Columbus developer aims to turn this part of midtown into Mayberry. See her plan

Midtown is just not the same as Jennifer Flournoy remembers.

Flournoy’s childhood home was on Flournoy Drive, close to Lakebottom Park in midtown Columbus. After graduating from college, Flournoy began a career in real estate, renovating buildings across the South. She lives on St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Flournoy began returning to Columbus to take care of her elderly parents about two years ago.

Each visit, Flournoy returned disappointed. Building vacancies, a growing number of vaping shops, and a lack of general upkeep were among the issues that continued to bother her about Midtown.

“I just want to bring [midtown] back to what it was,” Flournoy told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Midtown was kind of like Mayberry. It had nice, fancy dress shops, and the [Wynnton] Boot & Shoe was a staple here. It has great neighborhood businesses that cater to people, so you don’t have to drive to north Columbus.”

Now, she is doing something about it.

Over the past year and a half, Flournoy has been commuting to Columbus to help bring back the vibrant midtown community she grew up in. It’s been back-to-back weekends with 10-hour roundtrip drives, but she said she feels a responsibility to help improved her hometown.

“It just really didn’t seem like the city really cared about midtown Columbus,” Flournoy said.

Renovating old buildings isn’t new to Flournoy. She took on a similar project in Greensboro, Georgia, in 1995, restoring 14 downtown buildings. Her midtown Columbus renovation project includes renovating 20 buildings.

“Everybody said, ‘Well, Jennifer, you can’t take on all those buildings,’” Flournoy said. “And I said, ‘If I can do 14, I can do 20.’ It just takes a little time.”

The project is ambitious with many moving parts. The main renovation plans she shared with the Ledger-Enquirer are along Wynnton Road, starting from Wynnton Boot & Shoe Shop on the corner of Wynnton Road and Peacock Avenue and ending one-third of a mile away at Wynnton Arts Academy, 2303 Wynnton Road.

“It’s like a domino effect, right?” Flournoy said. “Other people start seeing the potential, and they start seeing what could be.”

About the Flournoy family’s legacy in Columbus

Construction and beautification projects are not new to the Flournoy family.

The Flournoy name has been a legacy in the development of Columbus, starting with Jennifer’s great-great-grandfather, John Francis Flournoy. He established Muscogee Real Estate Company, now known as Flournoy & Calhoun Real Estate, in 1887. His company developed much of the East Highlands, Peacock Woods and Wildwood neighborhoods. Muscogee Real Estate Company has been credited with midtown’s “boom of development” in the early 20th century, and John Francis Flournoy is called the “father of Wynnton,” in newspaper clippings Jennifer Flournoy shared with the Ledger-Enquirer.

Flournoy Drive, the street where Jennifer grew up, is named in his honor.

Succeeding generations continued the Flournoy family’s influence on Columbus real estate and commercial development.

John F. Flournoy Sr., Jennifer’s uncle, established his companies, Flournoy Construction Company, Flournoy Development Company and Flournoy Properties, in short succession in 1967. The Flournoy Companies are headquartered in Columbus. They have developed many residential and commercial properties around the Southeast, including Columbus complexes Thrive Green Island senior living community and the Whisperwood apartments, according to their website.

The Flournoy Companies were sold in 2018 to the U.S. branch of Kajima Corporation, an engineering and construction consulting firm based in Japan. The construction subsidiary was acquired by Baston-Cook Construction in July 2025.

All Flournoy companies still are operated by members of the Flournoy family, according to Jennifer Flournoy.

John F. Flournoy’s nonprofit organization, the Gateways Foundation, has been responsible for many road renovation projects around Columbus, including the State Road 219 (River Road) roundabout, the Fort Benning Gateway and Sam Wellborn Parkway, according to their website.

The Flournoy family owns many properties in midtown. The ownership is split between “the north and south of Wynnton Road,” Jennifer Flournoy said. The northern half, including businesses like Napier’s Midtown Market and Wynnton Boot & Shoe, is owned by Jennifer Flournoy’s father, Robert. The southern half, marked by the Wynnton Building, is owned by Jennifer.

Julio Portillo, executive director of MidTown Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to community development and building sustainable businesses in midtown, described the impact of Flournoy’s project.

“This particular investment in the very heart of Midtown is tremendous,” Portillo said in an email to the Ledger-Enquirer. “It will prove that MidTown is worthy of the capital and will catch the attention of other developers anxious to get into MidTown too, with a nice return on their investment.”

What is Jennifer Flournoy working on in midtown Columbus?

Flournoy described her vision as a blend of the new and the old: “unique” small businesses tucked inside vintage-looking buildings.

“There are some really cool buildings and stores around here,” she said, “and I just don’t want to see it go to hell in a hand basket.”

One of the first businesses in Flournoy’s project was Napier’s Midtown Market, 2213 Wynnton Road. Napier’s is a family-owned fruits and vegetables market that opened last year.

Another business, Ruffined Pet and Wellness Club, 2210 Wynnton Road, Suite 113, is a family-owned luxury pet hotel. It’s open, running limited services until their rezoning hearing on Sept. 23, according to the owner Wassel Lewis. After their request is approved, they can operate at full capacity.

Many of Flournoy’s projects still are underway.

The Wynnton Building complex, 2210 Wynnton Road, is half full of tenants. Some of the businesses, like Dot’s Sewing Studio and Fountain City Tax, have been open for several years. But a majority of the buildings are being renovated for newer tenants.

One legacy Columbus business is reopening. The Blue J Barber Shop, 2220 Wynnton Road, first opened in 1928, specializing in the gentleman’s cut. It closed in 2009 after the owner died. Master barber Joshua McKeehan and Jud Richardson, owner of Fountain City Coffee, plan to reopen the business later this year.

The Caledonia, a Scottish cuisine cafe next to the Blue J Barber Shop, also is preparing to open within the next month.

Flournoy said she still is looking for more tenants for her renovated buildings.

“I’m just looking for mom-and-pop businesses to bring back to this area and make it viable,” she said. “I want it to be a good place where people want to come, visit and have dinner.”

This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.