Athens locals, business owners and students gathered in front of the Athens County Courthouse at 4 p.m. Friday for a New Orleans-style funeral march, mourning the loss of small businesses in Uptown Athens.
Saraquoia Bryant organized the march to honor her business, Cool Digs Rock Shop, located at 13 W. Union St. since November 2023. Bryant said the Court Street location of her business was shut down because the construction outside of the Lostro building blocked the main parts of the sidewalk by her shop entrance.
She said other businesses on West Union Street have struggled, such as Jack Neal Floral and Grub-N-Go, due to restricted access caused by the construction.
Bryant said she previously asked her landlord to reduce her rent and had written numerous emails to the City Council and the mayor asking for help. She said she found many other small businesses were experiencing the same issues, especially through the town hall meeting she hosted in January.
“This is not just about one business; it’s about the city’s disregard for the small businesses that give Athens its character,” Bryant wrote in a press release. “We are coming together to mourn, but also to demand better.”
The march moved to Alumni Gateway, led by supporters with signs reading, “Put out of business by Lostro and the uncaring Athens City Government” and “When the city will not try, small shops die.” Closely behind, a trombone, saxophone and drummer followed, playing traditional New Orleans-style funeral music.
At their first stop, the marchers posed in front of the gate. Bryant and other protestors reminded everyone about the damage the Lostro building construction has caused. They also called the Athens government “uncaring” and questioned why Lostro was exempt from paying taxes on its improvements.
“If the Lostro pays no tax on their improvements for 10 years, small businesses should not pay tax for 10 years,” Bryant said. “How will we make it without tax? Why is all the tax on the backs of small businesses? Athens should do better.”
The marchers then began chanting “What do we want? Support small businesses. When do we want it? Now.”
“Without our small businesses, Athens will not have its funk,” Bryant said. “We are here to stay to keep Athens funky.”
The march continued down West Union Street to the Cool Digs Rock Shop, where people gathered around the entrance. Bryant and the marchers discussed petitioning the government, voting in local elections and the importance of shopping local.
“The city has chosen (the corner of West Union Street and Court Street) to be a storage for this big business instead of allowing people to pass through and keep these small businesses alive,” Bryant said.
Joe Radwany, a friend of Bryant, reminded the marchers of two proposals Bryant had suggested for the November ballot to help address the issue. The first was a community benefit plan, and the second was the creation of a community ombudsman, a person who has recognized authority to solve problems between two groups.
Bryant said for the proposals to move forward, residents must ask their elected officials to introduce them. If this does not work, residents would need to pursue a citizens initiative, which requires signatures from 10% of those who participated in the last governor race.
“When we passed the Athens cannabis ordinance, the first thing we did was we asked City Council if any of them would be interested in adopting it or introducing it,” Bryant said. “None of them wanted to, so then we took it to the vote of the people.”
Radwany said he joined the march out of frustration with the city administration. He said the government gives out-of-town businesses tax breaks while failing to support local residents.
“There's a lot of that kind of stuff that goes on, and you have to pay attention,” Radwany said. “I live in the country, but I pay taxes in Athens. It's all of our job to hold the government accountable for what they're doing and how they're doing it.”
Milena Miller, who has lived in Athens since she began school there at 17, said she went to school with many of the small business owners in Athens.
“I love it here,” Miller said. “I think we do have a large portion of the long-term residents here who really care about sustainability. I think there are many, many students who really care about it and care about local businesses and small businesses.”
After the march was over, a reception was held inside Cool Digs Rock Shop with food and refreshments. Bryant said she thought the march was a success.
“I think (the march) draws some attention to people coming down here,” Bryant said. “The people that did show up are my smart minds that are thinking about how to reform our government. That's what's important.”
