Matt’s birthday trolley tour has already sold out! If you want to Rediscover Dunwoody, you’ll have to hop on next month’s ride. Mark Galvin from Discover Dunwoody joins Matt to talk about everything popping up around town—starting with those new steel gateway signs. He breaks down who paid for them, why they matter, and what they mean for the city’s future. The whole episode is really about what’s new.
Did you know High Street will eventually be even larger than Avalon? It’s gearing up to welcome Rosetta Bakery, Hampton Social, CRÚ Food & Wine Bar, Varuni Napoli, and Alo Yoga. Over at Campus 244, CT Cantina & Taqueria is drawing crowds with its chef-driven menu and hidden gem, Tierra Coffee. Stäge Kitchen & Bar is coming soon with upscale seafood, steak, and sushi. And Ashford Place is getting a big refresh with Stone Age Korean Steakhouse and Desi District moving in.
Chamblee vs Dunwoody: A Candid Conversation About City Branding, Community Pride, and Growing Together
A Voice Behind Chamblee's Progress: Meet Van Pappas
Van Pappas isn't just a financial planner or a past podcast host—he's a walking ambassador for Chamblee, Georgia. As Vice President and Private CFO® at oXYGen Financial, Van brings a sharp mind for numbers and a passionate heart for community engagement. He also chairs and volunteers on several Chamblee boards, including the Blue & Gold Foundation, and helped co-found the Chamblee Chamber of Commerce. With a strong record of civic involvement, Van has played a key role in the economic and branding development of Chamblee, which shares many parallels with Dunwoody.
Branding Our Cities: Why Signs, Identity, and Messaging Matter
One of the major threads running through this episode of the What’s Up Dunwoody podcast is how city branding isn’t just about signs—it’s about identity. Van Pappas makes this point early and often, referencing a decade-old branding committee he helped launch while serving on Chamblee’s Development Authority. The committee’s goal? To get people to think differently about Chamblee. And it worked. If you’ve driven by the massive red “Chamblee” sign atop the mixed-use complex at Chamblee Tucker and Peachtree Boulevard, you’ve seen the power of that vision.
For Pappas, the sign is more than decoration. It’s a monument to community pride, a literal beacon of transformation. He compares it to the famous quote from Bull Durham about “announcing your presence with authority.”
The same principle now applies to Dunwoody. The new gateway signs—like the standout one at Georgetown Kroger—are the result of a long-term branding vision introduced around 2018–2019. Funding came from hotel-motel taxes earmarked specifically for wayfinding, with much of it allocated before the pandemic. The Gateway Signage Final Concepts plan created a visual identity across key city entry points.
According to Van, these kinds of markers do three powerful things:
Increased Visibility: Gateway signs tell visitors and residents where they are, creating an immediate sense of place.
Brand Reinforcement: Just like businesses have logos and slogans, cities need recognizable markers that unify their messaging.
Economic Activity: Improved branding encourages tourism, attracts business, and raises home values by making the area feel more established.
As Van says, city branding helps everyone—including neighboring cities. A great Dunwoody sign uplifts Chamblee, and vice versa.
When comparing tourism marketing, the conversation turned to Discover Dunwoody versus Discover DeKalb. Discover Dunwoody focuses exclusively on Dunwoody, creating deep ties with schools, city leaders, businesses, and even hyperlocal average podcasters. Events like Dunwoody Idol and the Dunwoody Fourth of July Parade highlight this hyperlocal focus.
By contrast, Discover DeKalb takes a broader approach, serving the entire county, including Chamblee. It promotes large-scale destinations like Stone Mountain but doesn’t offer the same neighborhood-level spotlight. Van applauds Discover Dunwoody for helping build a consistent and city-focused brand, a model more cities might benefit from.
In a moment of lighthearted rivalry, Van jokes about the “sign war” between Dunwoody, Chamblee, and potentially Brookhaven. Each city now boasts bold gateway signs designed to capture attention and announce their brand. Van applauds Dunwoody’s signs, calling them an economic boon and a much-needed aesthetic improvement over the old rusted welcome signs.
