How to Write a Creepy Real Estate Offer

1)  Create hand-written "form letters".
2)  Use red ink.
3)  Send copies to home addresses at random from a bulk database export.
4)  Ignore whether the property is listed for sale or not.
5)  Use yellow, lined paper, instead of a company letterhead.
6)  Only use your first name, don't include your last name.
7)  Include a phone number but no other contact information.
8)  Don't explain why you're interested in buying a property that is not on the market.
9)  The return address on your envelope should be a "MailBoxes Etc" location in Buckhead.

Behold that which blessed my US Mailbox this afternoon.

Address redacted.  If you know my family, you know where we live.  ;-)

When I googled the phone number, I found this website:  http://www.onlinemediainteractive.com/fastsaleformyhouse/needtosell.html

I'm guessing home flippers.  Anyone else get one of these creepograms?  Or know the company where the phone number led?

By the way, if "Bajja" is reading this, your offer is respectfully declined.

Is Dunwoody getting its own girls' party place?

A while back I posted about my (and my daughter's) experience with Pink Pastry Parlor in Alpharetta and bemoaned the fact that indoor play and party spaces were rare in a city that is so concerned about opportunities for children.

It looks like that may change...!

Behold Sweets 'n Dreams, a new storefront in the Shops of Dunwoody that is going through the process to build out and open.  It is promoted as a party facility/event center/bakery and may be one of the things that our retail centers have been missing for a while.

Check 'em out on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/SweetsnDreams

Street/Summer Fair Vendors Wanted for Input on Media Article

I received an email this morning from Independent We Stand, an advocacy organization supporting and promoting the value of local independent businesses.

A reporter for a major news publication has approached Independent We Stand looking for entrepreneurs who have been vendors at street fairs and other outdoor summer events. They're seeking examples of lessons learned from these business opportunities – what to do and what not to do to. The entrepreneurs should be in only their second or third year of business and have some wisdom to share based on what they learned as an outdoor vendor last summer or the summer before. Do you fit the bill or know someone else who does? Just reply to this email or email us at media@independentwestand.org!

Dunwoody and its neighbors are chock full of these kinds of enterprises!  If you are a small biz entrepreneur or solopreneur who as ever set up shop at Lemonade Days, the Dunwoody Music Festival, or the Dunwoody Arts Festival, this may be a golden opportunity for you to showcase your wares to a wide media audience!

While we're at it, I'll bet some of the vendors at the Dunwoody Green Market would fit the bill too.  Ditto for the new generation of food trucks that are hitting the streets to carve out their niche.  (I still think the Hail Caesar idea is hysterical!)

Drop a line to Independent We Stand above and give the media another reason to put Dunwoody-grown brands on the map.  (Tell Bill I said "hi" when you email!)