Brainstorming List

Are luxury housing complexes and high rises downtown pushing low-income residents to the outskirts of the city?
Create an interactive map showing what areas of Athens are gentrified (where gentrification is/has occurred) and when. I think this would be particularly interesting if I were to show neighborhoods in Athens and how they have changed over time. I would use StoryMap JS to do this. I would drop pins on different gentrifying areas and include photos (if obtained) of the area in the past and an original, current photo of the area today. I think it would also be very interesting to include audio from people living in or who previously lived in each neighborhood that tells the story of gentrification.
Interview longtime Athens residents to question how gentrification has changed the landscape of the city over the years.
Profile a resident of Parkview Homes about their experience in Athens, particularly since building began downtown.
Interview businesses that have been downtown for decades (The Caledonia Lounge, the 40 Watt Club) about how they have managed to stay relevant and interesting in a constantly changing area.
Look at how gentrification downtown has changed what businesses are open in the area — do downtown shops change as the people living downtown change?
How is the local government working to offset the effects of gentrification in the community? Are they attempting to bring in lower-income or rent controlled housing? Is there some sort of program available to help displaced residents find new homes? If so, how did these start?
Is it provable that gentrification is a factor that leads to homelessness in Athens or could something else be contributing to this? Compare homelessness over the years.
Has gentrification offered any benefits to the community — increased property values, reduced strain on local infrastructure, increased purchasing power in local businesses, etc?
Compare Athens neighborhoods today to Athens neighborhoods 20 years ago — are different people living in different areas, if so, why and when did this occur?
Everyone talks about housing when they think about gentrification, but I’d like to look at how it affects retail prices — what do rising prices mean for the accessibility of goods and services for Athenians? Nationally, we have seen that low-income communities have less access to grocery stores and healthy foods and that residents in these areas (called food deserts) are often obese due to a lack of healthy food. It might also be interesting to see how the public transit system in Athens makes Athens food deserts unique — because there are buses available, transportation into areas with healthy food options may not be as difficult as in other communities.
How does gentrification change the kinds of goods and services that local residents demand or, in other words, how does gentrification change cultural aspects of downtown? I think this could be particularly interesting because it speaks to what Athens is as a city and how it has gotten to where it is today. Are we a music town because we always have been or is that a result of gentrification?
How does gentrification change the cost of doing business — is this what makes lower-margin businesses more or less profitable? In this vein, how have business retention rates varied downtown as the city gentrified? Are tax incentives given to businesses that develop in gentrifying areas? It would be good to take a look at the city’s urban redevelopment plan and speak to members of the Downtown Development Authority about this, as well as local business owners.
How has gentrification affected minorities in the community?
Has gentrification changed the lives of women in Athens, particularly women in low-income households, for better or for worse?
How has gentrification changed the way the local government is planning to develop the city in terms of business and growth? (Urban Redevelopment Plan)
Does Athens have rent control regulations in place in any areas downtown? If so, what areas and how did that come to be?
Are there areas in Athens that have been rent controlled and are now being allowed to practice vacancy decontrol? This often happens in communities with a high rate of resident turnover and ultimately render rent control laws ineffective.
How have community groups developed since gentrification began in Athens? This is a community story, a profile of community groups like Athens for Everyone that have popped up in response to the continued gentrification in the city. This is particularly interesting because it shows the way different people of different classes try to effect change in their city and gives insight on what sorts of changes they would like to see occur. It would be interesting to tell the origin story of groups like this.
Has downtown art or murals changed in response to gentrification at all? This happens in many other gentrifying communities?

Sandra’s Brainstorming List

Long List: 20 Story Ideas

Why race?
Why raise?
How effective are charity races?
What are the intangible benefits?
How to train and raise simultaneously
What events are most effective?
Who are the big players?
How long does it take?
What draws racers in?
Solo or social?
Three stories to tell
Effect on the community
What’s new in charity racing?
What’s cool in charity racing?
The day-to-day: training and raising funds
In their words
Zeroing in: seeing if Athens has a small operation of a national trend
It all started when…: everyone has a reason to race and raise.
Bruce Wayne: charity racers’ day jobs
Snapshot to silver screen: one person’s story as a microcosm of a larger trend

