Story

Redneck Building

The building that now houses Redneck Gourmet, 11 North Court Square, is distinctive for its exterior mural celebrating country music superstar and Newnan native Alan Jackson—and David Boyd’s iconic Redneck sign. Mike and Cile Smith founded the restaurant, which for several years also included a specialty foods shop, in 1991. Their youngest son, Casey, and his wife, Melissa, took over the family business in 1999. The building, constructed around 1890, has a long and varied history. First it was a bank. When visiting Below the Neck, the restaurant’s basement bar, you might be surprised to know that the bank’s long-ago vault required special support structures beneath the first floor, which were removed sometime during the middle of the 20th century. Some time later, the building was divided into two separate properties. Over the years, the building housed many different businesses, including a men’s and women’s clothing store operated by Mattie Cook. By the 1980s, Gene’s Fashions occupied one side and a real estate company occupied the other. Upstairs, another real estate company operated for many years, eventually to be replaced by the studios of WNEA radio and later a photography studio. The basement was also used by various businesses, including, at different times, a barber and a shoe repair shop. At first, the Smiths leased the left side of the building before expanding to own and occupy the entire property in 2004. While renovating the building, Casey was surprised to find the remnants of what appeared to be 19th-century bathing stalls.