MACON, Ga. — In June, 13WMAZ reported on almost 100 Sears Hometown stores closing. However, the Macon location was staying open for its customers. However, there's been a change of plans.
Store owner Kenny Johnson told 13WMAZ he is retiring. This means there will only be two Hometown stores left in the central Georgia area. One location is in Dublin and the other in Sandersville. This store joins a list of other stores that used to be open at the Eisenhower Crossing shopping center.
"Kroger, Target, Best Buy, and then the others came in," said Dr. Ronald Amsterdam at AVS Animal Hospital.
Amsterdam has been in Macon for 28 years. He opened the vet clinic in 2002. He says the area was a frenzy of businesses opening at the time a decade ago and now it's not the same. He's not the only person that's seen stores close.
"It's just been the natural progression of the shopping and everything moving out to the north side of town," Guitar Center store manager Mark Griffith said.
Griffith has been working at this store since they opened and worked his way up in management. He says Guitar Center is needed in Macon and they don't have plans to leave.
"We don't have a lot of other shopping stuff around us, so we don't have a lot of walk-in traffic. We're kind of a destination store to where we don't have whole lot of competition as far as musical instruments in town," Griffith said.
From offering musical instrument lessons to gift cards, that helps bring in more customers. Where the business is located, only a salon and gym complex remain. Dr. Amsterdam agrees that incentives can help.
"Those kind of little things to keep you going. You may not be making a lot but you are keeping the customers coming," Dr. Armstrong said.