Franchising law involves helping new business owners evaluate franchising opportunities, and assist in the purchase and operation of business franchises -- an alternative to starting a new, independent business from scratch. Franchising allows businesses owners to reduce their investment risk by associating with an established company, but may also require business owners to relinquish significant control over their business.
Lithonia is a suburban village in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, and it is incorporated as a city. Lithonia's population was 2,187 at the 2000 census. Lithonia is located at 33°42′46″N 84°6′21″W / 33.71278°N 84.10583°W / 33.71278; -84.10583 (33.712658, -84.105897). According to the United States Census Bureau, this village has a total area of 0.8 square miles, all land. "Lithonia" means "city/town of stone". Lithonia is in the heart of the Georgian granite-quarrying and viewing region, hence the name of the town, from the Greek lithos, for stone. The huge nearby granite dome - the world's largest, Stone Mountain, is composed largely of a rock called Lithonia gneiss, a form of granite. The city of Lithonia is in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. The Lithonia Lighting Company, a manufacturer of household light fixtures, was founded in Lithonia in 1946, but it was moved to nearby Conyers in 1957.