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Decatur believes it is poised to benefit from an influx of international visitors this summer.
DECATUR, Ga. — The red facade and the Irish flag stand out on Decatur Square. Gareth O’Sullivan owns O’Sullivan’s on the Square in Downtown Decatur, and he’s gearing up for the FIFA World Cup, a global spectacle that’s expected to bring large crowds to Atlanta and the surrounding area.
“It does take a village, and that goes from the landlord to the patrons to the city,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re expecting a month of St. Patrick’s Days. There’s going to be a lot of people coming to Decatur that maybe have never been here before.”
O’Sullivan has weathered a few storms since his pub opened in 2019, including the COVID-19 pandemic. As he prepares to welcome visitors into O’Sullivan’s from all over the world, the work is only just beginning. He’s already done repair work on his interior lines, spruced up his facade and boosted his marketing ahead of the summer.
Conor McNally chairs the Decatur Development Authority, which looks out for the health and wellbeing of Decatur businesses. McNally said an economic impact analysis was underway to determine how much the city could make from the World Cup. He touted a small business grant program, which began during the pandemic to respond to emergencies for struggling businesses. To date, the DDA has supported 50 businesses in the last three years with $500,000 in funding.
“We want to show Decatur off, bring people here, show them the incredible breadth of bars, retail and restaurants that we have,” McNally said. “Over the last three years, we’ve allocated half a million dollars between façade improvement program, a commercial buildout program and a marketing program.”
Decatur Square is also having major renovations done. Once completed, the space will feature a lawn, a big screen on which games will be broadcast and a stage for concerts and other events during the World Cup. A number of acts are slated to perform at Decatur Watch Fest, including The War and Treaty and the hometown Indigo Girls.
Back at the pub, O’Sullivan has some more prep work to do before pouring plenty of pints when the Beautiful Game on the biggest stage comes to town.
“We’re adding several more TV’s, and we’ll be staffing up accordingly,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s imperative we’re prepared for the crowds. Outside of being at the game at the Benz, I think this is where you’ll want to be.”
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