Short List: Six Paragraphs

Profile:
- Three stories to tell: I’d like to tell the story of three people: one who began raising charitable funds through exercise not having done either before, one who exercised but at some point starting using it as a conduit to raise funds, and the third a regular giver who raised funds by some other means but one day decided to do it using exercise. What event in their life caused them to make the change?
- Effect on the community: I’d like to know what impact a certain individual’s charitable racing has had on his or her community. How has the community changed due to the event or someone’s story; how is it currently changing?
Trend:
- What’s new? I’d like to know what trends are emerging in charitable racing. What is their impact? Do they focus more on the exercise portion, the giving portion, or both?
- What’s cool? This may or may not go along with the previous one. What things are popular among participants of charity races?
Pick-em:
- The day-to-day: Corresponding with the behind-the-scenes pick-em, I’d like to see a day in the life (not on race day) for the charity racer. How do they train? How do they raise funds? This could also spill over into an ending of the story detailing the day of the event.
- Bruce Wayne: In real life, Batman, wasn’t Batman during the day; he was a rich tycoon. Corresponding with the off-the-beaten-path pick-em, who are these charity racers when they’re not racing and raising funds?

Brainstorming Ideas

20 Story Ideas

Community Events

– Local shops sponsoring events around town to help themselves and each other

Farmers Markets

– Exploration of the multiple farmers markets around Athens

Coffee shop lifestyle

– What’s the fascination with local coffee shops? Why are they any better than Starbucks?

Local, Local, Local

– Co-ops, farm to table, farmers markets, small businesses; a millennial trend that isn’t really a trend at all – the return to local-based economy

Hipsters

– What does it mean to be hipster? Is there a definitive point at which you achieve ‘hipster status’ or is it what you make of it?

Having it All

– The “having it all” lifestyle phenomenon—a woman is no longer permitted to just work or just be a stay at home mom, she has to try and have it all or is seen as lazy. What kind of lifestyle does this expectation entail?

Trend Alerts

– How are trends established? Where is the black market of ideas from which trendy stores receive their insider info? How do they catch on in time to stay relevant?

Big bad Outfitters

– How are small town boutiques surviving in the face of massively funded stores like Gap and Urban Outfitters sneaking into downtown turf?

Thrift Stores

– The draw of trendy hipsters to thrift stores since Macklemore’s song came out

Health Food

– How to maintain a trendy health food lifestyle on a college student’s budget

Fun for Pennies

– How to find and attend the best events of the season on a college student’s budget

Hip with the Youngsters

– The story of boomers and Gen-x-ers and how they stay adrift in a sea of ever changing tech and trends

Grocery Underdogs

– EarthFare, Daily Co-op, and La-Z Shopper—how do they compete with stores like Kroger and Publix?

Nesting in Athens

– How students establish a connection with Athens when they’re only here for 4 years (or a few more)—how they make Athens their home

Music Scene

– Athens is known for its music scene, but how can fledgling musicians compete in such an intimidating music market? How do they get going? What is the process they go through to get a foothold?

Grad Student among Children

– How is it being a grad student in a town full of undergraduates when every event is aimed at a younger crowd?

Special Snowflake

– In a trendy town like Athens, only the fresh survive. How do the hippest places in town differentiate themselves to stay alive in a dog-eat-dog trend-focused town?

The Plight of the GDI

– With the massive Greek population at UGA, it can sometimes feel difficult to feel apart of the action of the university and feel as if you’ve made a concrete group of friends—how do GDIs find a niche beyond the obvious Greek life?

Technological Integration

– Apps, widgets, social media, and geocaching—how does evolving with technological innovation keep the Athens lifestyle fresh and moving forward?

Bars vs. Pubs

– The advantages and disadvantages of pubs and bars—which style of social drinking atmosphere is better?

Profile Ideas:

Hipsters– this is the perfect story for which to conduct a profile. In a hipster town like Athens, it wouldn’t take too much digging to find a hipster to profile– their personal style, what it means to them to be a hipster, etc. and apply it to the movement in general. Or better yet, find a sort of store that supplies fashion and trendy items to said hipsters and do a profile of the owner on what their motivations are and how they themselves contribute to the ‘hipster’ lifestyle.
Community Events-– this would be another prime story to shape as a profile. The local boutiques for which Athens is known are constantly sponsoring and organizing events for the community. One example is the Cine Fashion Show from August. I could profile the coordinator for the event, Rachel Barnes of Dynamite. She is not only the event coordinator for Cine, but is also a manager at Dynamite Clothing. She would be the perfect person to do a profile on to cast a light on community events in Athens.

