Cumming City Center Announces Music Studio, Restaurants, Boutique

CUMMING, GA — The Cumming City Center is set to open in early 2022, and with it comes a slew of tenants, some that are being announced.

The center is situated on roughly 75 acres between Canton Highway and Sawnee Drive to the west of downtown Cumming and behind Forsyth Central High School.

Several businesses have been announced as tenants at the center, with more anticipated to be revealed over the next few months.

Pieces & Peaches

Pieces and Peaches, a retail shop that features fashion-forward clothing and accessories, is the first tenant to finalize its lease agreement and officially be welcomed to the Cumming City Center family.

Owner Christine Fowler, a Forsyth County resident, is looking forward to joining the Cumming City Center family with Pieces and Peaches’ first brick and mortar storefront. Fowler works closely with her daughter, Ansley, a junior at North Forsyth High School, who researches the latest trends and personally picks out the apparel for their customers.

After four years as an online-only store, Fowler said Pieces and Peaches is ready to make its big in-person debut.

“We have searched for the perfect location and feel so blessed that we have found the ideal spot for our next venture,” she said. “Having a storefront at the Cumming City Center will offer us opportunities to showcase the latest trends, host in-person events and help customers find the perfect outfit or gift without the leaving the county."

For those looking to bring home a piece or two prior to opening day, Pieces and Peaches offers customers an app compatible with both Android and Apple. For additional information, visit Pieces and Peaches on Instagram and Facebook.

Muse Cabin

Susan Barton and her son Andrew Malphurs are launching a dream that has been more than five years in the making. They are opening of Muse Cabin, a music and art studio with a purposeful focus on creating community. Susan's youngest son, Noah, will also join the team, though he hopes to serve Forsyth's families with a criminal justice career in coming years.

As long-time Cumming residents, this family loves the community traditions and sense of family in the town and the City Center. In Andrew's words, "Community is the number one reason behind Muse Cabin, at least in my eyes."

"Muse Cabin is more than a music studio and more than an art gallery—it is a creative community for everyone," Susan said. "Whether you've been playing in a band for years or have never picked up an instrument, whether you can paint a canvas like Monet or simply want to marvel at beautiful works of art surrounding you, come settle into a chair and be inspired by the creativity all of us put into the world in our own unique ways."

Muse Cabin will offer individual and group classes in art and music for a wide range of music genres and art media. Some examples include beginning and intermediate guitar, jazz, blues, metal, praise, improvisation, mixed media, art journaling, lyric writing, beginning photography, family photography, a variety of painting options, and others.

The studio will also offer creative community opportunities such as family art workshops, date night events, open mic and live music nights, holiday crafts, and even a micro-business community to share what you create.

Registration for classes will open in advance. Artists and musicians are joining the studio daily. Follow @musecabin on Instagram or FB to watch them prepare to open the doors to Muse Cabin.

Wright’s Fish & Chips

The Wrights, who became certified National Fish Fryers in England, decided to establish their eatery after relocating and being unable to find any other restaurants offering authentic fare from their homeland.

“When we left our home in Great Britain to live and work abroad, we soon discovered a niche in the market for authentic British cuisine,” Chantelle said. “We went in search of the ‘real thing’ across Europe and the U.S.A., only to ever be disappointed. From these discoveries, we set out to bring to America its first totally, fully-fledged British fish and chips shop in Cumming.”

Chantelle and Kelzey, who are well-known in the “chippy” industry in Great Britain and are proud

members of the National Federation of Fish Fryers, opened Wright’s Fish & Chips on July 3, 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

After moving into their larger space at the Cumming City Center, the Wrights plan to expand their current menu, enabling them to offer even more British fare. They also want to host British themed events throughout the year for the community to enjoy such as the Queen Elizabeth’s birthday “chipnic” parties, British afternoon teas, and gatherings centered around British sporting events, royal family happenings, and British television shows.

The Wrights are excited to be joining the Cumming City Center Family. “We are a little family with a huge passion for excellence, and we think the City Center is going to be a perfect fit for us,” Chantelle said. Learn more about Wright’s Fish & Chips online.

The development, which is the vision of Mayor Troy Brumbalow, will offer a “main-street Americana” feel.

“The City of Cumming has always been very family-focused, be it in the different types of activities presented at the Cumming Fairgrounds each year or the warm customer service provided by our city employees on a daily basis,” Mayor Troy Brumbalow said in a news release. “So it makes sense that we want to continue that feeling of family with the Cumming City Center. We want all of our City Center tenants to know that they are a very important part of the City of Cumming family.”

Features will include:

• 117,000 square feet of retail space
• A new Cumming Police and Municipal Court building
• An amphitheater adjacent to a small lake
• Water fountain surrounded by personalized bricks
• Ample greenspace including several “pocket parks”
• Putting course
• Steam engine display honoring Cumming’s historical and community ties to the machines,
• Trail and boardwalk system meandering above the Kelly Mill Branch stream, its tributaries and wetlands

Across Canton Highway, another 10 acres will be donated to the City of Cumming for development of additional walking trails.