Almost 100 business licenses have been issued in Athens during the first five months of 2018, according to Amy Golden, director of One Stop Shop in Athens.

The number per month has steadily risen since the first of the year and includes home-based businesses and businesses in other communities who do business in Athens. January saw seven new business licenses issued, while May saw more than four times that number with 29.

Among the businesses opening in Athens in 2018 is Popeye’s, currently expected to open June 18 at the corner of Houston Street and U.S. 72.

“They’re very excited to be in the community and have been wonderful to work with,” Golden said.

Popeye’s held a last-chance hiring session June 6. Golden said their goal is to have 75 employees hired by the time they open. She said 60 had been hired prior to June 6, and it was unknown how many applicants turned up for the session.

“Wendy didn’t have the final numbers, but she did say it was beyond their wildest expectations,” said Golden, referring to Wendy Land, a franchisee who will own and operate the store with her husband, Brian. “People have really turned out for the hiring days, and they (the Lands) are going to go through the applications and select the best possible.”

Meanwhile, other businesses have been preparing and opening shop. Smoothie King opened this week in the former Nestle Tollhouse location next to Starbucks on U.S. 72. On the Square, Terranova’s Italian Restaurant prepares to open a second location in the former LuVici’s building.

Owner Dan Oliver told The News Courier in March he hoped to be open before May, one of the busiest months for the restaurant. However, the date was pushed back, and Golden said Terranova’s is now looking at the end of June for opening day.

Of course, not all of the businesses coming to Athens are food-related. Boneyard Antiques on the Square recently opened downtown, and mattress retailer Bedzzz Express set up a new location on U.S. 72.

“We start here and look for what we need … and then we try to find partnerships with those businesses to bring them to our community,” Golden said. “It’s a slow process, but it seems to be paying off.”

“The city of Athens and One Stop Shop continues to work daily to find new businesses to locate in Athens,” she said.