Trend Ideas:

Thrift Stores — we all know of Macklemore’s wildly popular song ‘Thrift Shopping’ which called attention to a potentially massive new frontier for clothes shopping. After his song was released, though hipsters would argue that they always shopped at thrift stores, collecting the newly cool-again pieces from the 80s and 90s for dirt cheap prices at thrift shops became the coolest way of shopping for fashion. This is a cut and dry example of trends and simply talking to fashion merchandising majors and thrift store owners would provide adequate source material.
Local, local, local— hip towns across the country are jumping aboard the buy local bandwagon and insisting that the best and only way to ensure merchandise and food products’ authenticity and quality is to locally source the products. Farmers’ Markets have always been founded on this principle, but in recent years, the backlash against big business has driven the masses to a new wave of cultivation. Small, local vendors are selling in bigger name stores, storefront family businesses are popping up everywhere, and even big name food corporations like Chipotle and Barberitos are being founded on the local farming principle. This is a perfect example of delving into a developing trend.

Pick’em Ideas:

Behind the Scenes– Farmers Markets— it would be incredibly simple to go behind the scenes at a local farmers market in Athens. The Athens Farmers Market meets every Saturday in Bishops Park and is FULL of local vendors. I could get in contact with the lead coordinators of the market and find out not only how the market came to be but watch the day-to-day or hourly functioning of the market on Saturdays to explore the extent of the project and how it affects the community.
Localizer– Big Bad Outfitters— a well known battle in our country is the fight between big and small business; the fight between capitalistic gain and local distinction. Small business Saturdays are a big movement in this fight between store types, for instance. To localize this issue, one needs to look no further than downtown Athens. Urban Outfitters has moved into a large commercial space downtown leaving controversy in its wake with townies and students decrying it for pushing out the ‘little guy’ boutiques and small businesses so ingrained in Athens’ downtown. An exploration into this smaller instance when compared to the larger issue in the nation would be an interesting perspective.

Brainstorming Ideas

Quick Story Ideas

Junkman Daughter’s Brother vs Junkman’s Daughter – Athens locale versus its Atlanta counterpoint, how the recent years of the Atlanta shop can predict the future of the Athens one?
State of Downtown music festivals – end of Athfest / age of Slingshot?
The competition for Athens tattoo cliental – downtown choices (Pain and Wonder, Walk the Line) vs around town shops (Midnight Iguana, Mothership, Labyrinth)
The influx of trash downtown following UGA Football games
Could Athens survive without football? Profit analyses of downtown business in the off-season
Athens Food Trucks – Is that still happening? Holy Crepe – Saphir Grici
The fight for late night food – 24 hour fast restaurants and is there enough/too many (DP Dough, Eddies Calzone, Zombie Donuts)
Zombie Doughnuts vs. Ike & Jane – is it even a competition against this local favorite?
Terrapin buy-out
Best Pizza in Downtown Athens – is Lil Italy actually terrible?
Price of Athens DJs – DJ Mahogany vs. them all
Little Kings Shuffle Club – will they lower age restriction with new institution of Michael’s Law
Can a bookshop survive downtown? – closing of Jackson St Books / survival of Avid
How to get around Michael’s Law – Where can under 21s go to hear live music in Athens (Globe, venues, restaurants, etc)
Too many boutiques? Are they all selling the same clothes?
Tracking what is locally made in local shops
Housing development – what is the average apartment listing price now?
Parking downtown – do we need another garage?
Athens downtown homeless – is it better to beg or busk
Nighttime street preachers – how effective/how wanted?

