How Downtown Augusta Survived the Pandemic: Commitment, Investment, Adaptation and Energy

Editor’s Note: Jane Ellis is a commercial real estate broker with Sherman & Hemstreet Real Estate Company. Some principals in The Augusta Press are also principals with Sherman & Hemstreet.

Crises can bring out the best or the worst in people.

The COVID-19 pandemic cleared office towers and closed restaurants, specialty retailers, non-profits and other venues in Downtown Augusta. Businesses were closed or sparsely staffed.

Few were considered “essential businesses.” There was no problem finding a parking space on Broad St. Faced with such daunting prospects, Augusta business owners responded with their very best efforts to adapt to new realities. Specialty retailers downtown initiated or improved their online presences to replace or augment lost in-store sales.

Many found new customers and new market segments. At least one developed an international market for their products. Others adapted to find new products. 2nd City Distilling Co. pivoted from spirits to hand sanitizers during the shutdown. Keen Printing adapted to the production and installation of plastic sneeze guards.

New retailers with planned openings had to delay a few months, but Shelvie Jean Boutique, Sew Co., Masters of Paint Gallery and Grantski Records persevered and opened their new stores downtown. These businesses, old and new, had the commitment, made the investment and are working hard to succeed.

For restaurants downtown, the year was particularly daunting. With changing rules and schedules, restaurants engaged in a continual adaptation process during the pandemic. From closure to pick-up orders, to home delivery, online ordering, curbside pick-up zones and eventually to expanded sidewalk dining and limited inside dining, the vast majority have survived and are continuing to welcome customers.

The area actually gained several new restaurants during the pandemic. Edgar’s Above Broad, Broad Street Bullies Grill, Laziza Mediterranean, Pasche’s Island Soul and The Brunch House all opened their new restaurants during the pandemic. Downtown restauranteurs are committed to their businesses, willing to invest, adapt and survive.

Downtown restaurants are still operating safely at reduced capacity, and they need our support.
Some downtown landlords had retail space renovation projects and loft-style apartment conversions
underway before the pandemic shut them down.

However, as soon as it was possible, work on renovations continued or was completed. In addition, the new construction of 155-market-rate apartments on 11th St. went forward. The buildings have risen quickly, to the fascination of those of us who drive by.

Downtown agencies also brought commitment, energy and adaptation to their efforts to support
businesses downtown. The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) pivoted from business recruitment to business retention. The DDA worked to keep business owners informed and worked with the city to enact expanded outdoor dining and curbside pickup parking space ordinances.

The DDA also shared market information from their consultants Next Site with downtown businesses so that they could utilize their social media marketing more effectively. The DDA also created a series of public service announcements, the award-winning “The Faces of Downtown,” to encourage Augustans to visit downtown retailers and restaurants.

The DDA and the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) partnered to organize the Great Augusta Picnic in November and the Making Spirits Bright car-crawl holiday decorations contest in December.

Many popular downtown events and festivals were cancelled in 2020 and early 2021, which tanked the number of local and regional visitors to the downtown area. In 2019, downtown had more than 3 million visitors, spiking during events and festivals.

Those visits dropped tremendously in 2020, but have recovered to about 70% of the 2019 totals. A task force of government, civic groups and stakeholders has been formed to develop plans to bring these popular events back safely in the coming months.

In spite of the difficulties we’ve experienced during this unusual time, Downtown Augusta remains a target destination for visitors and business owners alike. One striking statistic is that in spite of the pandemic, 43 new leases for commercial space in Downtown Augusta were executed between
January 2020 and March 2021, for a variety of uses:
Office 21
Retail 10
Non-profit 4
GA Cyber 3
Medical District 2
Medical (CBD) 1
Indus/Service 1
Political 1

As the pandemic hopefully winds down, we can all look forward to an even more vibrant, diverse and prosperous Downtown Augusta through the efforts of our businesses, landlords and agencies. And it’s not just Augustans who have shown commitment to Downtown Augusta.

In the 14 months between January 1, 2020 and Feb 28, 2021, more than 20 downtown buildings were acquired by owner-users, investors and developers. The buyers, including local, state-wide and national investors, made an investment of more than $15 million dollars in the area’s future.

The properties sold included existing apartment buildings (for renovation), as well as retail, office and flex properties. In that same time period, a further $2.3 million dollars was invested in Downtown Augusta land acquisitions by developers for future housing projects. That’s a substantial vote of confidence for Downtown Augusta at any time, and especially in a time like this.

Jane Ellis is a guest writer for The Augusta Press.