The year in review, Cathy style
Dec. 24 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Dunwoody. As it’s Christmas Eve, I figure it’s time to get cracking on that shopping list. How many of you shivered at the thought? How many of you were thinking, “same?” Just kidding, I don’t buy Christmas gifts.
🎉 As promised, this week’s issue recaps some of the notable Dunwoody stories from 2025. From April Fool’s pranks to store closures, controversial zoning decisions, and celebrity sightings, 2025 only perpetuated the feeling that the Dunwoody drama is real. Would we have it any other way?
Next week, I’ll look ahead at what to expect next year, newswise, in Dramawoody.
🗞️ We’ll go with the fun stuff first,
Cathy
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April Fool returns with a flourish
🃏 Night owls and early morning commuters were greeted with a sign at the Mt. Vernon Shopping Center at the corner of Jett Ferry and Mt. Vernon Road that said “Coming Soon! Oasis Goodtime Emporium Strip Club.” It proclaimed that the new establishment would have cold beer, alcohol and naked women.
While the sign was taken down around 9 a.m., it garnered a lot of comments on social media channels, populated with people who “got it,” and others who didn’t.
“At least it’s not another bank or urgent care,” one person said, while others welcomed back the prankster, who hadn’t participated in several years in what has become a favorite Dunwoody tradition. At the time, nobody knew we were getting a new tenant who kept two of those promises.
Fashion meets art at the High Museum!
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
👗 Experience Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Statements – a bold, breathtaking exhibition celebrating avant-garde fashion visionaries who blurred the line between haute couture and art. Only at the High, the exhibition’s sole U.S. stop.
➞ On view through Feb. 8, 2026.
What not to wear in the commission of a crime
🤡 After Dunwoody police apprehended a man suspected of breaking into vehicles on the afternoon of April 19, social media was flooded with people condemning his “crime of fashion.”
The police posted a picture of the man on its Facebook page, saying that after multiple car break-ins in Dunwoody, “we weren’t about to let this slide!”
While dozens of people commended the police for the swift action, others took the opportunity to comment on the suspect’s fashion choices for his alleged crime spree. While being placed into custody, the man was photographed wearing capri-length plaid pants and a camel-colored coat that seemed more appropriate for winter weather.
“The fit was the real crime,” one person commented. “Those pants are an entirely separate charge.”
I thought his shoes were kind of cool, but as someone who chooses between “casual” and “dressy” yoga pants every day, I’m hardly one to comment on anyone’s fashion choices.
😜 Read more about the incident here.
🌟 Your future in nursing starts here. Herzing University–Atlantahas no wait lists and offers flexible learning, hands-on clinicals, and accelerated pathways. Train where you live and join Georgia’s next generation of nurses making an impact today. SPONSOR MESSAGE
First of all, chickens do not have fingers
🐔 It should be funny enough that people in Dunwoody are so passionate about fried food served fast, but piling on the chicken puns made it even more amusing (for me).
Proposals to build drive-through lanes for a Zaxby’s and Raising Cane’s at abandoned banks were both shot down during protracted journeys that wound through community meetings, the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, the planning commission, and finally, the city council.
What’s interesting is that both restaurants could be built, just without drive-through lanes. We shall see if either franchisee takes Dunwoody up on the offer.
⛔ Read about the failed attempts by Zaxby’s and Raising Canes here.
And speaking of passion….
🚪 A well-organized group was successful in thwarting developers who wanted to build a restricted-income senior housing complex on a piece of land on Ashford Dunwoody Road that was about as big as a postage stamp.
It was touch-and-go all the way, with the Dunwoody Planning Commission giving it the thumbs up, but in the end, the council in September voted down the rezoning effort that would have allowed it to be built. The message, “We’re for senior housing, just not there,” was not convincing to some, even though a senior housing project in the Perimeter area got the green light.
In totally unrelated news, Shaun Reinhardt from Dominium received some kudos regarding his impressive mustache.
🧔🏻♂️ Here’s a wrap-up of the saga.
Beginnings and endings
🤩 People got excited when Jason Bateman and David Harbour were spotted filming in Dunwoody Village for an HBO series. Same for the stars of the Hulu mini series Murdaugh: Death in the Family. They filmed a bar scene at Morty’s Meat & Supply.
🏈 Residents celebrated the naming of Dunwoody High School’s expanded stadium for mega-star Ryan Seacrest, and mourned the sudden passing of a beloved football coach.
🧔🏻♂️ Shoppers were cautiously optimistic after news that Kroger will move into a space formerly occupied by Walmart, which was the site of a lot of petty crime and extremely unhelpful employees.