Expanded Story Ideas

Trash and Litter After Game day – Exploring the aftereffects of UGA Football Games after the dust settles and trash is left all around. The population of Athens almost doubles on game days and that brings an ungodly amount of waste with it. UGA prepares as best they can, with as many trash/recycling cans as possible, but how does downtown fare? What clean up procedures have to be taken on the streets and how does it affect the city’s infrastructure in the long run.
Athens Food Trucks – With the fad of food trucks now almost done and gone, is Athens feeling the same way? Local businessman Saphir Grici worked tirelessly to get legal permission to run his food truck, Holy Crepe, in Athens, but what ever happened to it? Has all hope disappeared as the food fad has or is he rebuilding his brand until he can launch it on the city?
Terrapin Buy Out – Though there is much success and happiness with local brewery Terrapin having been bought out by a major brewing company, is all the celebration smart? Will MillerCoors allow the brewery to hold to their brand and recipes, or doing buying out mean “selling out”? Should we be wary for other local Athens breweries like Creature Comforts?
The Battle for Athens Tattoo Empire – Tattooing is a fine art that is extremely expensive and highly regulated, yet Athens is home to at least three downtown tattoo shops as well as a host of other scattered across the inner loop. But which ones are in the best standing, business-wise and by word of mouth? Some shops, like Pain and Wonder, receive overwhelming praise from locals enough to also be a late night hangout, while those more scattered and looked down upon, like Midnight Iguana, face scrutiny from rumors of malpractice.
Can a bookshop survive in Athens?- As historic Jackson Street Books closed this year, this would be a piece reflecting on if there’s a chance for any of the remaining stores, such as Avid or even Bizarro? Are the only sustainable bookshops in Athens those that sell textbooks or can book stores whether the storm? Is Jackson Streets closing an ending to a well loved business or the beginning of an age of electronic books?

Brainstorming list

20 ideas (first 10 are from previous post):

Is the decline in numbers of homeless in Athens-Clarke County part of a broader trend statewide or nationwide? Is it particular to some sectors of the homeless population in our community or more generalized? What has it taught us about what worked and what did not? This story would look at efforts to reduce homelessness in Athens within the broader frame of trends and successful solutions nationwide.
How have factors associated with increasing rates of homelessness, from the 1980s onward, played out in Athens? These factors include: decrease in manufacturing jobs/decreased wages for those at the lower end; deinstitutionalization; disinvestment in social programs; gentrification/less affordable housing. This story would look at factors known to contribute to homelessness in terms of their applicability to Athens over the decades since the 1980s.
The Housing First model has been recognized nationally as a successful strategy. It calls for priority to be placed on finding housing without erecting barriers (such as requiring sobriety or other issues of compliance). This story would investigate use of the Housing First model in Athens.
How coordinated are services within Athens-Clarke County? Coordination of services has been cited as essential to help individuals benefit from resources and avoid waste of time and resources. This story would focus on providers, their roles in the community, and coordination among them, including successes stories as well as those who have fallen through the cracks.
How does the Athens-Clarke police force interact with the homeless community? In what ways is this beneficial? In what ways is it detrimental? This story would look at ordinances that disproportionately impact the homeless as well as their enforcement in the community.
We might call assumptions and stereotypes of homelessness a “master narrative” from which responses of the public are shaped and from which individuals themselves may view themselves. This story would look at assumptions/myths, responses they typically call forth, and realities that could change the conversation.
Among novel approaches to funding housing for vulnerable individuals is a call for Medicaid to include it among covered services! Here in Georgia we are a far cry from expanding Medicaid to include housing, but it is worth investigating where it stands elsewhere and perhaps plant the seed for discussion about it.
Starting with recognition of Athens as a compassionate community (with lots of evidence to show that!), this story would help direct compassion to as yet unfulfilled – or under-fulfilled – needs.
Athens, like other towns, has installed sidewalk meters that look like parking meters to collect donations for services for the homeless. The idea is to discourage direct contributions to panhandlers and funnel the money into a general fund. Is this a good idea? Has it “worked” in Athens or elsewhere? This story would look at rationales for the installation of care meters, amount of money collected and where it ends up, impact on amount collected by individuals on the streets.
Looking at one individual as a face of homelessness, this story would focus on Tony, the man I previously interviewed, in terms of his daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal routines and his use of resources in the community. This story would highlight what it is like to be homeless in Athens (for Tony specifically but with some implied extension to others), what has been useful to him and what needs remain unmet.

New ideas:

Sidewalks as a place for social exchange (in the words of Supreme Court Justice Roberts) where first amendment rights prevail. This article could bring in various things that take place on the sidewalks, including street performances, sidewalk preachers, and panhandlers.

Impact of being homeless on health –sleep deprivation, exposure to elements, lack of facilities

How community counts of number of homeless are obtained, as well as insights gained from the process of counting – qualitative in addition to the quantitative results

Awareness of subsets within the homeless population, including displaced families

Panhandlers downtown in contrast to those in outlying areas – differing access to resources, perhaps differences in demographics

Facing adversity – utility of a personal narrative of condemnation or redemption, connected to the bigger picture of personal storytelling in all of our lives

Diversity within population of homeless, including identified subsets and their differing needs

Homeless swag – not to sound too lighthearted but it’s interesting and informative to see websites devoted to how to get through the experience of homelessness, including this one on items that make it more bearable. http://www.swags.org.au/

Life after homelessness – how does one move on?

