Every day, I drive by the county’s historic square, and always hope for more. I’m thrilled that Famous Fish Company is opening in the old Travis Hardware location this spring, but I want more.
I want the square to be filled with interesting restaurants, shops and cafes that will give a heartbeat to the historic center of the county.
I found the perfect example of my vision, and it’s only 20 miles to the west in Newnan. I haven’t been to downtown Newnan in many months, but Tuesday night, I decided to check it out and see if there was life after dark. To say that i was pleasantly surprised would be putting it mildly.
I wandered into Alamo Jacks, which is in the old theater downtown, and was stunned to see 40-50 people out on a Tuesday night. Owner Yvonne Monet has created an inviting space and even has an old movie curtain, along with a movie screen for special showings of sporting events.
The restaurant hummed with activity. Several teams were playing trivia, while other patrons watched sporting events.
The restaurant serves a mainly Mexican menu, and I had a delicious chicken quesadilla for only $6.50.
Other restaurants on the square include Quizno’s, Golden’s, (which used to be in Fayetteville,) and an Irish pub on the way. Just off the square is another eatery called Andre’s.
While the streets weren’t exactly teeming with life, there were certainly more people wandering around the Newnan square at 10 p.m. than in Fayette.
Coweta does have more residents than Fayette, but many Newnan residents decided years ago they did not want to see the square die as more and more businesses moved closer to Interstate 85.
That’s the kind of spirit we need here. Nancy Price has done a wonderful job with her Main Street programming, but now it’s time to take it to the next level.
Many years ago, the square was the hub of the county, but now it’s been displaced by the Fayette Pavilion. Downtown Fayetteville will never be able to offer the retail opportunities of the largest shopping center in Georgia, but it can be a unique area that residents will want to spend an evening exploring.
Good independent restaurants are the first key towards creating a vibrant nightlife. Newnan’s starting to get the message, why can’t we?
