Don Mar Redux

The South Congress strip has really exploded over the past few months. First Thursday has become so popular you have to wonder if the city will soon need to close sections of the city’s preeminent avenue. The most dramatic change has been the space between Amy’s Ice Cream and St. Vincent’s. The creative and colorful facades of Amy’s, Zen, and Gomi have added vitality to what was a pretty dull section just a year or so ago. Two new players, the Texas Music Cafe, and painfully hip n’ modern Factory People (checkout how they put the old “Just Guns” sign upstairs on the balcony) have completed the block’s transformation. A few blocks south is the lifeless Don Mar Motor Court. It is a mystery to me that this classic roadside motel hasn’t been revitalized also. My guess is that many potential investors have inquired about the place and were shocked to find out what the owner is asking. Kate Pierson, of B-52’s fame recently opened “Kate’s Lazy Meadow Motel” in the Catskill Mountains near Woodstock, New York. Here’s how Pierson describes her new venture: “Inside the cozy, rustic cabins, you’ll find mind-blowing mid-century modern/space age/rocket-your-socks-off decor. The suites are filled with authentic 50s-style kitchens turned out with vintage cabinets, Frigidaires and stoves - all in dazzing colors! Wait ’till you get a load of my to-die-for tchotchkes from shopping sprees all around America (hey, a girl’s got to do something while on tour!).” OK. Now someone do this to the Don Mar!

November 3rd, 2003