Keeping and caring for pets while homeless

Top ideas for profile story:

Looking at one individual as a face of homelessness, this story would focus on Tony, the man I previously interviewed, in terms of his daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal routines and his use of resources in the community. This story would highlight what it is like to be homeless in Athens (for Tony specifically but with some implied extension to others), what has been useful to him and what needs remain unmet. Sources for this story, in addition to Tony, could include: one of the founders of the PBJs program (which provides lunch and conversations every Sunday afternoon), founder of the Backpack project (which brings backpacks filled with useful items to those on the street), a community member who regularly interacts with Tony on the street, and a volunteer from Action Ministry (which provides breakfast and lunch Monday – Friday and bagged lunches on Saturday and Sunday).
Looking at an individual (or family) who has gotten past a period of homelessness, this story would perform the similar function of showing a face and a life to humanize the issue; it would describe what the experience had been like, as well as what it is like to move past the experience. It would also highlight community resources that were helpful and those that continue to be helpful. Sources in addition to the individual/family would be drawn from resources identified by the primary source (in a way similar to those described above).

Top ideas for trend story:

Yearly counts have revealed declining rates of homelessness in Athens-Clarke County as well as regionally. Is the decline in numbers here part of this broader trend? Is it particular to some sectors of the homeless population in our community or more generalized? What has it taught us about what worked and what did not? This story would look at efforts to reduce homelessness in Athens within the broader frame of trends and successful solutions regionally and nationwide. Sources could include Samantha Carvallio, who is responsible for conducting yearly counts; Rob Trevena, who heads the Housing and Community Development Department of Athens-Clarke County; Shea Post or Mary O’Toole representing the Northeast Georgia Homeless Coalition; and the individuals noted in the profile ideas above.
This story would focus on sidewalks as a place for social exchange (in the words of Supreme Court Justice Roberts) where first amendment rights prevail. It would bring in various social exchanges that take place on the sidewalks, including street performances, sidewalk preachers, and panhandlers and would look at threats to established ordinances brought on by a recent ruling that, by extension, would make current anti-panhandling ordinances unconstitutional. Where does this leave the community, particularly in terms of controlling aggressive panhandling? Sources for this story could include William Berryman, Jr., county attorney; Pamela Thompson, Executive Director of Athens Downtown Development Authority Board; individuals on the street, and (beyond the local scene) Anthony Laurielo, who is a JD candidate at Columbia Law School and who has written about possible resolutions to this dilemma.

Top ideas for pick-em story:

Behind the numbers – This story would look at data representing incidence of illness and mortality among those experiencing homelessness and would investigate conditions that bring on or exacerbate these illnesses. Sleep deprivation, exposure to conditions, lack of sanitary facilities, and possible threats to safety are certainly among those. Sources could include a representative of the health department, a representative of medical services at Athens Resource Center for Hope, one or two individuals living on the street, and (beyond the local scene) a representative of the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
Off the beaten path – A master narrative that guides reactions to homelessness, toward individuals experiencing it, and contributing to development of policies can be identified in terms of commonly held assumptions, revealed in sociological research. This story would look at those assumptions/myths and realities that could change the conversation. Sources could include a professor from the sociology department at UGA; Marina Fisher, public policy expert with University of California at Berkeley; and founders of local nonprofits that serve sustenance and emotional needs of individuals experiencing homelessness in Athens (whom I believe would give balance in terms of not operating from that narrative).

Brainstorming List

20 story ideas

The story of an American girl who had eating disorders but now recovered.
The story of a Chinese girl who had eating disorders.
A tragic story caused by eating disorders.
How to treat eating disorders.
Comparison between China and America about how eating disorders are viewed and treated.
How does the social perspective affect the treatment of eating disorders.
Interview an eating disorders organization in China.
Interview an eating disorders organization in America.
What is the relationship between culture trend and eat disorders.
New trend in eating disorders therapist.
From the perspective of professional nutritionist, does the “so called” weight loss recipes really work.
A story of a girl who successfully lose weight through healthy way.
New research about eating orders. Do the eating orders related to gene?
Which area has a high rate of eating disorders and why?
Eating disorder statistics.
What eating disorders program can help patients.
Eating disorders and suicide
School stress and eating disorders
Eating disorders and self control
Fashion trend and eating disorders

Profile

The story of an American girl who had eating disorders but now recovered. Why did she have eating disorders. How did she found she had eating disorders. How did eating disorders affect her life. How did she fight with eating disorders? How did she get recovered.

