AUSTELL, Ga. — Austell Plaza in Cobb County has been forced to close during the busiest shopping season due to code violations, leaving several businesses scrambling to relocate.
City officials have stated that the closure is a result of the property owner’s failure to address numerous fire suppression system violations despite repeated warnings.
“We’re doing all that we can to assist the businesses because, to no fault of their own, they are having to close because the owner is not compliant,” said Mayor Ollie Clemons of Austell.
Khaliq Superb Mabry, owner of A-Listers barbershop and salon, expressed his frustration.
“I just hate this for me. I hate this for my community, I hate this for my staff, for my family,” he told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell.
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“We are not in breach of our contract; we are good tenants; we have been at this location for over 10 years,” said Tiffani Fears, co-owner of A-Listers.
The fire chief confirmed the severity of the situation
“The entire building is out of code right now,” Austell Fire Chief Brandon Merritt said. “The property owners were given the opportunity to provide fire watch for the entire building, so that way the businesses could stay open. We still haven’t been able to come to an agreement.”
Mingi Kim, manager of Angie’s Beauty and Wigs, reported significant financial losses due to the closure.
“Since we closed two weeks ago, we didn’t get anything. We lost customers,” Kim said.
Despite the setbacks, Kim managed to reopen by hiring a fire watch security guard.
Citi Trends has offered to pay for a fire watch for some of the buildings, and the city has provided an alternative venue for a bridal event that was affected by the closure.
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