BLACKSHEAR, Ga. — Blackshear officials in Pierce County, GA are hoping its newly created Downtown Development Authority is the key to revitalizing downtown and bringing in more businesses.

Bethany Strickland, the Main Street manager of Blackshear, said what makes downtown special is the absence of chain, big box businesses.

“Kind of our catch phrase: Boutiques, antiques, and good eats,” she said.

The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) will work in partnership with the already in place ‘Better Hometown and Main Street program.’

Those programs focus more on marketing and events, while the DDA will focus on economic development and bringing new industries into town.

The seven volunteers on the board, comprised of a city official and business owners, are tasked with purchasing buildings

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