A chance meeting in California between singer Jermaine Jackson and McComb developer Jaymes Gilmore led to an unexpected friendship and plans to renovate an old building in the city.
Gilmore and Jackson are developing the old Nehi building in south McComb, with plans for a pub and motorcycle museum, corporate meeting spaces, in-door and outdoor concert venues and space for host events such as weddings and parties.
The two toured the building Monday with McComb Mayor Whitney Rawlings, architect Steve Cox and James “Boo” Brock of Pike Construction.
There will also be a restaurant called Jermaine’s, with plans for a menu to include burgers. fries and Southern food.
Jackson has a lot of extended family in the Louisiana and southwest Mississippi area, said Gilmore, “so there’s a real connection to his roots here.”
Jackson said he and his family was raised on Southern food.
“My mother is from the South and loves Southern cooking,” said Jackson. “In fact, she is going to be helping me select the menu.”
When Jackson heard about Gilmore’s building in McComb, he insisted on seeing it.
Gilmore, who has developed other property in downtown McComb, said Jackson was persistent. When a financial advisor showed Jackson the city’s proximity to New Orleans, he said he knew he’d found a home for developing Jermaine’s.
Jackson’s advisor got excited, pointing out that anyone in the music business driving from Nashville or Memphis to New Orleans is likely going to be traveling Interstate 55.
“We want our line to be, ‘When the famous visit Mississippi they visit the Nehi,’ “ Gilmore said.
Jackson said he believes the Nehi building is the right spot for business.
“We are really excited about the outreach,” he said. “It is going to be nationally known acts — there’s a lot of talent that uses the I-55 corridor.”
Jackson said he has plans to add a recording studio and have the venues TV- and film-ready.
But, the two say the restaurant business is going to be a big focus of the day-to-day business.
“Our goal is to have people pay a lower price and come away feeling as though they got a value and leave with a smile on their face,” Gilmore said.
Jackson agreed and said they also want to offer the perfect burger and fries.
“The thing for us is to find the right burger and the right fries,” Jackson said.
“I want our burger to be the ‘word-of-mouth’ burger,” said Gilmore.
Jackson is on tour and said he will visit three months or so.
Meanwhile, Gilmore and Jackson are getting bids from architects and continuing development of a business plan. Their goal is to open the restaurant in a year, but Gilmore said it may take up to two.
Gilmore has owned the building for a year and has already invested $100,000 into getting the building up to code.
“We believe it will draw people in from a 200-mile radius with international and national names,” Gilmore said. “It will bring in a lot of revenue for McComb.”
