The Shops of Dunwoody, the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, and Create Dunwoody will host their inaugural Sounds of Dunwoody event on Saturday, Oct. 18 from 3 to 10 pm. The free concert event, located on the shopping center’s shared green space, will feature performances by the Francisco Vidal Band and rock cover band PDL Atlanta.
“It’s really just wanting to build community in Dunwoody,” said Nida Mudd, owner of Judy and Grace Boutique and a Dunwoody resident of more than 30 years.
Mudd took inspiration from Roswell’s monthly Live After 5 festival.
“I have been going to that event with my girlfriends, and now my children,” she said. “I have just always thought, ‘Why can’t we have something like this in Dunwoody?’”
Mudd was also impressed with the events David Abes (DASH Hospitality Group) has been throwing in The Village Dunwoody, located across the street.
“When I started my business a year ago, I thought, ‘Now that I’m in this shopping center, maybe we can do an event like this,’” she said. “So I started talking to a couple of the merchants in the shopping center and got good feedback.”
Related Stories:
• Asana Partners buys Shops of Dunwoody, outlying buildings
• New farmers market in Shops of Dunwoody celebrates community
Mudd teamed up with fellow Shops of Dunwoody merchants Adam Cook (Summit Coffee Dunwoody) and Miguel Romero (Taqueria Los Hermanos).
After much deliberation, the team decided on a concert. “All you need is food, beverages, and music — and people. And we have that,” she said.
Planning started in July. “Of course, as you know, in the fall it’s very difficult to come up with a date because of all the great football games that are going on,” Mudd said.
Coincidentally, Romero had already booked PDL Atlanta for Taqueria Los Hermanos on the Oct. 18. The Sounds of Dunwoody team built the event around that.
Next, they reached out to the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, who agreed to co-sponsor the event.
“We were approached about their idea and what they were trying to do and it was evident that they had been working on it for a while,” said Tim Brown, DHA president. “This is a little bit of a pivot year for the Dunwoody Homeowners Association. We were happy to have been approached about co-sponsoring the event.”
Mudd anticipates performances from four acts. Bands from Dunwoody High School and Mount Vernon School will open. Francisco Vidal, who Mudd says “is known for getting the crowd involved,” will headline. Patrick Rusert, who plays in cover band Family Truckster, will manage production.
“This is kind of turning to be like a music festival,” Mudd said.
Guests can also anticipate a kids’ corner with art supplies and desserts, and for hardcore fans – a big screen playing the University of Georgia versus Ole Miss football game.
The DHA is providing a tent, and although there won’t be any booths selling food, concertgoers are encouraged to purchase food from the center’s restaurants, including Nai Thai Cuisine, Vintage Pizza, and Wasabi House, and enjoy it on the lawn.
“We have great restaurants that people can grab a box of pizza and bring the box outside and come sit and listen to the music,” she said.
In addition, Shops of Dunwoody merchants who are usually open on Saturdays, such as Nail & Lash Studio, will continue with business as usual during the event.
“We will be 100 percent welcome [for customers] to come and do their business like normal. It’s just after you get your nails done, come and listen to the music, come grab a latte,” she said.
Mudd hopes that Sounds of Dunwoody will boost awareness about the shopping center and encourage further collaboration between the merchants.
“I opened my store in November of last year,” Mudd said. “Every day people came in [saying] ‘I had no idea you’re here.’ I just want to see something in our shopping center, too [and] spread love.”
Shops of Dunwoody merchants and the Dunwoody HOA said they are looking forward to the event.
“It’s a win-win,” Brown said. “What she’s [Nida] doing is an attempt to bring some activity and exposure to their shopping center and the merchants in that center and it’s an opportunity for us to broaden our horizon a little bit with the additional exposure with the community.”
The Shops of Dunwoody is located at 5484-5510 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd.
