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S M O K E S I G N A L S A D V E R T I S I N G S U P P L E M E N T Holly Springs Furniture a shopper’s delight W


ith a 39,000 sq. ft. showroom chock full of furniture, Holly Springs Furniture is a furniture shopper’s delight.


Located in Ball Ground off I-575 exit 24,


the firm is an easy 30-minute drive from Big Canoe. Occupying all of that space is an endless bounty of living and dining room sets, recliners, mattresses, bar sets and sofas not to mention entertainment centers, coffee tables and more.


A large


array of home accessories includes wall art, silk flower arrangements and knick-knacks of every description. The huge selection features a


variety of styles ranging from casual to formal with an emphasis on the traditional furniture lines long- favored by Big Canoe residents for their mountain homes. Owner Todd Cronic is a native of


the Holly Springs area. He started out in the business 24 years ago as a wholesaler of outdoor furniture. Since that time, he has continued to expand his business culminating in the opening of a full line store to the public in 2007. “With today’s economy, it’s all


H O M E F U R N I S H I N G S & A C C E S S O R I E S HOLLY SPRINGS FURNITURE


5222 Ball Ground Hwy, Ball Ground, GA 30107 (Off I-575 exit 24) • 770-720-3782 E-mail: hollysf1@windstream.net • Web site: www.hollyspringsfurniture.com


Todd says home office furniture is


particularly popular these days with more and more of his customers looking for desk sets and credenzas with matching wooden file cabinets. “Big Canoe residents seem to have a special interest in these lines,” he said. Other local favorites include the


store’s wide selection of leather sofas and furnishings for mountain homes. Todd said his customer base in Big Canoe is growing with his trucks making deliveries in the community at least once per week. He said that Bent Tree and Laurel Canyon are other hotspots for the store. Todd emphasized that his delivery


personnel are employees of the store, not independent contractors. “That way our customers know who is coming to the house and they feel more secure,” he said. Outdoor furniture is a specialty


Holly Springs Furniture carries a deep selection of entertainment centers able to accommodate the larger flat screen televisions.


about price and selection,” Todd said. “My job is to bring in the best lines I can as cheaply as I can and pass the savings on to customers. Keeping quality up and prices down is a real fine line to tread.” All items in his store show a regular price and a considerably discounted “no haggle”


price under that. The size of the store lends itself to especially deep selections of recliners, sofas, outdoor furniture and home office pieces.


of Holly Springs Furniture with a particularly deep selection of porch and patio items. Todd said this is another area where Big Canoe residents can find just the set they are looking for with colors that meet covenant standards. Todd said entertainment centers are flying out the door due to the


continued changeover from old style televisions to flat screens. Deep armoires that housed the old-style sets have given way to shallower, larger entertainment centers that can accommodate the flat screen sets up to 60-inches. Todd said Holly Springs Furniture is being discovered by more and more Big Canoe


residents as evidenced by his growing number of deliveries to the area. “I think most any shopper from Big Canoe can find the quality and style they are looking for,” he said.


Buyers turn their design talents to older homes I


t’s a familiar litany: Now is a great time to buy. Mortgage rates are low, prices are affordable and inventories are high.


All of these things are true, of course, but when Kay Born of Solid Source Realty, Inc., says now is the time to buy, she is really talking about a local phenomenon that is taking place with growing regularity in Big Canoe itself.


R E A L E S T A T E


KAY BORN SOLID SOURCE REALTY, INC. 404-408-8077 mobile • 770-475-1130 ext. 9029


E-mail: kay@kayborn.com • Web site: www.BornForTheMountains.com


“A good example of what I am talking about took place at 7010 Chestnut Oak Point in the Valley View section,” according to Kay. “The buyers bought a distressed property and, with the money they saved, did smart things that created value.”


What she is seeing relates to the growing number of aging homes in Big Canoe hitting the market. Many of these homes are in need of updating — a fact that has a bearing on the listing price. Buyers are beginning to seek out these properties and, with the money they save, adding improvements. “More and more of my clients are getting great bargains on Big Canoe homes and using what they saved on the purchase price to do a complete update and re-design,” Kay says. “That way they can personalize the house and make it theirs. Many use this opportunity to buy a weekend getaway that they can fix up and enjoy and then sell when the market turns. By then, they will probably be ready to move up to something larger, anyway.”


Older homes are being updated and redesigned at a rapid clip thanks to buyers taking advantage of real estate bargains in Big Canoe. Kay Born of Solid Source Realty, Inc, handles this listing on Chestnut Oak Point.


She says the Florida couple added a roof and gutters and replaced the hot water heater. Most of their efforts, however, went into updating the kitchen and master bath. “Kitchens and baths give you the biggest bang for your buck,” Kay said. The new homeowners actually improved the flow of the great room’s floorplan by reducing the width of the kitchen and adding a ten-foot granite bar and seating. Stainless appliances were installed along with rich cherry cabinets. Similar improvements were made to the master bedroom and bath. A little-used storage area was co-opted to double the size of the master bath. An extra large tile shower and “his” and her” sinks, all with bronze fixtures, were installed. The update was


She said this is particularly true of her clients who are somewhat handy and have a good eye for design. “These homes are not exactly your dream home but they are great buys, which makes them prime candidates for an update by people who enjoy doing these things,” Kay says.


Kay says buyers of older homes have to be careful in their approach to an update.


completed with Craftsman-style moldings on walls and ceilings throughout the home. Kay says she is seeing more interest in tackling these projects by new owners and attributes it to the popularity of HGTV. “ HGTV is a phenomenon,” she said. “It gives people the vision to see what they can do to improve a property that needs work. People watch and they say, ‘I can do that.’ It empowers them and gives them the courage to do it themselves.”


OCTOBER 2010


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