Sources: Eating disorders recovery center in Athens. Professional psychologist and professional nutritionist in America. The subject’s family and friends. Eating disorders organization in America.

The story of a Chinese girl who had eating disorders. Why did she have eating disorders. How did she found she had eating disorders. How did eating disorders affect her life. How did she fight with eating disorders? How did she get recovered. Make a comparison with the American girl’s story.

Sources: Eating disorders recovery center in China. Professional psychologist and professional nutritionist in China. The subject’s family and friends. Eating disorders organization in China.

Trend

What is the relationship between fashion trend and eating disorders. Culture can plays an important role in shaping society’s beauty standard, which can then affect how girls view their body. I want to examine several country’s culture and to see is there any relationship between culture and eating disorders.

New trend in eating disorders therapist. Statistics has long time shown that eating disorders are related to gene, but scientific proof is missed. What are the new trend in eating disorders research and therapist are the question I’m going to explore.

Sources: professional biologist and professional psychologist

Pick-em

Using the statistic to tell the story. Which area has a high rate of eating disorders and why? Examine the relationship between culture and eating disorders.
New research about eating orders. How does the new research forecast the future of eating disorders.

Brainstorming List

Quick Story Ideas:

Religiously inspired fashion choices–How does faith influence what we wear? This idea arose from controversy over the burkini ban in France, but could be expanded to include clothing choices made by Jews, Hindus, and Christians alike.
Fall football fashion. How does what football fans wear to games make a statement beyond what team they support? What trends are most noticeable? Are name-brand items especially in prominence? What do these observations reveal about football culture?
Community Fashion School showcase in December
Plus-size fashion show in October (Rachel Barnes). Highly relevant in terms of rhetoric about female body positivity circulating on social and news media. Relate to Amy Schumer, Tess Holliday
Lickskillet artist’s market. Use as an example of how independent artists attempt to market themselves and their brands.
Tattoo art. What is art? How are society’s thoughts/reactions to tattoos different from how we react to other forms of art? How do we characterize the tattoo scene in Athens? What rivalries/comraderies exist between different tattoo shops in Athens? Is there a “type” of person that gets tattoos?
Ekkos Apparel–Ekkos Apparel was founded by Athenian Rachel Ehlinger to raise money for secondary education in Africa. How does Ekkos operate? How much have they been able to donate thus far?
Craig Page and Sweet Beijos Treats–local bakery founded by former PLACE executive Craig Page and his Brazilian partner. Perhaps relate to other local bakeries.
How has the rise of the film industry in Atlanta affected the fashion industry? (Based on group discussion. As the growing film industry in Atlanta attracts celebrities to the area, will designer brands follow?)
Frugal Fashionable Farmer–ties between fashion and sustainability at a local vintage-inspired artist’s farm
Southern Bon Vivant–the rise of a Southern online fashion and lifestyle magazine. What makes Southern fashion different?
Photographing Athens fashion. I’m less sure about this one, but I do think it would be interesting to photograph and write about styles observed downtown, perhaps during a specific event, but probably just on an average day. Athenians demonstrate such creativity in fashion, but I’m still not sure exactly how I’d flesh out the writing for this piece.
Trends, Athens-style. I am learning from my reading that velvet and bomber jackets, for example, are expected to be big trends this fall. How do we see these trends reflected on campus and downtown?
Many new boutiques open in the downtown area every year, but many close after a few years. Is Athens actually a good place to own a boutique?
My Athens Style (and associated hashtag). How do people connect over fashion in Athens.
What makes an Instagram star? Investigate fashion and lifestyle-inspired Insagram accounts and see what they have in common.
Interview Athens-native designer Lucy Blue. How did a small-town designer get started?
Interview a costume designer involved with UGA’s upcoming production of Jane Eyre?
Dead malls–the Athens GA Square Mall is filled with more and more empty storefronts. Explore changes in shopping habits that are contributing to this phenomenon nationwide.
This may be veering off-beat here, but I often find myself thinking about all the new student housing developments in the downtown area. How many people are actually living there? How full is any one of these buildings? How have student expectations about college living quarters changed over the years?

