census Archives - Page 2 of 2

Small businesses struggle in metro Atlanta, but GSU professor sees hope

by David Pendered April 28, 2014 5:58 pmFebruary 17, 2023 3:14 pm

The average “mom and pop” shop in metro Atlanta is bringing in a lot less money than before the recession, according to a saportareport.com analysis of statistics newly released by the Census Bureau.

In 2007, the average receipts for a “mom and pop” in metro Atlanta were $44,708. In 2012, the average receipts were $38,873, the analysis showed.

The numbers come as no surprise to Bob Gemmell, a serial tech entrepreneur from Georgia Tech who now directs the Herman J. Russell Sr. Center for Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University: “A good bit of this is because of the recession.”

Michelle Hiskey

Counting squirrels adds quirk to Inman Park

by Michelle Hiskey January 7, 2013 6:53 pmFebruary 17, 2023 3:10 pm

By Michelle Hiskey

In the 1880s, a dreamy question created the east Atlanta neighborhood of Inman Park: “What if… the streetcar connected downtown with a posh suburb?”

Today, a funky obsession has connected neighbors there: “What if all the squirrels came down from the trees and attacked us in an apocalyptic nightmare?”

From the imagination of local writer Jamie Allen came the acorn that grew into the Inman Park Squirrel Census. From this nutty (to some) idea unfolded a modern fable, a tale of harnessing curiosity and technology to transform how we see our surroundings.

Grounding their wildlife watch is some hard cash: through the social media incubator Kickstarter, the squirrel census recently raised $9,000 to form an LLC and print and sell vintage-style posters of where the squirrels are.