See what’s up and what’s going up in downtown Macon

NewTown Macon’s annual Tour of Progress will highlight some of the completed projects downtown and some of the projects under way.

Local media got a tour Wednesday in advance of the official Tour of Progress open to the public next week. NewTown President/CEO Josh Rogers sprinkled in some facts about downtown’s progress during the tour.

“In 2000, there were only 28 lofts in downtown Macon,” Rogers said. “Today, there are over 450.” And tour participants will get a chance to take a look inside one of those lofts.

In 2012, NewTown had three goals: increasing storefront occupancy in its three target blocks, adding 125 lofts and maintaining loft occupancy at or above 85 percent, he said.

“NewTown accomplished the goals set out in the 2012 strategic plan, exceeding some goals by spectacular margins,” he said. Loft occupancy remains in the mid- to high 90 percent range.

The Tour of Progress free and open to the public will be held 5-7 p.m. Oct. 12, with tours beginning every 30 minutes from the starting point in front of Robinson Home at 470 First St. After the tour, an awards program and reception at 7 p.m. will be held at the Thorpe building at 533 Cherry St. For more information go to www.newtownmacon.com/tour.

Existing businesses and upcoming businesses pointed out along the tour include:

▪  Robinson Home, which offers specialty kitchenware and cooking classes, has added Fork & Key, a wine bar with small plates. This is one of the 45 restaurants downtown.

▪  567 Center for Renewal has moved from Cherry Street to 456 First St. NewTown’s real estate development fund helped the nonprofit buy this property for community space for entrepreneurs, artists and musicians.

▪  Dot’s Forget-Me-Knots at 623 Cherry St. is being renovated and owner Dot Ridley is building lofts above the ladies store. Also, new and fairly new businesses in that area include El Camino Taqueria & Cantina, Fatty’s Pizza, Laniers and Carrie’s Bridal Shop.

▪  In the next block, a florist, Ruby Rose designs opened this summer at 596 Cherry St.

▪  Bearfoot Tavern moved from Cherry Street to 468 Second St. in January, which is the site of the first Piggly Wiggly in Macon, Rogers said. Ocmulgee Brewpub is moving into 484 Second St. and it will be Middle Georgia’s first brewpub to open.

▪  NewTown Macon’s offices are on the first floor at 555 Poplar St. — it bought the building out of foreclosure in 2014. It was able to add more resident housing by building 12 lofts on the second and third floors. It also added The Office, a shared working space that is home to 16 various small businesses.

▪  Lace Boutique opened at 486 Poplar St. a few months ago. The store carries traditional sneaker brands in addition to higher end sneakers and clothing.

▪  NewTown bought “moveable furniture,” which can be seen in Third Street Park. Brightly colored chairs and bistro tables are scattered along the grassy median. “This allows us to activate underutilized space by providing an area for people to enjoy at their leisure,” Rogers said.

▪  The former Silver’s department store, a five-and-dime that opened in 1927 at 450 Third St., is being renovated by Piedmont Construction Group. It’s scheduled to open as Lofts at Silver next spring with 24 lofts. The first floor will become home to Piedmont Brewing Co. and Kitchen.

▪  Travis Jean, at 522 and 530 Cherry St., has expanded from an art gallery and shop for Georgia-made products to an event venue and an Airbnb.

▪  A new business, Reboot Retrocade & Bar, is currently under construction at 566 Cherry St. Described by Rogers as “first of its kind,” it will be a combination of a bar, arcade, game lounge and art gallery.

▪  The last stop on the tour is at the Thorpe building at 533 Cherry St. where earlier this year The Moonhanger Group bought the building to expand its corporate offices and seating for its restaurant, The Rookery. This summer, The Creek 100.9 FM radio station opened on the second floor.

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 5:51 PM with the headline "See what’s up and what’s going up in downtown Macon."