Expanded Story Ideas:

Athens Boutique Openings/Closings: I just had this idea the other day, so it is not exactly well-fleshed out. But each year, I see some new boutiques open and others close. And every time I see this happen, I wonder if Athens is a good place to own a boutique (because stores keep opening), or actually a terrible place (because stores keep closing). What are the more long-lived boutiques doing differently? What are challenges that Athens boutique owners face? There are abundant sources for this story–Heery’s, Dynamite and Cillies have been around for as long as I can remember and still seem to be doing fine (at least on the surface). Community is relatively newer on the scene, but has been highly successful (again, at least on the surface). Archived Athens Banner Herald/Flagpole stories on the openings/closings of stores would also be helpful here. Contacts: Sanni Baumgärtner, Dynamite, Heery’s

Costume Design: I am especially enamored with this idea at the moment, perhaps because I just thought of it and also because I particularly love Jane Eyre. But as I was fan-girling about the fact that UGA is doing a production of Jane Eyre this fall, it occurred to me to wonder how costumes and set design come together with a licensed script to create a production. I have grown up attending UGA theatre productions and have always been impressed with the quality of student performances and creativity behind the scenes (prop design, etc). I know from friends involved in the theatre department that students usually design costumes, props, etc., and I think it would be very interesting to learn about that process. How much liberty do costume designers have to make the designs their own? How do they get ideas? Who does the actual construction of the costumes? Contacts: Alexis Havrilla, former student prop designer for UGA Theatre; Dina Canup, dept. of theatre PR; Joan Buttram, UGA Dance department head (if venturing into costumes for dance department)

Southern Bon Vivant and Southern Fashion: I have been in contact with Molly McWilliams Wilkins, the creative mind behind the Southern fashion and lifestyle magazine Southern Bon Vivant. I have also been investigating Eide Magazine, a southern-based fashion and lifestyle magazine that went national in Spring 2014. I think coverage of these publications could be incorporated into an interesting piece on Southern fashion in general. The South is not associated with high fashion in the way that New York or Paris are, but certainly there are still trends in the South that make our approach to fashion different. What are those trends and how are they being covered? Is this still an untapped niche in the market? Contacts: Molly McWilliams Wilkins

Dead Malls: The Athens-area GA Square Mall is filled with more and more empty storefronts. This is a national phenomenon–Time reported in May of this year that “about one-third of malls in the U.S. will shut their doors in the coming years.” I would be interested to research this phenomenon on a national level and relate it to what we are seeing locally (closings at GA Square Mall and Tanger Outlets, for example).

Tattoo Art: As a person with tattoos, scarcely a week goes by without someone asking me questions such as “did it hurt?” or “why did you get it?” or “what does it mean?” Tattoo culture is certainly prominent in Athens, and there are a few relatively new shops that are less well-known than iconic shops like Pain and Wonder or Walk the Line Tattoo. My ideas here are still broad and under-developed, but I think I could produce an interesting piece on tattoo culture in Athens, rivalries and camaraderies between shops, etc., perhaps while incorporating some history on tattoo art. I have contacts at American Classic, Pain and Wonder, and Walk the Line alike who would speak well to this subject.

Photographing Athens Fashion: I have something of an artistic attachment to this idea, but perhaps need to speak with Dr. Suggs about its appropriateness for this class. I would like to do something of a photo essay, perhaps in accompaniment to a write-up on local boutiques and fashion culture, celebrating the variety of styles that can be witnessed in the Athens GA downtown area on any given day. I would accompany each image with a brief blurb about the individual pictured and what fashion means to them. Is this too out there?

