Mercer Village
Mercer Village is a retail and restaurant destination located in Macon, Georgia’s historic College Hill Corridor. The Village sits across from Mercer University, with access to I-75, InTown Macon and as well as Downtown Macon.
History
Mercer Village was formed in 2008 when Mercer University, along with other public and private partners, wanted to rehabilitate the underutilized commercial location adjacent to Huguenin Heights, near the North Quad of campus. More than $1 million has been spent during the past three years to revamp this retail area. Mercer Village also serves as a physical stepping stone to connect Mercer's campus to downtown Macon. It is home to now eight food and retail merchants, a loft apartment building, and will soon open another building containing Mercer University's Center for Collaborative Journalism and more loft apartments.
Village Merchants
- Ingleside Village Pizza II
- Jittery Joe's Coffee
- Francar's Buffalo Wings
- William Alexander Salon
- Margarita's Mexican Grill
- Fountain of Juice
- Designer Tan
- Barnes and Noble Mercer University Bookstore
The Lofts at Mercer Village
Phase I
Phase I of the Lofts at Mercer Village project is part of Mercer University's 10-year strategic plan. This retail-residential center houses the university bookstore, three Village merchants, and loft-style apartment student housing. The first floor will has approximately 13,750 square feet of retail space. The top three floors are contain three- and four-bedroom, loft-style apartments that reflect a sleek, urban design and can house up to 117 students.
Phase II
Phase II of the Lofts at Mercer Village is set to house Mercer University's Center for Collaborative Journalism (CCJ). The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded $4.6 million in grants in December 2011 to launch a journalism collaborative involving Mercer University, The Telegraph and Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB). The center will be located in the entire first floor of the new building. This 12,000-square-feet of space will house faculty offices, classrooms and labs, as well as a common newsroom for The Telegraph, Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) and Mercer’s Journalism and Media Studies Department. The additional space above the CCJ will contain loft-style apartments similar to those in Phase I.
Events
On March 29, 2012, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced it had awarded another $217,024 in Knight Neighborhood Challenge Grants to fund eight projects in the College Hill neighborhood between Mercer University and downtown Macon, Georgia. The Mercer Village merchants were awarded $15,330 to put on the Mercer Village Festival on the third Saturday of every month. The first Mercer Village Festival was held on March 17, 2012, which featured a morning craft fair, kid's activities, several local musicians, Village merchant specials, and bingo.
On March 28, 2012, Mercer Village hosted a watch party to support the Mercer University Men's Basketball team play in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
The second Mercer Village Festival was held on May 5, 2012, featuring local musicians and Athens-based band Modern Skirts.