Good Day Atlanta viewer information: November 13, 2023

Halcyon prepares for holiday shopping season

Local business owners are hoping for a big turnout during this year’s Small Business Saturday and beyond.

ATLANTA - Halcyon retailers hoping Small Business Saturday brings big crowds: 

The National Retail Federation says holiday spending will likely reach record levels this year, with shoppers expected to shell out an average of $620 on gifts. And that’s music to the ears of local business owners, who are hoping for a big turnout during this year’s Small Business Saturday and beyond.

This morning on Good Day Atlanta, we visited a few of those business owners at Halcyon, the $500-million, 135-acre live-work-play community in Forsyth County.

First up, we dropped in on Halcyon’s brand-new X-Golf, an indoor golf simulation experience which aims to help visitors improve their game (while also serving up delicious snacks and cocktails!). This is the first X-Golf location in Georgia, and local owner John Vautour says the technology inside makes upwards of 6,000 calculations per second, helping golfers make adjustments to their swing in real-time.

Next up, we did a little shopping at children’s boutique Piggy Jo’s, which first opened in 2021 in Buford and is now part of the booming Halcyon lineup. Owner Mandy Volpe showed us around the store and helped us pick out a few gifts for the newborns to pre-teens on our list — and with clothes and toys from top brands, there was plenty to choose from.

Halcyon is located at 6365 Halcyon Way in Alpharetta (Forsyth County) — for a full tenant list, click here. And click the video player in this article to check out our morning getting an early start on Small Business Saturday!

Holiday fun with 'Dashing Through the Snow'

'Dashing Through the Snow' is the hilarious and heartwarming story of an Atlanta police department social worker who gets a surprising encounter with a jolly man in a red suit who hopes to restore his faith in Christmas. Media mogul Will Packer, director Tim Story, actress Madison Skye Validum, and hip-hop legend Ludacris sat down with Sharon Lawson to talk about making the film.

Producer Will Packer, director Tim Story, Madison Skye Validum and Ludacris talk "Dashing Through the Snow":  Charlotte (Validum), an adorable and precocious 9-year old spends Christmas Eve with her dad (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) trying to remind him to restore his faith in Christmas. "Dashing Through the Snow" was filmed and takes place in Atlanta! "Dashing Through The Snow" starts streaming Nov. 17 only on Disney+. The movie is a hilarious and touching story about an Atlanta social worker's Christmas Eve journey with his daughter that helps him to remember the joy and magic of the yuletide season. Watch the trailer here. 

Kierra M on Keke Palmer's shocking news

Keke Palmer shocked the world last week after filing a restraining order against Darius Jackson, the father of her 8-month-old son. Entertainment contributor Kierra M joins Joanne Feldman to talk about the updates to Palmer's legal fight and news about Savannah Chrisley's relationship.

Kierra M has the latest in entertainment news: Keke Palmer was granted temporary sole custody of her son, and Savannah Chrisley explained why her dad Todd Chrisley is "very against" meeting her new boyfriend. Kierra tells us what's happening. Follow her on Instagram @KierraM