Brainstorming List

Is Consignment on the rise, at a peak point, or declining in Athens?
How do consignment store employees and owners view the downtown boutiques and the addition of chain stores?
Profile of the Cheeky Peach owner about the growth and continued success of the store, the plans for the future, and how she has incorporated digital and social media into the website and various platforms.
The terms “Shop” vs. “Boutique” when it comes to thrift, vintage and consignment. Which works in Athens and why?
How downtown stores merchandise in order to appeal to Athens townies as well as UGA students.
Cover an event held at one of the stores for a local cause or philanthropy and discuss how it impacts the community.
How places like Cine, Creature Comforts, and Terrapin help support and showcase the local fashion scene.
Cover a fashion show put on by the student group, “The Agency,” and interview one of the board members about their involvement
The fashion side of game days, how it has changed throughout the years and what staples stay the same.
Interview the owners of The Red Dress Boutique and talk about how their store has changed and grown since being on Shark Tank.
How Atlanta has become the “New York of the South” in the fashion and lifestyle world.
Ekkos apparel, founded by a UGA student to provide secondary education to orphans in Africa
On campus vs. Off-campus, how student’s style changes from day to night at UGA
Athens as a backdrop for photoshoots, music videos, and movie scenes.
Denim through the years, how jeans have made their way from pants, to vests, to skirts and back.
Revival of sneaker culture for all occasions
Beading, how students have started their own businesses making jewelry
Bene Scarves, a company started by UGA grads that gives proceeds to children in Ghana
Non-downtown boutiques such as “Simply Southern,” and “Entourage” and how they feel advantaged/disadvantaged by their location.
Pop-Up shops around Athens, strategy, plans, and reasoning for this retail format

A budget is a list of stories that explains what the story is about, summarizes what’s been written about it in the past, and how you plan to go about reporting it, i.e. who you’ll talk to and what challenges you might find.

Profile

Ekkos Apparel founder Rachel Ehlinger graduated from UGA last May, and she still resides in Athens working on expanding her business. Many people have written about her growing success, but what would be covered in this piece is why stay in Athens after graduation? Ehlinger believes that Athens is where her apparel line will grow, and I want to know why she believes that and how she is going to make the small town lead to big growth. There are many other philanthropic fashion lines based out of Athens, especially for being a rural community, how will Ekkos stick out from the pack and continue to reach new markets and consumers from staying in Athens. Ekkos is all about providing education for children in Africa, and this profile would discuss how Ehlinger’s personal education influenced this organization and why she feels that providing education to children specifically is important to her.
1. Sources: Rachel Ehlinger – Owner, Samantha Hertzig: Photographer for past Ekkos shoots as well as Social Media intern, the local seamstress, Contact Ehlinger to get in contact with one of the “traveling interns,” Molly Samuel: Ekkos Customer.
Cheeky Peach has been open since August of 2010, and the owner Katie Jacobs, has worked to grow this boutique from the ground up. As a UGA Alum, she has put everything into this store and what it stands for. Not only has she made the store a local hotspot, but the majority of interns and employees are fashion merchandising students. This profile would cover not only her own personal story, but why she feels it is important to train UGA students in the retail setting, what she hopes to teach her employees, and what mentors she had or wishes she had to help her as she created Cheeky Peach.
1. Sources: Katie Jacobs, Lainey Felsenthal: New employee, ask Jacobs for a source that has mentored or inspired her in her career.

Trend

Pop-up Shops across Athens and the entire country are becoming a prominent outlet for retailers to reach new customers and target markets that they would not normally reach. Cheeky Peach has done a pop-up shop at Terrapin, and UGA Fashion students have created “Couture A La Cart” to sell fashions off a cart on campus. This trend is a new and exciting spin on retail, and I would love to cover it from the fashion students perspective as well as from the well-established boutique perspective. Will this continue to be a trend for much longer or will the surprise aspect go away? Have new customers been gained from these efforts?
1. Sources: Katie Jacobs: Cheeky Peach,
Technology in Retail downtown: Compare how different stores, from local boutiques to Urban Outfitters and discuss how retailers are using technology to their advantage. What are they doing that makes them different from their neighboring stores. How shoppers can come to a store with only their phone and be able to make a purchase. Discuss Urban Outfitters app, Apple Pay, and other technological advancements. Sources: Urban Outfitters manager, Red Dress Boutique Manager, stop local shoppers on their phones and ask for an interview.

Pick-em

Is consignment on the rise, at a standstill or on a decline in Athens? Consignment and thrift seems to be a thread woven through the Athens downtown culture, but how do people on the inside of the industry feel? Interview Dynamite, Community, and other thrift and consignment managers to see how they feel about this issue. Where do they see their stores going and how do they compete or coincide with the other retailers downtown?
On-Campus vs. Off-campus apparel, how students dress and shop differently for both occasions. Interview fashion merchandising students and non-fashion merchandising students to see their different point of view on this subject. Also interview a Fashion Merchandising professor and a non-fashion merchandising professor to get their views on how their students dress. Is the dress too casual or does it not impact the classroom?