Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1474185
LOCAL BUZZ Fresh Produce Records relocates to Cherry Street SOME URBAN DEVELOPMENT EXPERTS SAY you can gauge community vibrancy by the success of the local record store. Today, what started as a funky, ambiguous store storefront on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard – where you could once purchase a vintage vinyl and pick up locally grown produce from an organic farm co-op – has centered itself as a purveyor of music in Downtown Macon. Now, Fresh Produce Records has moved to Macon's main vein, relocating to the prime location of 567 Cherry St. Fresh Produce Records has proven to be a staple of Downtown Macon. Since opening in 2013, owner William Dantzler (affectionately known around the community as Willie D.) and store manager William Rutledge (a.k.a. Will) have done much more than sell used and new indie records at discount prices. Stocked with thousands of records across hundreds of genres available to buy in store or from their thriving online market and an eagerness to order any record a customer might want that is missing from stock, Fresh Produce also supports Macon's local artists directly by selling locally-produced music alongside well-known labels, hosting shows in- store and supporting local artists who perform at other venues in Macon. "It's not just about flipping units," Willie D. said. "Macon being a music city, but really any city, needs a heart and soul for music lovers. That's always been my intention with it. I came into setting the business up really just out of the motivation to create a home and a safe haven for people like myself, who basically had your life saved by music." Fresh Produce has always been by the community, for the community, with both Willie D. and Rutledge born and raised Maconites. And it's not going anywhere — except down the road. "We want Macon to have this. I'm very proud of the progress I've seen in downtown in the past couple years and want to add something to that. Why would we do it somewhere else?" Rutledge said. With support from NewTown Loans, Fresh Produce moved from its original location to 567 Cherry Street. With this move comes an increase in the store's square footage, customer accessibility, store efficiency, display opportunities and foot traffic. "The driver of our success is just, let's keep this thing going," Willie D. said. There are a lot of firsts for Fresh Produce Records with this move: buying instead of renting the new building, building up equity, bringing tax dollars into Downtown and cementing Macon as a music lover's destination spot. "Everyone hears us say we've got 30,000 records packed into a room," Rutledge said. "We've got so much music that if you are even remotely a music lover, this is something that will make your absolute day, if not your week, warmer." - IVY MARIE CLARKE PICTURED ABOVE: WILLIE D., LEFT, AND WILLIAM RUTLEDGE. PHOTO BY JESSICA WHITLEY SUBSCRIBE ONLINE: maconmagazine.com 32 maconmagazine.com | JUNE/JULY 2022