Could you soon sip and stroll through downtown Tifton?

TIFTON, Ga. (WALB) — A change could soon be coming to downtown Tifton, where a customer could go to an approved business, buy an alcoholic beverage, and walk out the door with it — all legally.

The Tifton City Council is considering an amendment to the city’s alcohol ordinance that would establish a Downtown Entertainment District. The proposal was presented by Main Street Director Abbey McLaren during a July City Council workshop.

Currently, Tifton allows people to purchase and carry alcoholic beverages downtown only during designated events such as “Sip & Stroll.” The proposed entertainment district would make that concept available on a more consistent, everyday basis.

The proposed district would generally extend north and south from Fourth Street to Highway 82, and east and west from Commerce Way to Tift Avenue. Six licensed establishments within the proposed district are currently eligible to participate.

Under the city staff’s recommendation, the district would operate from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 12:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Sundays. The City Council could suspend the district during certain city events.

Alcohol would have to be purchased from a licensed establishment within the district and served in a city-approved disposable cup. Cans, bottles, and glass containers would not be allowed. Cups would be limited to 16 ounces or less, and customers could take only one alcoholic beverage out of an establishment at a time. Drinks would also have to remain within the entertainment district boundaries.

City documents say the goal is to increase pedestrian traffic, encourage visitors to spend more time downtown, and support local restaurants, retailers, and entertainment venues. Individual businesses would still be able to decide whether customers can bring alcoholic beverages inside their establishments.

If approved, the Main Street Department plans to launch a public education and marketing campaign. Businesses would receive standardized window decals showing whether alcoholic beverages are allowed inside.

Similar entertainment districts are already operating in other Georgia communities, including Thomasville and Canton.

NOT EVERYONE IS ON BOARD

Tifton resident Harrell Willis says the proposal concerns him deeply — and for deeply personal reasons.

Willis lost his brother in 1996 to a drunk driver. His brother was 27 years old, jogging on the shoulder of the road facing traffic, when a driver — on his fifth DUI — ran off the road and struck him at more than 100 miles per hour. Willis says he arrived at the scene himself.

“His leg was cut off. His arm was cut off. His back was broken backwards, his head touching the floor of the car,” Willis recalled. “I seen this, pulled up on the scene when I found out he’d been hit by a drunk driver. He was jogging. He was 27 years old.”

Willis says he and local churches successfully fought to block liquor-by-the-drink legislation in Tifton shortly after his brother died in 1996, and again when the issue resurfaced years later. He worries this new proposal follows the same troubling pattern.

“It’s all about money. That’s all it is — somebody trying to make a little bit more money,” Willis said. “But that one more person might get killed.”

Willis says his two biggest concerns are drunk driving and the impact on children. He argues Tifton has long been a small, family-oriented community — and that allowing open containers downtown would erode that identity.

“Our town’s been a small town all these years. There’s got to be some values left. Let’s leave this one value that we have before our town is just like any other town — kind of trashed out,” he said. “Vote no on people being able to walk around with beers.”

A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER SEES BOTH SIDES

Angelia Simmons owns Divine Skin by SOS, a bath and body essentials shop located at 126 First Street in downtown Tifton. Simmons makes handcrafted, cold-processed soaps, moisturizers, body butters, body oils, body lotions, lotion bars, face products, and hair care items — including lock mist, lock oil, and shampoo bars — all designed with sensitive skin in mind.

Simmons says her passion for the craft began when her doctor told her at age 40 that she needed to use sensitive skin soap. When she married in 2021, she made custom gift bags for out-of-town guests — complete with handmade soaps, bath bombs, and candles — and realized she could create her own quality products rather than relying on store-bought alternatives. She opened her shop in 2023.

“My goal, my passion, is for people with sensitive skin to be able to still use quality products without it agitating their skin. Actually, the goal is for their skin to get better,” Simmons said.

On the proposed entertainment district, Simmons says she sees potential — with conditions.

“Honestly, I think anything can be great in moderation. If people have the discipline to keep their alcohol consumption in check, yeah, it probably will increase foot traffic. It’ll definitely increase morale. People will be happier when they’re shopping,” she said.

But Simmons acknowledges the limits. She says excessive drinking could actually hurt retail businesses like hers.

“I think it will increase foot traffic for restaurants. But if they drink excessively, it’s not going to necessarily help retail businesses. I mean, I never think, ‘let me go have three drinks and go shop.’ Five drinks, I’m just going to go to sleep — I’m not going to shop,” she said.

Simmons is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. She also takes custom orders and can be reached through her website here, on Facebook, or by phone at 229-329-8955.

A DOWNTOWN RESTAURATEUR SAYS YES

Karla Hargett is the owner and chef of The Local Graze and The Local Baker, two downtown Tifton businesses. She is also the president of the Tifton Merchants Association — and she is enthusiastically in favor of the proposed entertainment district.

“We are really excited about the ordinance at both of our locations. Although we do not currently hold an alcohol license, this gives us the incentive to do it, but also increases the walkability to downtown,” Hargett said. “It just creates a more inclusive environment where everybody can come, grab a drink, walk in and shop.”

Hargett says her lunch spot already hosts mimosas on Saturdays through a partnership with another local business called Savor the Flavor, and she envisions the district expanding those kinds of experiences.

“It allows those guests to come, get a mimosa, have some brunch, walk down, shop with our neighbors. I think it’s just going to be a really great thing and open the door for more events and a variety of things,” she said.

On concerns about increased DUIs, Hargett pushed back firmly.

“Most of the population drinks responsibly. People are not trying to come down and get trashed and passed out in the streets. Public intoxication is still illegal — that’s still a thing. It just makes it walkable,” she said. “We see this in many towns across not only Georgia, but the U.S. For the majority, people drink responsibly and just have a great time.”

As president of the Tifton Merchants Association, Hargett says the group plans to discuss possible safeguards — including designated cups and potential wristband systems — at their next meeting in August. She says the designated cup requirement is already a meaningful built-in protection.

“Not only does it show that you purchased from a local retailer, it shows that you are drinking responsibly in a 12 to 16 ounce cup. It is one cup removed per establishment at a time, so nobody’s running in anywhere and getting 10 beers and walking down the street getting trashed. Like, that’s not happening,” Hargett said.

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