By Boyd Baker, Owner of the Wondershop and Lake Claire resident
What was Miss Mary Lin really like? Where was the “lake” in Lake Claire? How did the Inman Park Festival begin and whose idea was it?
These are all questions that fascinate me and I want to hear for EVERYONE who knows ANYTHING about our glorious 30307 neighborhoods. From Edgewood to Inman Park to Lake Claire to Emory, there are a million stories of what life was like and how we got to where we are today – and I want to capture them from folks who “lived it”. Think of it as a Story Corps audio history of our neighborhoods. Get it?
Did you know the trolley tracks ran right down McLendon? Or that there were once 2 or 3 movie theatres in Little Five Points? And what about the Austin Avenue Buffet in Inman Park that served the factory workers? There’s a treasure trove of stories about our area that I’d love to capture before all of those with the memories move on to Florida or the Great Beyond.
This is a chance for you, a neighbor, or you and a neighbor to set up a time and come talk about a slice of life that our kids and grandkids can listen to and, hopefully, pass on the history of our area and events. Willing to do my best and meet with anyone who has a story to share. No topic is too mundane – want to talk about the shops in Candler Park or the businesses in Inman Park or the community picnics in Edgewood? Just give a shout. We can record here at Wondershop in our podcast room at the corner of Oakdale & McLendon! Or, if the storyteller needs me to come to them, I’ll do my best to come to you.
I produce a GOOD GRACIOUS weekly podcast on Southern musicians, artists, and changemakers already and I’d love to use Wondershop as a home for storytelling of history and other kinds as well. More podcasts means more stories that people can share and learn from. Think about a friend/neighbor who may know something about something. You can interview them or I can. This is all about capturing history for a moment. My stepfather went to Mary Lin so he has stories galore about growing up in the neighborhood. I’m planning on recording them but would love counterpoints of folks who taught, went to school, or just remember living in 30307.
Too often I find, folks really have little connection to what life was like or what events and businesses used to be popular. Can you imagine Candler Park before the Candler Park Market, Flying Biscuit, or Fellini’s? How about life when the Bass Lofts was Bass High School or the L5P Community Center was a school? What about Edgewood and its neighborhood lore? Please reach out to those who may have stories to share and connect them with me.
I’ll do my best to meet with folks and record their stories, and then post them online so that we can all have access to a history of our beloved 30307. Feel free to email me about boyd@wondershopatl.com and I’ll set up a time to capture your story. Just want to “leave a message” for your kid to hear years from now? That’s fine too.
Don’t think any story is too small, because they all are part of the fabric of 30307. Lake Claire Land Trust, Emory Campus, Deacon Burton’s – what other stories are there to share? Please connect, or invite someone to share their tale, so we can keep the stories for posterity.
You’re welcome to reach out to me with any questions, or ideas, at boyd@wondershopatl.com. Looking forward to connecting all the dots of our community in the upcoming year at www.30307.org.