Bryan Nichols enjoys hanging Christmas lights downtown, even if it is two months before December. He does it because he loves to give back to downtown Macon.
“I love my town, I love this place and want to give back to it whenever you can,” Nichols.
He’s invested a lot of money in downtown. He owns Taste and See as well as different apartments and houses near downtown.
“People thought we were crazy for building them, but now, we can’t build them fast enough,” said Nichols.
He says there isn't much more space to build.
“We've already remodeled so much down here that we need more room to grow,” said Nichols.
Nichols hopes county commissioners will approve a grant from the state for renovations on a stretch of 2nd Street.
The $1.5 million of grant money would help renovate 2nd Street from Plum Street Lane to Poplar Street. That would add parking spaces, help them repave the roads, and add new crosswalks and lighting.
Brian Ochoa, owner of the Gentry, bought the shop 5 years ago and says downtown needs more restaurants and more shops. He hopes the new renovations will bring in more businesses by connecting downtown to other areas through 2nd Street.
“We need a link to Mercer. We need that youth downtown,” said Ochoa.
Both Ochoa and Nichols say they're committed to staying in the city and growing their business here, especially when they see the county trying to invest in the downtown space.