After changing the zoning in East Tallassee from small town mix to general business in January of 2015, the area has seen a continual increase in new businesses. Furthermore, many of the local established businesses throughout the city are sprucing up their establishments. If this is an indication of the local economy, it is on the uptick.
“In East Tallassee you have three new restaurants about to open,” said Councilman Rob Rygiel.
One of these new dining options will be Larry Melvin’s, LLC. Many in the area are familiar with the chef of this new establishment, as he was once the chef at The Hotel Talisi.
“There is another new restaurant that be will in the first shopping center as you go into East Tallassee called Rustic Mill BBQ,” he said
The third restaurant that will be opening “in the near future” is Ruby’s Heart and Soul Restaurant. It will located on North Ann Street and will specialize in home cooking.
Carrville has also seen an increase in the automotive industry. This includes both dealerships and automobile repair shops. In East Tallassee, Tate Automotive is the newest used car dealer to open in the area.
“He just opened and he has some nice cars for sale over there,” said Councilman David Stough.
Main Street Transmission has recently opened for business in East Tallassee. Furthermore, Turf Tactics opened in Carrville and just recently celebrated their one-year anniversary at the location. Before Greg and Kat Raiford, owners of Turf Tactics, moved into the building it had sat empty for years and was an eyesore to many. Today the building looks like an updated time capsule with the nostalgic features of the older building combined with modern updates.
“They took that building and made it look really nice,” Stough said.
Many of the established business in Tallassee have followed suit, refreshing their appearance as well.
“In July the Huddle House updated their restaurant and the Chrysler dealership is in the process of remodeling their establishment now,” Rygiel said.
In addition, Tallassee has seen several new establishments open over the past year. Gameday Clips has been a welcomed addition to the Tallassee area. Both Web Devil Design and Studio B opened in downtown Tallassee last fall and more recently Tallassee saw the opening of T-Fit, a state-of-the-art gym in the shopping center that once housed Winn-Dixie, Dollar General and Wal-Mart.
Rygiel says this spurt in new businesses comes from both the planning commission’s rezoning but also because of the faith people have in the local community.