He did not come intending to lead the extreme makeover of a small Northwest Georgia town.
No, Michael Lovelady’s coming to LaFayette was a homecoming.
That he has become something of a one-man crusader for his hometown’s urban renewal occurred more by accident than design.
Michael Lovelady shows off the dining room of his restaurant, One-Eleven, in downtown LaFayette.He and son Gary had grown weary of living and operating a business in Atlanta, a town Lovelady describes as “sprawled out; you couldn’t move fast enough to stay ahead of the growth.” They decided to relocate Correctional Electronics Supply Inc. somewhere around LaFayette.
His son had grown up hearing stories about cruising the drive-ins and circling the square. But shortly after the move from Atlanta’s hustle, LaFayette seemed, if not lifeless, subdued. Lovelady said the city of his youth had changed, and the vibrant downtown scene he remembered was only that: a memory.