The signs, both in Dunwoody and Chamblee, are more than civic vanity. Van explains that wayfinding signage enhances community prestige, supports tourism, and even nudges up property values. In short, signage is branding in physical form.
Restaurant Review Facebook Groups
One of the most intriguing parts of the podcast dives into the parallel Facebook groups: the Dunwoody Area Restaurant Review Group and the Chamblee Area Restaurant Review Group. Van Pappas created the Chamblee group during the early days of COVID as a way to support struggling restaurants. Inspired by Matt's own Dunwoody group, Van focused on community-driven reviews.
Van allows local restaurant owners to post twice per month, which helps balance promotion with authenticity. Negative reviews are welcome, too. Van believes criticism helps businesses improve. He even cited Moondog Pub & Grub as an example of a restaurant that made real changes based on group feedback.
Meanwhile, Matt acknowledges that criticism can sting, especially as a restaurant owner himself. But he agrees that community commentary—even the critical kind—ultimately strengthens local business ties. The Facebook groups have become modern-day town squares, where residents discuss, recommend, and even defend their favorite spots.
How Apartments Transformed Chamblee
A fascinating comparison arises between how Dunwoody and Chamblee handle residential development. Since cityhood, Dunwoody has added very few new apartment complexes, preferring a suburban feel. Chamblee, on the other hand, transformed former industrial zones into bustling mixed-use corridors.
The Whole Foods in Chamblee sits on a former chemical plant site. Apartments line Peachtree Boulevard because that’s where the space was. Van argues that density was key to Chamblee’s revival—it attracted retail and restaurants that simply wouldn’t have come without a critical mass of residents. While controversial at the time, the strategy has paid off, bringing in Publix, Crunch Fitness, and revitalizing the once-vacant Chamblee Plaza.
The Rail Trail and Dunwoody's Next Connection
Van and Matt share optimism about connecting Chamblee’s Rail Trail to the rest of the metro trail system. The goal? Link from Doraville to Buckhead via Chamblee, Brookhaven, and eventually to the Atlanta BeltLine. These connections would allow residents to travel safely and recreationally without a car, making the area even more attractive to visitors and potential homebuyers considering moving to Dunwoody or Chamblee.
School Overcrowding: Growing Pains for a Popular Area
School crowding is one of the only pain points both Van and Matt acknowledge. Chamblee High was built for 1,600 students but is projected to exceed 1,950 this fall. Trailers and tight quarters aren’t ideal, but both hosts agree the issue stems more from regional growth than just apartment dwellers.
Dunwoody’s schools faced similar crowding pre-COVID, but enrollment dropped during the pandemic as some families left. Now, population growth continues and the pressure on DeKalb County schools is mounting.
Van Pappas' Financial Advice Platform: Mind Over Money
Though Van has paused his “Between Two Trains” podcast, he remains active in content creation through a livestream show called Mind Over Money. This weekly series offers financial tips, life hacks, and interviews with experts, all aimed at helping viewers make smarter money decisions. It airs Thursdays at noon across his social media platforms, including LinkedIn and Facebook.
You can learn more about Van and his financial planning services at oxygenfinancial.com/van-pappas.
Final Thoughts: Dunwoody and Chamblee Are Stronger Together
Both Matt and Van agree that city pride shouldn’t lead to city rivalry. Dunwoody and Chamblee, along with Brookhaven and Doraville, form a greater North DeKalb area. When one improves, all benefit.
If you're considering moving to Dunwoody or just want to understand more about living in Dunwoody and its neighboring cities, this episode is packed with local insights and branding brilliance.
Get Involved and Learn More
For the latest events and local guides, visit whatsupdunwoody.com/events.
Support the podcast by using whatsupdunwoody.com/hotels.
Watch Van Pappas' Mind Over Money: Live every Thursday at noon via Van Pappas on LinkedIn or visit oxygenfinancial.com.
Join the Community Talk: Check out the Dunwoody Area Community Forum and the Dunwoody Area Restaurant Review Group on Facebook to stay in the loop with your neighbors.
