2023 24 Black Pages FINAL 2 - Flipbook - Page 105
throughout the whole country. His life and work may well be an example for the rising genera琀椀on of the white
and colored races alike. “
The downtown revitaliza琀椀on plan removed almost all the businesses in that area. However, a group
of ci琀椀zens, black and white, has formed an organiza琀椀on known as The Broadway Arts Alliance at The
Douglass, Inc., to save the theatre as a legacy of Black history in Macon.
During this period in the history of Macon, most of the businesses were small, but blacks had a
monopoly on the barbering trade and small groceries. Many senior ci琀椀zens feel that black business ownership
declined over the years because the younger family members failed to carry them on. William S. Hutchings of
Hutchings Funeral Home, William Duval of Paul Duval and Son Upholstery Shop and Charles She昀琀all, the
barber, are examples of the oldest black businesses in the area.
Rev. M.E. Moon, owner, and operator of Moon’s Barber Shop since 1944, recalls when one could 昀椀nd
anything from a bank, funeral home, drug store, restaurants, wig shop, hotel, and barber shops on Co琀琀on
Avenue. His shop was located between the Mitchell Building, which was owned by Dr. M.C. Mitchell, and
what is now Capricorn Records. The Mitchell Building housed a hotel, Corley’s Café, Pilgrim Life, and North
Carolina Mutual Insurance Companies. The hotel was considered 昀椀rst class and adver琀椀sed na琀椀onwide. The
Walton Building housed a successful den琀椀st and civic leader in the Middle Georgia area for many years. Dr.
D.T. Walton, Jr. con琀椀nues the business. The bank was in the building which houses Capricorn Records. A drug
store was located where the Central Bank stands today. In the buildings across the street from Moon’s Barber
Shop were housed a beer parlor, liquor store, and Paul Duval and Son’s Upholstery Company. Rev. Moon
remembered that all these businesses were prosperous at that 琀椀me. In areas immediately surrounding
Co琀琀on Avenue, one could 昀椀nd a beauty parlor, a funeral home, a soda fountain, tailor shop and in the
Pleasant Hill area there were other func琀椀onal establishments.
Many ci琀椀zens feel that the failure of many of the black businesses was due indirectly to the children
of many of the families for failure to con琀椀nue the business. Others feel that many moved into larger and more
prosperous ci琀椀es, because Macon no longer provides the “nucleus” needed to keep them here.
Today, many blacks consider William P. Randall, Sr., a successful businessman, and the major
employer of blacks. He employs them in his funeral home, nursing home, and other businesses in the Middle
Georgia area. Many ci琀椀zens believe that the future of black businesses in Macon and the Middle Georgia area
hinges on the pooling of resources and becoming producers and manufacturers as well as consumers.
This ar琀椀cle was republished from: Recovering the American Heritage of Three Ethnic/ Minority Groups in the
Middle Georgia Area
Ethic Heritage Project Bibb County Public Schools and Booker T. Washington Community Center Instruc琀椀onal
Guide Macon, Georgia 1981-82
105
