Against one wall sits a stack of DIY cassettes. Against the other, a stack of pears and potatoes. A PA system is stashed in the corner near a box of ’70s jazz fusion LPs. Clusters of bananas frame a Greg Allman show flyer. Dust hangs in the sunbeams and customers talk quietly on the couches near the front door, unperturbed by the indistinguishable hardcore album on loop.

This is Fresh Produce Records, the laboratory of Willie Dantzler. Hidden in plain sight near the Tubman Museum in downtown Macon, Fresh Produce is more than a unique idea; it is the physical manifestation of Dantzler’s dreams and desire to give back to his community.

I sat down with Dantzler in his apartment above the store to learn more about the history of Fresh Produce Records and his future plans. As he sat at the foot of his bed in a room strewn with VHS tapes and paintings, Dantzler was quick to explain the value of Fresh Produce: “Every town needs a weirdo venue.” This was the idea that brought him back to Macon after living out west in Portland and touring with various bands. While in Portland, Dantzler attended a show at a grocery co-op, and the memory of customers walking in and buying groceries while bands played stuck in his mind until 2013 when the doors of Fresh Produce Records opened.

Even though Fresh Produce is a self-described “weirdo venue,” Dantzler’s goal is to be an inclusive, unifying center for the music community in Macon. For Dantzler, the key to community building goes beyond selling records and locally grown food; it’s also maintaining the space as a hub for live music. Since opening, shows have been a key facet of Fresh Produce’s identity as the DIY hotspot of Macon. Like the record stacks and refrigerator full of fruit, Dantzler carefully curates a mix of local, national and international underground acts. Genre is of no importance; everyone from singer-songwriters to experimental noise projects have graced the corner stage of Fresh Produce Records, all in an effort to build the musical community in Macon. In fact, using the sale of records to fund live shows which would otherwise be cost-prohibitive for such a small venue was one of the main objectives in the creation of the space.

Photos courtesy of Fresh Produce Records. Click to enlarge.

Dantzler grows increasingly excited as he buzzes through a list of future plans, but he made me promise to keep his most of his ideas under wraps until he has a better idea of how they will play out. “People need to chill out with the growth thing,” he points out, mentioning the dangers of expanding too fast. “I just still want to be selling records in five years.”

Despite his concerns, he already has plans to create a more comfortable environment for shows, something he believes is missing at many cramped and crowded DIY show spaces. He is acutely aware of the difficulty which dreamers, like himself, often have in the business world, but remains unperturbed, considering it a new adventure. His continued success comes from his ability to identity needs in his community and maintaining the passion to follow through. “It’s like that Talking Heads song,” Dantzler says, “‘Never for money, always for love.’ That’s our mantra here.” Though the saying might seem trite, it’s why Fresh Produce works so well and the reason good records and good food are always on hand when you walk through the door.

Fresh Produce’s next event is Holy Fam Fest on October 2. Tellavision (Germany), Invisible Circle (NYC), Kevin Greenspon, Nathan Ventura and Atlanta’s the Electric Nature will be performing. Visit their Facebook page for more details and store info.

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