What’s coming to downtown Perry? Restaurants, loft apartments, cakery and more

Multiple restaurants, an upscale bar, a cake shop, loft apartments and more are all coming to downtown Perry in the months ahead.

The cake shop expects to open as early as next month in The Village Shops, while a restaurant aiming to give its customers an experience of New Orleans is targeted to open on Carroll St. in early 2022.

Also, a groundbreaking was recently held for construction of a new building to house a restaurant and loft apartments, while a 1950s movie theater is under renovation to transform it into an event space with all its former glory. Both are on Commerce St.

In addition to a pizzeria as well as an upscale bar coming to Main St., another new restaurant is expected to locate on Carroll St.

Here’s a look at what’s coming:

A new restaurant — A vacant building at 905 Carroll St. is under contract to a group which is expected to become the owner/operator of a new restaurant, said John Hulbert, who holds a minority interest in the building owned by his father, David P. “Skeet” Hulbert.

“They anticipate at this point upscale dining, but we’re pretty early on that. We hope to have the transfer to take place as quickly as possible — hopefully within a month,” he said.

The building is located next to Yes! It’s Consignment, a women’s clothing store. For years, the building under contract housed Overton Jewelers, and then went through a series of different owners. The building has undergone an extensive renovation under the current owners.

The Commodore Building — A first-floor restaurant and three short-term loft apartments are envisioned for this two-story building to be constructed on two parcels at 904 Commerce St., said owner Meredith Lockerman.

The build-to-suit restaurant space is expected to include a covered entry and covered rear outdoor dining and entertainment area. Commemorative bricks are now being sold for the Paradise Pathway, which will run along a side of the building to the back bar of the restaurant and to the loft apartments. It will also connect with an alley that leads to other restaurants and shops in downtown Perry.

The two one-bedroom and one two bedroom apartments will face Commerce St. The two-bedroom apartment will have a balcony. These are designed for visitors to Perry who want to stay downtown.

The Muse Theatre — Co-owners and developers Chad Bryant and Marty McLeod are working to restore this former movie theater at 806 Commerce St. back to its former glory by creating an event space for weddings, company parties, wine tastings, theatrical performances, concerts and the like.

Originally opened in 1950, The Muse Theatre operated as a movie theater and later a venue for concerts before closing in the late ‘70s. The building sat empty, later became an antique mall and most recently has been used for storage. Bryant and McLeod purchased the building for about $400,000 and are expected to spend about the same amount in renovations, said Tyler Bryant, a representative of The Muse Theatre and brother to Chad Bryant. Renovations are underway.

“We’re moving quickly, and we expect to open in the fall,” Tyler Bryant said.

The Batter Babes — Cake bakers Arwen Gingerich and Amanda Beam are opening a store front at The Village Shops, Suite 19, 736 Carroll St. They’ve been baking and creating cakes in Gingerich’s home under cottage food laws of the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

They started baking for friends and family and grew by word of mouth and via social media, where their tasty creations can be purchased through Facebook. They hope to open their cake shop in mid-July, Gingerich said.

Also, Sunset Slush of Middle Georgia announced on Facebook that it’s planning to open a storefront also in the The Village Shops after two successful seasons selling its Italian ice at popup and other events. An opening date is to be determined.

A family-owned pizzeria — Restaurateurs Eric Schultz and Matthew Howard are teaming up to bring an old-school, dine-in pizzeria to 742 Main St. Schultz is the owner of Schultze’s Old Fashioned Soda Shop and a part-owner with Charlie Shimp of Hazard’s on the Green. Both are popular restaurants in downtown Perry.

Howard, who owns Stoner’s Pizza Joint in Warner Robins, another foodie favorite, has been in the pizza-making business for more than 15 years. Howard, who will run the pizzeria, is the primary owner, and Schultz, who owns the building and will renovate it, is the secondary partner. The pizzeria is targeted to open by January 2022.

Main St. Bar — The awning recently went up for this family-owned, upscale bar, which was delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Construction workers have been busy on site at 740 Main St. Over the past several months, the owners have been able to hold pop-up events.

Specializing in cocktails “made the right way,” the bar is also expected to offer live entertainment. No opening date yet but “getting closer to opening everyday” is the word on Facebook. Both the bar and the new pizzeria going in next door are expected to have outside seating in the back.

‘Orleans on Carroll St. — This new restaurant opening in Perry in early 2022 plans to bring the Big Easy to downtown Perry with its southern food with a Cajun twist and distinct elements of New Orleans woven in throughout.

Located at 807 Carroll St., the restaurant will be on the first floor with a backroom that can be used for overflow or private event dining. The first floor will also house the Crescent City Bar and Grill, and a large, outdoor courtyard will grace the Jernigan Street side of the restaurant.

The second-floor will be used for private or ticketed events and is expected to include a bar and seating area with a balcony. The second floor is also expected to house two apartments.

This story was originally published June 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.