Midtown Columbus economy grows as ALDI, Starbucks and other businesses open doors
Local residents and officials feel optimistic about the economic growth of Midtown Columbus as new ALDI and Starbucks locations open on Macon Road and a planned YMCA goes underway.
Hundreds of Columbus residents attended the grand opening of the new ALDI on Aug. 5, which was opened as part of the retailer’s expansion plan to open 150 new stores in the United States. The grocery store opened about a month after a new Starbucks opened in mid-June.
In addition to the new businesses on Macon Road, the YMCA of Metropolitan Columbus is planning to build another location at 1829 Midtown Drive, near the Midtown Shopping Center.
The new ALDI’s location used to be a Kmart, Midtown, Inc. Executive Director Julio Portillo said. And he always wondered what the big space with accessible parking would become after the retailer left.
“We’re certainly very excited and grateful for all the work that the Midtown Shopping Center team has done to that property,” Portillo said.
Columbus resident Elena Kolbrek told the Ledger-Enquirer that she’s also been glad to see unoccupied buildings in Midtown being taken advantage of as more businesses open their doors in the area.
“The Starbucks has looked very busy,” Kolbrek said. “And it seems like people are very happy that it’s here, too.”
Midtown Inc. and the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce have done a good job bringing various companies and organizations into the area, District 1 Columbus Councilor Jerry “Pops” Barnes told the L-E.
“If you just look at the growth over the years that they have had,” Barnes said. “And the impetus is the supportive Midtown community.”
Another option closer to home
A benefit of having another ALDI location in the six square miles that make up Midtown is that residents who live there will have access to the retailer without having to go to North Columbus, Portillo said.
Midtown resident Candice Crooke was excited about the new ALDI opening on Macon Road because it brought another grocery store closer to her home.
“To have something other than Publix or Piggly Wiggly is awesome because I’m an avid ALDI shopper,” she said.
Crooke typically likes to shop small, she said, so if she’s not at a farmers market then she likes to shop at stores like ALDI.
“I lived in the United Kingdom for a little bit,” Crooke said. “And that was when I first got introduced to ALDI, and I love the way it’s set up like a European style supermarket.”
The lower prices that ALDI offers — especially during a time of high inflation — is one of the reasons Veronica Womack, another Columbus resident, was happy about the store opening in her community.
“Food is a necessity,” she said. “And affordable food – that’s even more of a necessity in today’s time.”
Keeping a promise
Plans to bring another YMCA location to Midtown stalled for a while during the pandemic, YMCA of Metropolitan Columbus president and CEO Christopher Bryant told the L-E. The organization did not give up and continued to look for a location to build the new branch, he said, resulting in the 7.5 acres at 1829 Midtown Drive being donated to the YMCA.
“It’s our way to keep our promise to that community,” Bryant said. “And let them know that the Y is committed to the community and still doing things to bring that community together.”
The location was a good spot for the YMCA, he said, because there isn’t a sports field people can use or a workout facility in the area. By having a branch in Midtown, it could be a place where people from different socioeconomic backgrounds can come together as a community, Bryant said.
One of the priorities of the new branch is to make sure it fits the needs and wants of the community in Midtown, he said. There are plans to hold a town hall with the community to see what residents would like the new branch to offer.
“We just want to make sure that when we build this thing that we do it right,” Bryant said. “And it’s a place that everyone in the community can go and enjoy.”
So far in the planning process, the YMCA hopes the branch will offer programs focused on youth development and have outdoor field space to allow families to play soccer and other sporting activities.
The new location will help make this area of Midtown “full service”, Bryant said, with its proximity to shopping, the Columbus Public Library and the City Service Center.
“It’s just the perfect formula for a great thriving community to do well,” he said.
Building pedestrian traffic
Another thing helping the economic growth of Midtown is the improvements on transportation on Macon and Wynnton roads, Portillo said. Midtown, Inc. has made it a priority to make sure that there is accessible transportation and good sidewalks in the area.
“A good, easy flow of traffic is certainly something that’s attractive for businesses,” he said.
Macon Road is currently undergoing road resurfacing, he said, and all the sidewalks in the area are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
With the road improvements providing safer walking from place to place, residents can take advantage of the options available to them by visiting PITA Mediterranean Street Food or Ross Dress for Less, and then go across the street to TJ Maxx.
By making this area more pedestrian friendly, Barnes said, more people will slow down when visiting the area to shop in stores. The development of Macon Road provides nice amenities for residents, Portillo said, and its location makes it centralized to Midtown.
When Bryant was growing up, he remembers coming to Columbus to visit his aunt and seeing Midtown as a dying community. But the new development in the area has made it flourish, he said.
“I’ve been in Columbus for a long time,” Bryant said. “... Just to see the growth and see all the new opportunities on Macon Road has been tremendous.”
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 5:10 AM.
