1736 Magazine - Vision for the Future

ON THE STREET
Downtown Augusta
exhibits resiliency
By MARGARET WOODARD
The global pandemic of
2020 certainly tested
downtown Augusta’s
resiliency but is losing
the battle as we enter
2021. We still have a ways to go to
get to the other side but preliminary
indicators predict a brighter
than expected outcome for our city
center.
Downtown Augusta is so much to
so many. It is where our residents
come to enjoy a great meal or concert
and attend our many unique
festivals and events. On average,
there are 16,000 employees and
customers in downtown on a daily
basis and each typically visits 4.5
places of business.
It is where our visitors come to
see our cultural amenities and stay
in our hotels. Eighty percent of
our visitors travel 30 miles and 20
percent, 250 miles.
Finally, it is home to many of our
small businesses in Augusta. On
Broad Street from 13th to Seventh
there are 238 small businesses
alone. They include chef-owned
restaurants, specialty retail stores
and art galleries. These small businesses
give us our unique character,
provide jobs and fill our tax coffers.
In April, our workforce left and
worked remotely from home,
our residents and visitors were
sheltered in place and our nonessential
businesses were closed.
In a matter of days, we went from a
vibrant city center with flourishing
businesses to a ghost town with so
much uncertainty it was difficult to
navigate the waters.
Margaret Woodard, with the Augusta Downtown Development Authority, says “Small
businesses are the faces of downtown.” [FILE/THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE]
Our customer base plummeted
to zero and our computer inboxes
were filled with nationwide predictions.
It was estimated that 35% of
small businesses across the nation
would not survive the pandemic
and would close their doors for
good by the end of 2020.
Many of our small businesses
were able to shift quickly, adopting
creative new programs and crafting
new ways of doing business. Some
garnered state and regional recognition
but all of them made us proud.
Most everyone realized quickly
the importance of an online presence
and got their products on a
website. Second City Distillery
shifted from bourbon distilling
to making hand sanitizer. Keen
Printing began manufacturing and
installing plastic sneeze guards
across the region.
Many businesses made curbside
pick-up easy and provided home
delivery. There were many successful
Go Fund Me campaigns.
Finally, there was a strong call
to action from the Downtown
Development Authority, Augusta
Metro Chamber of Commerce,
Augusta Convention & Visitors
Bureau and other outside agencies
to shop local. The City of Augusta
established a small business relief
fund program and waived alcohol
license fees.
As we enter 2021, a preliminary
windshield survey of the Broad
Street Corridor reveals we are far
from the predicted national closure
rate and will see a net gain of new
businesses for 2020.
Yes, we lost several small busi-
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