Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1534028
April/May 2025 | maconmagazine.com 59 NewTown Macon is an independent nonprofit, making Downtown Macon safe, beautiful, fun, affordable, and locally led. Their comprehensive approach to downtown development has resulted in 83% storefront occupancy, 89% loft occupancy, and 1M+ annual event attendance. ArrKeicha Danzie is paws-itively crazy about Downtown Macon! This small business owner of Good Boy Goodies and Gainesville, Ga. native is not only a champion for creative entrepreneurship – she's also part of NewTown Macon's Hype Hounds program. Hype Hounds dogs serve as downtown Macon's furry ambassadors. We catch up with ArrKeicha to ask about her favorite spots around town and her vision behind her tasty treat company. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO MACON: I am the CEO and founder of Good Boy Goodies. We started Good Boy Goodies in 2019. Of course, the world changed in 2020. Our [original] point of sales were festivals, markets, fairs, and we had to pivot to do more e-commerce. My husband brought me to Macon. We got married back in 1994. So we just celebrated our 30-year anniversary. WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND GOOD BOY GOODIES? We started because the love of my life on four legs, Mr. Chubb. I'm a huge Georgia fan, so he's named after Nick Chubb. When I began to look for treats that were not only good to him but also good for him, there weren't a lot on the market. I began to think that if I was incurring this problem, there had to be other pet owners who had the same concern. WHAT DOES AN IDEAL DAY IN DOWNTOWN MACON LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? When my husband and I first got married 30 years ago, we lived on Second Street, right above the beauty salons. There was nothing down there except for Lawrence Mayer and then the Rookery, but it was a smoky place. And now I look at it. I look at it in awe now because of all the changes. My ideal date would be just dinner at any of the restaurants. I love the food downtown. Love it. We can go from The Rookery to Bearfoot Tavern to Piedmont Brewery and Kitchen to Ocmulgee Brewpub. We have friends that we've met and developed over time, but food for me probably is, when I equate downtown, I think about good food, good friends, and just a good environment. WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU'VE MADE HERE IN MACON? My biggest accomplishments will always be my children. I have a set of twins that are 24, they'll be 25 this year. They are everything. I call them my walking 401k. One day they're going to pay out. We'll see. But they are my accomplishments, as well as my relationship with my husband, who is my best friend. HOW CAN YOU ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED IN DOWNTOWN MACON? Just get out and see. There's so much to do. There's always something going on. Follow the different restaurants online to see what they have going on. Macon offers so much from, you know, the rich history and music, to the concerts that come here, the acts that they have here, the theater that they put on. There's so much talent in Macon. Just see what's out there and then don't be afraid to widen your circle of what's normal. What's your normal routine? You can widen that out to see if there's something else perhaps you can do. TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR GOOD BOY GOODIES VENDING MACHINES. So, we did an RFP for Reagan and Dulles Airport. They had a RFP out for vending. Even though there's over two million pets that fly every year, you get hard pressed to find anything in the airport for dogs. They asked us specifically for pet vending. It was really neat to actually design my own vending machine, and they should be here probably within the week. We are an ACDBE which is an Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise. That puts me in a place to be able to be utilized, because a lot of this federal funding has a pocket that they have to fulfill with ACDBE. We'll see. Not sure when we'll hear back. Hopefully, next time, I'll be able to tell you that I have a vending machine at Reagan and a vending machine at Dulles. My two places that I'm trying to target to break into are airports and rest stops. Every time I go to the airport, I see a dog, I don't see anything for them. Every time I go to a rest stop, I see several dogs, and there's nothing there for them. There's usually snacks and refreshments for humans, but never for the animals. HOW DOES DOWNTOWN MACON SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS? I have a booth at Petals Flowers and Market, which is a great place if you haven't visited. You can always get my treats there. I have what they call the "paw ball machine." I have a paw ball machine at Barks N Brews, and then I just recently put one down at Fall Line Brewery. Whenever they have markets or festivities, I'm usually invited. NewTown Macon is always really accommodating and supportive of my business as well. Maconites can now fly directly to Dulles International Airport starting May 1 – and get connected to almost anywhere with one seamless booking due to their partnership with American Airlines. For more, go to contourairlines.com "When I equate downtown, I think about good food, good friends, and just a good environment."