Two of Mentone's oldest gathering places broke into new chapters within two weeks of each other this September. Neither project brings a new business to town. Each one takes something Mentone already loves and moves it into a building with a century of town history behind it. Elevation Bistro is headed a mile down Highway 117 to the old Hitching Post corner. Little River Art Gallery is headed across Moon Lake Campus into the old school gymnasium. Both say they're aiming to open in 2027.
So this fall, everything is still where you left it. Next year, the same names will turn up at two addresses that used to be the center of town.
The Corner Everybody Used for Directions
The Hitching Post went up in 1896, built by Guy Burgess as a one-room general merchandise store, according to the Times-Journal's account of its history. Over the next hundred-plus years it grew into the "Mentone Store," with a drug store and soda fountain, a cafe, a post office and a gas station. In the 1940s and '50s the second floor was a dance hall. The 1970s brought the Crow's Nest antiques store, and Magnolia Joe's ran an eatery out of the back. The Gourdie Shop operated inside for almost 40 years.
The building burned in February 2023. Its first revival attempt went with it. A restoration was already underway when the fire hit, and tenants were getting ready to move into the restored landmark. The lot at Highway 117 and Scenic Drive has sat empty ever since.
Rick and Mary Gresham Barr bought it in fall 2025. As they told The Groundhog, they didn't yet know what they would build. Mary Gresham first came through Mentone in 1969 on her way to Camp DeSoto. She remembers the Hitching Post as the sign she was nearly there.
"That vacant lot has been such a scar, such a painful reminder of the history we lost when the Hitching Post burned in February 2023." — Mary Gresham Barr, speaking to The Groundhog
The groundbreaking was Tuesday, September 15. Mayor Rob Hammond, DeKalb Tourism's John Dersham and Dr. Brett Johnson of the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority all came out with shovels. Hammond pointed out how visible the corner is. "When you come up the mountain, this will be one of the first things you'll see," he said.
Elevation Is Moving a Mile, Not Arriving
The tenant everyone knows about already has a Mentone address. Chef Kevin Dunlap's Elevation Bistro will be the anchor of the new building. Today it sits about a mile east of the Hitching Post site. The Barrs connected with Dunlap earlier this year. Dunlap describes the move as a chance to rethink a restaurant his team has been building in Mentone for the past six years.
The new space gives him more room to work with. So far, he hasn't said what he plans to do with it. The Barrs' announcement says more pieces of the project "will be announced as construction progresses." For now, the confirmed plan is a bigger home for a restaurant the town already has, in the most visible spot on the mountain.
The design comes from Leonard Design Architects, whose team of Hillary Sharpton, Hugh Outzen and Joel Leonard has been working on how the new building can honor what stood there. Their firm already does business on Moon Lake Campus, which ties into the second project.
Across Campus, the Gallery Makes the Same Kind of Move
Little River Arts Council's original plan for the Moon Lake Arts Collective was a brand-new building on Moon Lake Campus. That changed. On September 1, LRAC and the Town of Mentone signed a lease to renovate the old Moon Lake School gymnasium instead. The LRAC announcement lists what goes inside: a ceramics studio, a larger flexible space for classes, workshops, exhibitions and community events, and "a welcoming, front-facing home for the Little River Art Gallery."
So the gallery is moving across campus. Right now it's inside the historic Moon Lake School building, showing work from more than 50 member artists. It's also the only place to buy Make Your Mark on Mentone notecards and Mentone: Little Town-Big Art T-shirts. In LRAC's words, renovating an existing building makes "the most of the remarkable support entrusted to this project" and brings "fresh energy to the Moon Lake Campus."
Put the two projects side by side and they look a lot alike. A business with a following moves into a building with a history, and each project keeps something familiar on the map without building from scratch.
| Where it is now | Where it's going | Target | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevation Bistro | 5951 AL-117 | Hitching Post corner, Highway 117 and Scenic Drive | As soon as summer 2027 |
| Little River Art Gallery | Historic Moon Lake School building, 5866 E. River Road | Former Moon Lake School gymnasium, same campus | 2027 |
How the Two Timelines Line Up
The dates come from three September and October reports. Some of them are estimates, so read them that way:
- September 1, 2026. LRAC and the town sign the gym lease.
- September 15, 2026. Groundbreaking at the Hitching Post site.
- Fall 2026. LRAC says gym renovations have already started.
- Summer 2027, at the earliest. WAFF reported that the Hitching Post site could open as soon as next summer, with construction expected to last through 2027.
- Sometime in 2027. The Moon Lake Arts Collective opens "if all goes according to plan."
WAFF's two phrases leave room for the building to open while some work is still going on. None of the sources say whether Elevation keeps serving at its current spot until the move. If you have a reservation in mind for next spring, call the restaurant and ask.
What's Open Between Now and Then
Everything is still at its old address, and the busiest day of the fall comes next Saturday.
Mentone Fall Festival, Saturday, October 17. The fourth annual festival runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Moon Lake Campus, 5866 E. River Road. The town and volunteers host it. The event listing promises 80-plus art vendors, 10 food vendors, live music on two stages and $5 parking. Little River Art Gallery will be open the same hours. That makes festival day a good chance to see the gallery in the old school building before it moves. With storm news in the forecast, the town's number for event questions is 256-634-4444.
The gallery, every week. Little River Art Gallery keeps regular hours Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and by appointment. It runs on volunteers, and LRAC says no art experience is needed to help out.
Dinner at the current Elevation. Elevation Bistro lists its address as 5951 AL-117. It's open 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday through Monday and closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The menu is built on local ingredients.
The chalkboard at the Mentone Inn. LRAC's 6-by-8-foot chalkboard on the Mentone Inn grounds has carried 15 different murals so far through the Make Your Mark on Mentone program, which pays artists a stipend.
The leaves, a little later. DeSoto State Park's October 6 update rated fall color "Low," at 10 to 30 percent change, so most of the canopy was still green. The park posts updates on its fall color page.
Creative Spirit Market, November 14–15. LRAC's market turns 11 this year. It brings around 50 artists and makers, live craft demonstrations, local musicians and food trucks to the DeSoto State Park picnic area. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days, across from the Country Store on County Road 89. Entry is free, and parking is $2 per vehicle.
By the time the Creative Spirit Market comes back in 2027, the gallery's tent may be pointing visitors to a new room in the old gym. A drive up Highway 117 may end at a restaurant on the corner where people used to buy gas, mail letters and dance upstairs.
Questions about a Mentone property near the Hitching Post corner or Moon Lake Campus are always welcome. The team at Tressie Young keeps up with what's changing on the mountain and is happy to talk it through over a phone call, with no pressure and no rush.
