cartel
The REMakes +
Guardians of the Jukebox + Flannel Nation
Synchronicity - The Police Tribute Live September in the Park - The Ultimate E.W.F. and Chicago Tribute
The REMakes + Synchronicity - The Police Tribute Live September in the Park - The Ultimate E.W.F. and Chicago Tribute
George Thorogood & The DestroyersThe Baddest Show on Earth
George Thorogood & The DestroyersThe Baddest Show on Earth
Travis Tritt Homecoming with special guest Tyler Reese Tritt
Blues Traveler + Gin Blossoms + Spin Doctors
Travis Tritt Homecoming with special guest Tyler Reese Tritt
Blues Traveler + Gin Blossoms + Spin Doctors
Star Wars and More: The Music of John Williams with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Star Wars and More: The Music of John Williams with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
When old men plant trees
Igrew up in a house in Union City on a plot of land that was right at an acre. When I was a kid, it felt much larger than it looked. I learned that when I drove past it a few years ago.
In that small yard, there were two pecan trees, and they produced. My maternal grandmother thought it was a sin against God to leave a pecan on the ground, so I spent more time than I wanted bent over picking up pecans.
As I grew older, I realized how much I enjoyed eating pecans and wished I had trees that allowed me to bend down and pick some up.
When we moved to our current homestead 10 years ago, the first things I planted were two pecan trees. They were delivered about the size of a small twig. I chose two spots I thought would be best for pecan trees and planted them.
One currently stands maybe shoulder high and appears to be in good health. The pecan tree in the lower portion of the yard is still alive, but it's also still about the size of a small twig.
Whoever buys the house after us will enjoy those pecans someday; however, I have little hope of enjoying their produce in my lifetime.
I have a buddy who knows a lot about edible plants that grow native in Georgia. I’m talking about plants that grow naturally, if allowed, and offer free food with plenty of nutritional benefits.
As I learn more from my friend about what the soil in our region is willing and able to give us, it surprises me that more people aren’t letting the land provide for them. There’s not a lot of work involved in letting things grow that have survived the test of time and want to grow.
I’d like to move deeper into the country someday, with more land, and will often check out houses for sale in the area. I always check to see if there are any established food bearing trees or plants on the land. There usually aren’t.
My wife, who holds her own against any Southern gardener, sometimes plants things in our yard just for looks.
I always give her grief, saying that if it doesn’t give food, I have no desire to grow it. I usually take pictures of whatever she’s planted once it’s grown and bloomed because it does look nice. I’d just never tell her that.
“A society grows when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.”
I believe that’s an old Greek proverb. Whoever said it understood life. If I were that guy’s editor, I might have changed that last phrase to: “whose fruit they shall never eat,” but I think his point was made.
If you’re lucky enough to have some land, and are bored enough to have reached the end of this column, I implore you to go out and plant something that someone, someday, will enjoy. NCM
Southern-born and Southern-bred, Toby Nix is a local writer who works in law enforcement.
