Live For Buzz

Judging from the quality and quantity of Buzzer reviews, The Midway Pub is off to a really strong start. People love the space, what they’ve sampled so far from the menu, the big beer selection … and the free shots Midway staff was pouring during their opening nights.

I opened up a specific reviews topic for Midway, and in four days it’s generated 178 posts. In case you’re wondering - yes, that’s a lot. And that’s on top of 192 posts in the topic created leading up to the opening and another 87 in a “Midway is close to opening” topic. A lot of that traffic is a result of the big growth in Buzz membership I’ve seen this year (more than 600 new members since the first of the year), but I think it’s safe to say that The Midway Pub is opening strong. And that’s a great thing for their owners and for East Atlanta Village.

On EAV Buzz: Reviews: The Midway Pub and The Midway

Despite the aggravation of their recent sidewalk blockage, East Atlanta is eagerly awaiting the opening of The Midway Pub on Flat Shoals Avenue, and Buzzer Not Fred’s Nate confirmed that the opening will happen on Tuesday, April 29 at 5 p.m.

If history is any indication, The Midway staff had best be ready for anything but a “soft opening” on that night. Buzzers swarmed The Glenwood, Kasan Red and Holy Taco when they first opened, and packed houses on what might otherwise be quiet weeknight openings are to be expected with Buzzers get wind of it.

But the good news is by and large Buzzers understand that things aren’t going to go smoothly on opening night, but it’s been a real trial by fire for recent openings.

And April 29, 2008 will be a big day in East Atlanta. For about seven years the building where The Midway is going has been vacant and neglected, and Flat Shoals south of Glenwood has been a lonely place up until now. But with The Midway, East Atlanta Icehouse and the bakery planned for a small building right on the edge of the commercial district, things are picking up on EAV’s south side.

On EAV Buzz: - The Midway Pub Opens 4-29 5 p.m.

You have to have been around East Atlanta a good while to remember The Village, a very small, very dingy, red-windowed bar next door to what is now Kasan Red. Somehow they managed to squeeze blues bands into the place, and it was a rockin’ joint. It shut down a few years ago and the space has sat vacant.

But that may soon change. Buzzer Not Fred’s Nate got some good “on the street” details about plans to re-open the place sometime “soon” (soon being a relative term when dealing with the city of Atlanta). From the early intel, it sounds like the owners may be trying to focus on music and plan to really upgrade the space. Not much they can do about the size, but EAV has enough big spaces already. Buzzer Joe Brown’s Beard says one of the owners may be involved with Yin/Yang in Midtown.

On EAV Buzz: The Village - I heard a rumor

Buzzers have a soft spot for animals, and Buzzer localres has ramped up the Critter Crawl benefit started last year to be a multiple-neighborhood, multiple-weekend event.

Here in East Atlanta, the crawl is set for April 5. Hurry if you want tickets.

On EAVBuzz: Sweetwater Critter Crawl

Venerable East Atlanta dive bar Gravity Pub closed, only to be quickly re-opened by a new group headed by a familiar EAV barwench, Angelica (aka Buzzer Princess). Lots of Buzz talk ensued with the news of the closing and - ultimately - the Gravity’s resurrection.

On EAVBuzz: Gravity

It’s official(ish) - My Sister’s Room is bailing on Decatur and setting up shop in the old Good News Cafe space on Glenwood. Word is that Inman Park Properties brokered the move, buying the building specifically to lease to MSR.

On EAVBuzz: My Sister’s Room Confirmed???