Macon's Market City Cafe closes, expected to relocate

Market City Cafe closed for business this week and moved out of its downtown Macon location at the corner of Cherry and Third streets. A sign in the window promises a reopening at a new, unnamed location.

Donna Hall and her husband, Rob, both from Warner Robins, pulled on the handle of the locked doors late Friday afternoon. Hall said she was "so disappointed" to find the restaurant empty.

"I was coming for the chocolate cake. ... It's the best chocolate cake you've ever tasted," Hall said. "We come here all the time and we love it. .. I'm surprised. I didn't know they were (moving)."

Efforts to reach the owners of the popular downtown eatery for comment Friday were unsuccessful.

Aubrey Newby works for Damaste Real Estate, which owns the Newberry building where the restaurant was located. Newby was inside the empty restaurant after its owners finished moving out Friday.

"We've enjoyed our eight-year relationship with Market City Cafe," Newby said. "But, as all things, things change and we understand they're moving to a new location."

Sunday was the last day the restaurant was open in that spot, Newby said.

The real estate company has received a number of calls from businesses, mostly restaurants, interested in the space and "we'll be meeting with prospective tenants next week," Newby said.

Newby said the corner of Cherry and Third streets has been important to downtown, even from Macon's earliest retail days.

"The Newberry building will continue to be a vital part of downtown," he said.

Damaste Real Estate owns eight other properties downtown.

"Downtown has so much going on," Newby said. "The fact that there's already been an interest in this space shows that people still have a great belief of what's happening downtown."

Josh Rogers, executive director and president of NewTown Macon, said he was asked by the restaurant owner's attorney about possibly relocating the eatery elsewhere downtown.

"They've looked at a couple of locations downtown," Rogers said. "I think Market City will be missed if they don't relocate downtown, but I'm hopeful we can find a suitable location for them if they want to reopen downtown."

Rogers said he expects the vacant space in the Newberry building will be leased to another business "very quickly."

To contact writer Laura Corley, call 744-4334 or follow her on Twitter @Lauraecor.

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 10:35 PM with the headline "Macon's Market City Cafe closes, expected to relocate ."