Investor boom fuels growth in downtown Jackson

JACKSON, Tenn. — If you’ve driven through downtown Jackson lately, you’ve not only seen new businesses but also construction crews as investors put money into the heart of the city.

Downtown Jackson is going through a rebirth with recent additions to the Jackson Walk including new apartments and homes.

The men behind this project are Memphis investor Henry Turley and Jackson businessman Hal Crocker.

“We thought we needed a project that was big enough to create a kind of momentum that we needed,” Crocker said. “So we looked at some things that included commercial and residential at the same time.”

Longtime downtown businessman and resident Mitch Carter says he has seen both the good and not-so-good times for the area.

“I think everyone can remember it when it was fun in those days. That fun time is coming back again,” Carter said.

With the Lift Wellness Center as the centerpiece of the Jackson Walk, the area is getting attention. The city has received both state and national healthy living awards for its work, and it has also caught the eye of a Nashville businessman who opened Grubb’s Grocery, an organic grocery store.

Another Nashville investor is set to open a new pub in the old Charlie Bulldog’s building while still another is renovating the historic Birmingham Building that eventually will be home to a restaurant, speakeasy and hotel.

“I think that the dollars work with the economics,” Nashville developer Phil Martin said. “We don’t have the kind of crowds in Jackson there are in Nashville, but we have people who enjoy going out to eat, being entertained, and we need retail.”

Developers say they hope to extend this new growth corridor all the way to the medical center area of West Tennessee Healthcare.