Lawrenceville area real estate groups and businesses that provide non-essential goods or services have been suffering as of late. Not as many customers are finding the need for a new home, a nice meal out, or a new pair of shoes. A local networking group of business owners and Rodney Cameron, a local real estate agent for Star Team Atlanta, a subsidiary of Keller Williams Realty, took notice of the decline and decided to do something about the problem.
"My Tuesday night networking group and I sat one day wondering what we could do for our local businesses and keep them open," Cameron says. "We knew that we wanted to support Lawrenceville's individual small companies, but we needed to come up with a fun idea that also coincides with open house season."
Cameron came up with the idea to use a trolley-style bus, but he credits his entire networking group and the whole Lawrenceville downtown business community for banding together and making the Trolley Tour of Homes a reality.
"I'm from a small town and I know what it means for everyone to stick together," says Cameron.
So far, 34 of Lawrenceville's downtown businesses have come together and are participating in the Trolley Tour. These businesses placed their logos on the side of the Trolley, named Annabelle, and are providing prizes, goodie bags and their time and effort in support of this event.
Every Sunday, until June 28, the trolley bus will pick up its guests in front of the Historic Courthouse at one of the tour's scheduled times, either 12:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. The bus can hold 30 people at a time and the ride is free.
The tour consists of a drive by Lawrenceville's downtown businesses, parks and local historic sites. Mary Long, a local historian who has written books about Lawrenceville and a member of the Georgia Historical Society, will lead the historic portion of the tour.
"We are very pleased and honored to have her," adds Cameron.
After the brief history lesson, the trolley moves on to local neighborhoods where the guests can tour homes for sale. Local developers and builders will showcase their homes, and each tour will showcase four homes within the Lawrenceville city limits. Cameron says the trolley tour will help give Lawrenceville properties the exposure they don't typically receive.
"Lawrenceville is a good place to share with the community," says Cameron. "The Lawrenceville community doesn't get as much exposure as Buckhead or Midtown properties."
The trolley tour has attracted positive attention from the neighborhoods it has visited, and Cameron has been bombarded with requests to add additional homes to the tour.
"At first, other realtors had their arms closed to the trolley and wanted to ‘wait and see' what the response was," says Cameron. "Now, I get phone calls and requests to bring the trolley into other neighborhoods."
After the ride, the trolley participants are given goodie bags with the sponsors business cards, coupons, marketing materials, and the chance to participate in a drawing for other prizes.
The Trolley Tour of Homes is quickly developing the potential to become an annual event in Lawrenceville. The Lawrenceville Tourism and Trade Association is helping to promote the event, and a website for the tour is currently in the works.
Cameron drew inspiration for the tour's motto from Lawrenceville's namesake, James Lawrence and his famous last words.
"I am using ‘Don't give up the ship' as the motto for the trolley tours," says Cameron. During these economic times, when businesses are closing up shop and realtors are hanging it up, it just feels appropriate. We are not going without a fight."
