MACON, Ga. — Poppy's has come a long way since the pandemic, when Hayden Entwistle's wife began selling trendy stuff on Instagram.
“My wife came into my office and said I'm going to sell furniture online,” he said. “I drove by this place every day and I assumed there was space in here.”
The former Macon Telegraph building is 150,000 square feet.
And Poppy's found their perfect spot to store their trendy couches and chairs before they go out the door.
“Yea there is a warehouse on this side that was used for shipping and receiving for the Macon Telegraph,” he described.
The current owner Earl Barrs says the place is built like Fort Knox with vintage touches from decades ago.
"I always admired the building and, back in the day, it was one of the nicest office buildings in Macon,” he recalled.
And he says things are looking up for laying concrete plans for the future.
“We're going to use it as a multi-purpose building part in the back is used for storage, the front could be retail, lofts or townhomes,” he projected.
Barrs says a typical loft runs from 800 to 1200 square feet. A townhome is about double that.
With that, over 100,000 square feet provides a lot of opportunity.
Earl says he and his wife are conservationists, not destructionists. With that, they hope to incorporate a beautiful staircase and other distinctive elements of the building into future plans.
“It is something people remember the staircase,” he described.
He hopes down the line the whole development will become memorable once again.
As for Poppy's, they may pay two rents down the line.
“We've even possibly considered moving our store in there,” he said.
Many people have asked Barrs about the eye-catching golden eagle that once greeted people at the front lobby.
It's still there and he says they haven't decided if they'll keep it or sell it.