ELIOTT C. McLAUGHLIN Intrigue Editor The building has been there since 1905, and for almost 80 years, it has been known as the Tiger Rec pool hall. Greg Bradshaw changed that when he decided to put a Mellow Mushroom pizza parlor in its place. Bradshaw, an Atlanta native, graduated in 1990`from St. John's College in Annapolis, Md., with a master's degree. He taught high school English at Woodward Academy and Brentwood School in Georgia, while also coaching the football teams. "I had the fortune of seeing Takeo Spikes play high school football," Bradshaw said. After teaching for five years, he got into the restaurant business. "I didn't want to do fine dining. I wanted something casual, and I wanted a bar," Bradshaw said. Mellow Mushroom, located on 128 N. College St., is the 30th store of the franchise, which began in Atlanta. This is only the second store outside of Georgia, the first being in Boone, N.C. Bradshaw bought a franchise and began his quest for an "SEC or ACC college town." He said he had it narrowed down to Auburn or Chapel Hill, but the Plains' "old-fashioned downtown" won his heart. "It turned out perfect location-wise. The market looked good. Students were obviously eating pizza," Bradshaw said, referring to the plethora of pizza joints in the Auburn area. Although Mellow Mushroom will not deliver this fall, Bradshaw said, "We will be equipped to deliver when the students return from Christmas break."
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"They're not uptight at all," Bradshaw said. The main concern is that all franchise owners meet certain quality regulations regarding the ingredients in the pizza. "We're contractually bound to buy the best cheeses, meats and sauces," Bradshaw said. Bradshaw said Mellow Mushroom will also use baker's ovens to cook their pies. "It takes about 25 minutes to bake one of our pies Ñ we don't want to put out a schwag product," Bradshaw said. Another aspect that will set Mellow Mushroom apart from other pizza places in town is the extensive selection of beers. They will have 18 beers on tap, including Warsteiner, Blue Moon Belgian White and Newcastle. Bradshaw said they will also carry 30 to 50 bottled selections. Mellow Mushroom will open this Friday, and Bradshaw said he is "looking forward to seeing students come in, try a new beer and try a new product." |
ELIOTT C. McLAUGHLIN Intrigue Editor In Auburn, the Phillies Blunts and Swisher Sweets at the local gas station are the closest you can come to obtaining a fine cigar, but Anthony Hawksby, 04PG, hopes to change this. Hawksby, who has been attending the University for four years, said it was an English assignment that inspired him to open his tobacco shop, Little Anthony's Cigars, which opened last week upstairs in the Coffee Banque's former lounge. "I had to take an advertisement and talk about it positively or negatively. I chose a Hoya de Monterrey cigar ad," Hawksby said. "We had to show how ads slanted views. I pretty much slammed it." "I didn't tell my professor I ordered a box of Hoya de Monterreys," Hawksby said. This is not Hawksby's first attempt at entrepreneurialism, though. "I was the first kid on the block selling lemonade when I was six or seven," Hawksby said. "I've been interested in having my own business since I've been here. "I had some extra money and a great idea. Auburn doesn't have anything like this. I'm bringing a bit of the good life to Auburn," Hawksby said. Because of Auburn's rigid no smoking policy and difficulty finding good distributors, Hawksby had to vend stogies out of his home for two months. Little Anthony's will carry a selection of tobacco products and accessories, including imported and clove cigarettes, humidors, cigar cases and eventually pipes and pipe tobaccos. But Hawksby said he will focus mainly on premium cigars. Several things such as the wrapper, filler, roll and the origin of the tobacco determine whether a cigar makes the premium grade. "Most premium cigars are hand-rolled," Hawksby said. Hawksby said the cigar should consist of a long filler, meaning the tobacco leaves are rolled the length of the cigar instead of shredded and stuffed. There are many types of wrappers ranging from Connecticut, which is usually the lightest shade, to Maduro, the darkest. |
However, Hawksby insists price is a poor determinant of cigar quality. "A lot of times you walk in a store and they say 'Okay, start with the most expensive,' so you buy an $8 cigar. That's not how it works. Just because you pay $10 for a cigar doesn't mean it's better than a $3 cigar, " Hawksby said. "Cigars have become big business, but with all the popularity my main concern is cigar companies sacrificing quality for quantity," Hawksby said. He said the boom in the cigar industry has "opened up cigar-smoking to another half of our population" Ñ females. "My girlfriend smokes them. I think it's sexy," Hawksby said. "I've gotten a pretty big response from women on campus. I guess ever since Demi Moore put one in her mouth, that was it." Hawksby encourages everyone, regardless of their previous experience with cigars, to give it a try. "I want to answer people's questions," Hawksby said. "When I go to a cigar shop, it's usually uptight and stuffy, and I'm looked down upon because I'm young and I smoke cigars. Everyone has to start somewhere. It's a learning process." So whether you are a cigar aficionado or a first-timer, Hawksby reminds you that "the tobacco plant is a beautiful thing given to us by God and should never be overlooked. It was put here for us to enjoy." |
JEFF PRUITT Intrigue Staff Ever since Don Ohlsen was a kid, he has been intrigued by tattoos. "I was fascinated by it. I would see dads and grandfathers with their World War II tattoos, and I thought it was a fascinating art form," Ohlsen said. Because of this, Ohlsen has transformed his curiosity into an occupation. The result is Flyin' Gypsy Tattoo and Piercing Studios, located in Magnolia Place in downtown Auburn. It opened for business in November 1995 and has two full-time tattoo artists, one part-time artist, one apprentice artist and two piercers on staff. Originally from Connecticut, Ohlsen moved to Florida to work in a tattoo shop. When he came to visit relatives in Auburn, he thought it was "a nice, little college town," which prompted him to open a studio. According to Ohlsen, this decision was a good one. "The students are real hip. They gave us their approval and made us feel welcome from the start," Ohlsen said. At first, the clients were mainly students. But now Ohlsen sees a more diverse range of people, including professionals and blue-collar workers. |
