Atlanta Dumpster Divas to Reopen Saturday

Nearly three months after a car crashed into their business, the owners of Atlanta Dumpster Divas are finally ready to reopen.

Fortunately the antiques shop, located at 700 S. Broad Street, was closed on June 3 when the accident occurred, so no one was inside at the time. But a large selection of inventory was completely destroyed.

Co-owner Michele Beaudry said Thursday she and her parents, Norm and Flo, have been working tirelessly since that day to piece the store back together.

"With the construction going on and the insurance going on, it's just been a whirlwind of meetings and trying to get through the red tape so we could reopen," Beaudry explained.

The family has spent a lot of time "just picking - like American Pickers" to rebuild the shop's inventory, she said.

"We went from towns in Tennessee down to Florida to locally," she recalled. "So I would estimate now we're probably at 75-80 percent of brand new inventory that we've accumulated over the last couple of months."

Though the Monroe shop was only open for ten weeks before the accident, Beaudry has been in the antiquing business for a majority of her life. She described it as a passion.

"Everything has a story, I think," she said. "There are quite a few pieces in here from estates from Monroe. There are pieces from estates in Oconee and Decatur. I feel all of those are just pieces of our past that people are missing. Cool pieces."

The grand reopening celebration starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31, with free hotdogs, popcorn, drinks and cakes. Customers can also enter a drawing for a chance to win store gift cards.

Beaudry invites everyone to take a break from the heat and enjoy the air conditioning while browsing. She's looking forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones.

"It's that sense of community that I love," she said. "I miss the customers coming in and telling me about their lives."