From decline to downtown renaissance: How NewTown Macon sparked a community-led comeback

Emily Hopkins, vice president of external affairs and Main Street manager at NewTown, said that working together with the community made a difference. “Ten years ago, downtown was all potential,” she said. “Today it feels like potential realized. We got here because we figured out how to work together, building plans from community input, creating a shared vision and investing in locals so they could drive the change. The downtown we have today is the one we dreamed about.”

NewTown and the work of its partners have had a dramatic impact on downtown Macon. NewTown’s programs for small businesses, such as coaching, budgeting and loans, have helped boost a business survival rate of 85% to 90%, according to Hopkins, which is much higher than the national survival rate of 50% over five years. And, as shown in the graphic above, NewTown and its partners have helped activate public spaces, renovate medians and implement the Business Improvement District.

NewTown’s close partnership with the Urban Development Authority, Macon-Bibb County government, and philanthropic allies such as Peyton Anderson Foundation, the Community Foundation of Central Georgia and Knight have provided steady leadership and resources. Kaitlynn Kressin, who co-owns and operates Fall Line Brewing and Just Tap’d, said that these partnerships have been key in revitalizing downtown Macon.

“These public-private partnerships that increase foot traffic and encourage people to invest in our urban core have been a game changer,” she said. NewTown helped her in so many ways with her businesses, especially during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re so grateful for their partnership,” Kressin said. “They’re so welcoming of my wild and crazy ideas, and it’s the best feeling to know there’s someone in your corner who will support you — and also tell you when something might not work.”

NewTown’s accomplishments have reshaped downtown Macon into a vibrant, diverse and increasingly self-sustaining district, one recognized nationally with the 2024 Great American Main Street Award and celebrated locally as a source of renewed pride and possibility. As their tagline says, they are helping create “a city led by locals that’s booming and real.”

Mark Glaser is a communications consultant for Knight Foundation, Press Forward, Tiny News Collective and The Lenfest Institute, and was the founder and executive editor of MediaShift.org. He was formerly the director of business and program development for the New Mexico Local News Fund. He runs the Wind Power Media consultancy out of Santa Fe.