"I recently tattooed a grandma. She got three stars on her ankle for each of her grandchildren," Ohlsen said. When asked about the current popularity of tattoos and piercing, Ohlsen said, "It's getting more mainstream. Everyone is getting a lot bigger and bolder. That's the thing I think people are shocked by." For those people who doubt the safety of tattoos and piercing, the Flyin' Gypsy uses new "single-use" needles that are opened in front of the customer. All the equipment is "steam sterilized" through a process called Autoclave, the same type used in hospitals. Ohlsen said he hopes the business will grow and include more customer input. "I would like to see it keep expanding and have more people come in with their own customized designs," Ohlsen said. |
HEATHER COBB Assistant Intrigue Editor "Who can make the sun shine, sprinkle it with dew, cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two?" Sweet Auburn, Auburn's newest candy store can, that's who. Auburn finally has a candy store and soda fountain near campus on College Street next to Aubie's Ice Cream. There are over 250 types of candies and chocolates in the store. Owner and manager Jill Wood said, "When I brought my daughter here for summer registration, I noticed an empty space here and thought it would be perfect." Wood has had much experience with candy stores because she currently manages one in the Riverchase Galleria in Birmingham. She said she intends to draw on that experience to make Sweet Auburn a trademark in Auburn for many years to come. The store, which had its first full day Sept. 14, will cater mainly to faculty, students and their parents, Wood said. She said, "We will give a 1-800 number so that parents can send their kids baskets and little gifts, if they are homesick or stressed about exams." Another important aspect of the candy store is what it will do for sororities. Wood said, "We will do full-service baskets for sororities, and we have all of their different colors and almost all of their mascots."
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Another aspect of Sweet Auburn is that in the mornings before class, students can walk in and get a bag full of candy and something warm to eat. The candy can be bought in any amount and almost all kinds can be mixed together because they are the same price. Wood said, "You can get a little bit of everything without having to buy a pound." Sweet Auburn will offer candy for diabetics as well. The theme of the candy store is supposed to be the early 1900s to the 1950s, and there are pictures all over the store depicting different aspects of the University and the town throughout the years. |
JEFFREY HAHNE Assistant Intrigue Editor Do you have old CDs that you don't listen to and are just sitting on your shelf collecting dust? Four CD stores in Auburn buy and sell used CDs and will be glad to take them off your hands. These stores are Wildman Steve's Record & CD Exchange, Big Beat Records, Sound Shack and Silver Rocket Records. Wildman Steve's Record & CD Exchange is located in downtown Auburn at 144 W. Magnolia Ave. and is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Steve Bronson, the owner of Wildman Steve's, said the store is "the oldest independent CD store in town, in its ninth year of operation." The store has CDs ranging in price from $10.99 to $11.99 for new CDs and $1.99 to $9.99 for used CDs. "We'll take anything but cheesy CDs," Bronson said. Wildman Steve's also has imported CDs and a collection of new and used vinyl for sale, all of which Bronson says are in "collectible condition." Bronson also said, "If we don't have the CD you are looking for, we'll order it and have it within a week." Wildman Steve's is sometimes open for midnight CD sales. The store also sells posters, T-shirts, stickers and incense. Licensed tour shirts are also available. Big Beat Records is located downtown at 129 E. Magnolia Ave. and is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12-6 p.m. on Sunday. This winter will be Guy Goodman's fourth year in operation. Big Beat's used CDs range in price from $4.99 to $7.99, and the new CDs are never sold for over $11.99. Goodman said the store has used CDs in every category and "the type of music doesn't matter, as long as it's not scratched."
| All of the used CDs are "guaranteed and visually inspected before being sold," he said. Goodman said the store has over 5,000 new CDs and over 3,000 used ones. Big Beat is open at times for midnight CD sales, has a large selection of imports and has a collection of used, high-quality vinyl for sale. Some of the vinyl is out of print and not available on CD. Also in its fourth year is Sound Shack, located at 902 Opelika Road. The store's hours are flexible but are usually 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sound Shack only deals with used CDs, vinyl and tapes, and owner Bill Hamer said he tries "to have something for everyone." He said that prices range from $7 to $8 for CDs and the tapes are $2 to $3. "I'm picky about condition," Hamer said, "but I'll buy from any category as long as it will sell. People should keep their Vanilla Ice at home." The fourth CD store is Silver Rocket Records, located at 150 E. Magnolia Ave. The store is in its second year and hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-6 p.m. on Sunday. The store sells new and used CDs and vinyl as well as imports, posters, stickers and T-shirts. Silver Rocket also opens for midnight CD sales. The used CDs sell for $4.99 to $7.99, and new CDs can be found for $9.99 to $11.99. Owner Will Godfrey said, "We'll buy anything depending on condition and how many we have. I think we're less picky than everyone else." |
