BLACKSHEAR, Ga. — City officials in Blackshear, located in Pierce County, Georgia, are optimistic that their newly formed Downtown Development Authority will be instrumental in rejuvenating the downtown area and drawing in a variety of new enterprises.

Bethany Strickland, who serves as the Main Street manager for Blackshear, highlighted the charm of the downtown district, emphasizing its unique character due to the absence of large chain stores and big-box retailers.

“Our slogan encapsulates it best: Boutiques, antiques, and good eats,” Strickland explained.

The Downtown Development Authority will collaborate with the existing ‘Better Hometown and Main Street program,’ which has been focusing on marketing and community events. In contrast, the DDA will concentrate on fostering economic growth and attracting new industries to the area.

Those programs focus more on marketing and events, while the DDA will focus on economic development and bringing new industries into town.

The seven volunteers on the board, comprised of a city official and business owners, are tasked with purchasing buildings downtown, rehabbing them and renting them out.

“So we can give them an opportunity to rent a building from the DDA and then maybe they want to buy that building, and then we use those profits to buy something else, and it’s just a continuous cycle,” said Strickland. 

“So Blackshear is a small town, but we’re full of life,” said Zach Lee, owner of ‘Zach & Isabelle’ hair salon on Main Street. 

He said he’s excited to see how the DDA will transform the area.

“I think Blackshear is on the cusp of revival around here, of businesses moving in and new things coming. I think the developing authority is going to help revitalize and bring in new business.”

The first thing the organization will do is train, then purchase vacant lots to transform.

First Coast News asked how much money will be spent, and who’s paying for it. So far, they’re working on those important details.