Now I don’t know ‘bout y’all but that slippin’ sliddin’ week of snow and ice ‘bout drove me cotton crazy! Talk ‘bout puttin’ the breaks on my all-time favorite hobbies -- shoppin’ and dinin’ out at fancy dance restaurants and sippin’ on hand-shaken martinis! That Weatherman in the Sky needs to pay up for all the pain and sufferin’ he caused! Check the mailbox Momma and let’s see what we got! Well butter my bowhonkers and call me a biscuit! Four letters from the Weatherman! Let’s open ‘em up! Bangin’ Banjos! A big fat Rain Check for Monday’s weather! A big fat Snow Check! A Sleet Check and a Freezin’ Rain Check! All this crazy weather has done made us RICH, RICH, RICH! Let’s get on our  shoppin’ outfits and head to town!
    New Shop Comin’ to Madison! Diane McElhannon, owner of Briar Rose gift shop on West Washington St., in Madison and of Cherubs gift shop in Athens has leased the Mulberry Toys space on South Main Street and plans to open her second shop in Madison! Ok so I finally caught up with Diane just now and honey she’s got big, big plans for this fantastic, premiere retail space on the corner of Main Street and Washington! The big scoop is this: The name of this soon-to-open shop is Bella Madison because Diane says people are always talkin’ ‘bout how beautiful our town is and honey she is flat right! Anyhow, she hopes to have it open before the end of February! She’s finalizin’ her plans but says she’s gonna offer a variety of merchandise from accessories like handbags and the most fabulous scarves EVER to home décor items like lamps and pillows, jewelry and high design gifts! I can’t wait! Diane also said she’s gonna make those window displays POP honey! Ok so I’ve been promised a sneak peek later on so I’ll keep all y’all posted!
    As to the Maggies restaurant space next door, it has not yet been leased although there’s been a heap of interest. Keep checkin’ the Biz Buzz for more updates!
    Just Out of the Kloset Consignments owned by Keith Rex and located at 179 South Main St., in downtown Madison is flat open! Honey, rain, snow, sleet or hail couldn’t stop Keith from openin’ on Saturday! He did it! And, listen y’all! The shop is beautiful! Oh and honey I had to pop over there to check it all out Saturday and ended up bein’ Keith’s first payin’ customer of Just Out of the Kloset! That’s right y’all! You’ve got to check it out immediately! They’ve got cool furniture, fab gently worn clothes, to-die-for shoes and boots, fur coats, vintage clothes, handbags and then some! So anyhow y’all . . . I ended up with a fabulous silk/cotton blend sweater for only $12! You flat can’t beat it! Get over there immediately and tell ‘em the Biz Buzz sent ya!   
    Hey y’all! Ginger Gardner just called to tell me she’s doin’ some remodelin’ work at Town & Country located at 204 West Washington St., in Madison and that she gonna reopen next week! Honey I flat can’t wait to check out the changes in the shop!
    Oh and y’all knittin’ fans will be happy to hear that Monica Culqui of Sartoria Monica located at 232 West Washington St., right smack down from the entrance to Town 220  is back from her buyin’ trip to California!  Y’all head over there and check out all that’s new, fabulous and fashionable! I mean really! Life’s rough. You deserve something soft! I flat, love, love, love the hand-knitted shawl I bought myself for Christmas! Go get yourself one!
    Hey and Smokin’ Gun BBQ located at 1540 Greensboro Road in Madison is now open for Sunday lunch! Y’all head on over after church and get you some of their famous barbeque or one of their Sunday specials like old fashion meatloaf! Check it out!
    What the? Is that a ding dang vampire? Yes! Those crazy bloodsuckers are back in Madison filmin’ the television series Vampire Diaries at the old DuPree house on Dixie Highway! Watch out after dark y’all!
    Ok! That’s it for the Buzz this week! Y’all be real sweet to Momma, get out of the house and shop and dine local! I’ll see all y’all next week: Same time. Same Number One Weekly Newspaper in the Great State of Georgia.

Printed in the January 20, 2011 edition