In this series, we turn to the passionate Maconites—those who call this vibrant city home—to curate their very own guides to experiencing Downtown Macon. Whether you are a resident seeking to rediscover your city or a curious visitor eager to immerse yourself in the local culture, these guides will open doors to new ideas and lasting memories.
Discover what defines Downtown Macon: from feeling the energy of our bustling streets and exploring historic landmarks to savoring the mouthwatering cuisine and engaging with the vibrant arts and music scene. We’ll let the insiders share more.
In partnership with NewTown Macon.
Story by Julia Morrison | Photos by Jessica Whitley
Robbo Hatcher is a driving force behind some of Downtown Macon’s boldest transformations. Through H2 Capital, he turns tricky real estate into people-focused spaces – most recently reviving the long-vacant Neel’s department store site with a fresh new building that nods to its iconic past. We talk with him about the Downtown Macon building boom, community trust, and why a rooftop bar with a good chat with strangers might just be the key to falling in love with this city.
For someone who doesn’t know your work, how would you describe what you do?
I’ve been lucky to wear a lot of hats, but right now, my biggest focus is the Neel’s project. It’s different from anything we’ve done before – it’s our first time working on an infill building downtown. We’re taking a site with all kinds of quirks and challenges and finding ways to create value. From the initial idea to getting it off of the ground, that’s what I do: take tough real estate and turn it into something exciting.
Why is this project such a gamechanger for Macon?
For one, I want to brag on the Neel’s name. Neel’s Department Store closed 31 years ago, and yet when we threw a farewell party before the demolition, more than 130 people showed up. That is a heck of a brand to have stuck around like that. So, it’s not just a new building. We’re adding 95 apartments, a few small offices, retail, and a restaurant. It was important to us to be able to bring life back to that block, residents back to that block, energy back. And it’s fun to be doing it with the name of the old department store that was there when it all closed.
Macon has so much history. As a multigenerational Maconite, what’s one hidden gem people should check out?
We’re getting more every day. I love how our Macon developers are reviving old names: The Rookery, H&H, Grant’s. They’re dusting them off and promoting them a little better and really turning those into a little more of a brand for Macon. That’s kind of what we’re doing with Neel’s. You don’t really see department stores downtown anymore, but calling back to that era connects us to Macon’s heyday.
You mentioned the importance of locally led development, something NewTown Macon has really championed. How does this approach grow our downtown?
NewTown’s Developer’s Academy deserves a lot of credit. I was flattered to be asked to judge. The real magic is in how it teaches local people – people who might not think of themselves as developers – to take small buildings, often ones they already occupy, and create value for themselves. That’s wealth creation that we really need in our community. A lot of those graduates have gone on to complete real projects here in Macon. When you think of the leverage, it didn’t cost NewTown a whole lot to do that. They didn’t have to fund a building, they didn’t have to buy a piece of ground, they didn’t have to do any of that. They just had to teach people.
And now they’ve followed that with the Entrepreneur’s Academy, right?
Exactly. Now they’re helping people grow their businesses alongside the real estate. I think those kinds of programs where they’re helping local people and coaching, it helps in a way that is deeper than you might imagine. When local property owners and entrepreneurs get coaching and tools to thrive, it strengthens downtown at the root level.
Some people say, “Well, I see all this stuff happening downtown, but not in my neighborhood.” What would you say to them?
One, if we don’t have a vibrant downtown, it’s very hard to have vibrant neighborhoods around it. One thing about real estate development, city planning, and urban planning is that scattershot doesn’t work. If you fix one house here, then another across town, pretty soon they overwhelm what you’ve done. If you do a cluster of redevelopment or improvement, it tends to get a toehold, and then you can build out from there.
If you think about Macon, the neighborhoods that probably need some help next are clustered around downtown in a ring. But downtown hasn’t reached critical mass yet. We’re getting close, but if we stop now, momentum could stall. In a few more years, I think we’ll see that energy radiate out into surrounding areas. Neighborhoods need to start getting ready for that now: organize, identify leaders, get people involved. Downtown didn’t get here because of outside folks coming in. We keep talking about local developers and local investment. The people who were property owners and ran businesses downtown helped make downtown. It’s going to take people that look at their own homes and businesses in those neighborhoods and say, what are the tools we need to fix this?
A collective vision of leadership.
I’m reminded of an interesting concept, that of a “community trustee,” someone who holds the entire community in trust and understands it’s all interconnected. You can’t hurt one place without eventually hurting another, and helping one area eventually helps others. Jacksonville, Florida, actually did this decades ago. They laid out a community-wide plan and came up with priorities. It took the community trustee folks who told people, “You’re not first, but you’re on the list – and here’s when.” People trusted it.
It let them start with the lowest hanging fruit, create energy and investment, and get a foothold. Then it began to grow out. So, to the people in our neighborhoods that aren’t living downtown, I say be patient, but be ready.
Looking ahead, what’s another project besides your own that excites you?
There’s so many! The Mercer Medical School development, the new conference center, the D.T. Walton Way project next to City Hall. Studies show downtown can absorb 200 new residential units a year for the next five years. Neel’s is one of the biggest projects that’s been done, and we’ll be 95. There’s this pent-up demand. Are we worried about those projects competing with us? Maybe a little, but there is so much demand that if we don’t keep delivering new product, I worry that downtown will stagnate.
For someone moving to Macon or visiting for the first time, how should they spend a Friday night downtown?
Do what you like! Eat, drink, hear live music, check out a rooftop bar, or head down to a speakeasy in a basement. We’ve got it all. At the end of your meal, chat with the people next to you in the next table – which sounds dumb, but I’ve lived here all my life and had some of my best conversations with new folks at the table next to us – especially younger folks. Just as you’ve wound down and you’re sitting five feet away from somebody, strike up a conversation. If you put yourself out there, Macon will swallow you up in a wonderful way. Macon just seems to have a way of getting into of people’s hearts and they love it.
If they don’t get connected, people feel like they’re on the outside. My advice is, find a way to get on the inside. People very much want you on the inside, but sometimes you have to start the conversation.