Here’s a story that East Ridge can feel good about.
Saturday night the folks at the Olive Branch hosted an “open house,” and loads of people turned out to savor some fine food, watch a little college football and generally have a good time.
The Olive Branch, by all accounts, is a huge success. The little Greek deli and grocery store opened its doors in the middle of May to little fanfare. Nick, Callie, John and Faye _ the proprietors of the place _ moved up from Florida where they had run restaurants. When they told me of their plans, quite frankly, I was skeptical.
How could a place on Ringgold Road offering Tyropita (cheese pie), Spanakopita (spinache pie), Moussako and a Gyro with Tzatziki sauce survive?
Please! The Pioneers like their “meat and threes.” This was never going to work.
Wrong!
The people of East Ridge have embraced The Olive Branch wholeheartedly. And it’s not only people from East Ridge.
I was in there the other day and Ron Littlefield, the former Mayor of Chattanooga, was having lunch with former Chattanooga City Councilwoman Marty Rutherford. And this wasn’t Marty’s first time breaking bread there. I routinely bump into folks I came to know from my Time Free Press days. Most of these people work downtown or have traveled from neighboring counties to enjoy The Olive Branch.
In my conversations with them, at what I fondly call “The Greek Place,” there is some element of amazement that this small business is located in East Ridge. And, that business is booming.
John told me that his partners originally wanting to locate the deli-bakery/grocery in Chattanooga’s Southside area. He said the rents there were too much and the space was too small. East Ridge provided an enticing alternative location. The Olive Branch owners hammered out a deal with the building’s owner, Emerson Russell, and I’d like to say the rest is history. But that wouldn’t be quite right.
I had no idea all the obstacles and challenges a small business faces in getting up and running. From the kitchen of the establishment Saturday night, John and Nick recounted the myriad of details, regulations, permits, government agencies and quasi government agencies the owners had to address before hanging a shingle.
No wonder most of us just go to work for someone and leave our version of the “American Dream” to be pursued by others.
But small business is the backbone of East Ridge, isn’t it? Shouldn’t our City Fathers do as much or more to promote small business in our city as it does for the big players?
Mayor Brent Lambert, who by the way attended the Olive Branch’s open house with his lovely wife, Mandy, and their children, has stated publicly many times that the city should be more business friendly. The City Council has attempted to address “issues” that hinder the ability of small businesses to succeed in our city, i.e. “temporary sign permits.”
Apparently there are numerous hoops a business must jump through and regulations it must comply with to do something as simple as have a banner out front advertising a big sale. The Council passed an ordinance that relaxes the temporary sign regulations. But is it enough?
There were steps over the last 18 months to encourage businesses to apply for facade improvement grants through the city. The city would match what a business spends _ up to $10,000 _ to improve the looks of the business. I’m told that at least one business has taken advantage of the offer. For the life of me, I don’t know which one it may have been.
There is a perception by some in our city that the business district is shabby and unattractive. Some have even dropped the RB words … comparing Ringgold Road to Rossville Boulevard, for goodness sake.
But, I’m here to tell you, Saturday night inside the Olive Branch, had you not known for a fact that you were in a business on Ringgold Road, you may have thought you were in a trendy Southside restaurant in Chattanooga rubbing elbows with the elite.
So, John, Nick, Faye and Callie thanks for bringing your concept of Greek hospitality to East Ridge. Now, if we could just get more people like them to invest in our city all references to the dreaded Rossville Boulevard will be totally forgotten.
