Brad and Jennifer Greer: Embodying the Downtown Lifestyle
“One of the mottos in our business is, ‘we’re not just selling homes, we’re sharing our neighborhood.’ And we really believe that. If you need my ladder, just tell me and I’ll drop it off. We do that in LANA,” Brad Greer said, owner of Greer Real Estate. “If the heart is not strong, it’s hard for the city to be strong.”
Jennifer and Brad Greer co-own Greer Real Estate, along with their son Jonathan, and their newly renovated building is located in Downtown Jackson. Their building was originally built in 1890 and has housed many different people and businesses throughout the years. Since the Greers bought the building, they have renovated it to be a space for their own business to operate out of, but they also rent out offices upstairs to small businesses and have an event space right when you walk through the front doors. It’s a space that is welcoming and homey to their clients who come in to sign on their new house, or to anyone who walks in and is curious what this space really is.
Brad has been in the Jackson area since he attended Union University for college, but he has lived in the LANA area since 1995. Both he and Jennifer have served on the LANA neighborhood association throughout the years, and they view the downtown, midtown, and LANA areas as the melting pot of Jackson. The most gratifying part of their journey is that two of their five children now live in LANA after growing up in the neighborhood. Their impact and legacy in this area has made a generational impact.
“Here, we have beautiful, original brick and wood flooring that you won’t find in a brand new 2022 home,” Jennifer said. “It adds character and originality and warms things up a lot, both in houses and in our own building.”
In the 90s, Brad was on the chamber of commerce board and interacted with many companies who wanted to be located in Jackson, however, the downtown area would always get a low grade for its quality. His goal since then has been to help Downtown Jackson get an A grade, and he has simply done his own part in the process.
“There are more people than you realize who live downtown, work downtown, and really look after each other. We’ll have people who live above the office and we’ve gotten to know them, and they’ve gotten to know us,” Jennifer said. “It’s a real sense of peace to know that everyone is in it together. And it’s the same with the LANA neighborhood. It’s very diverse and loving and everyone cares for each other and looks out for each other, and we have fun doing it.”
One of Brad’s goals in helping downtown become the space we all desire it to be has been helping people relearn and re-meet downtown. The perception and reality of downtown are two very different things. Some still see downtown as a place to pay taxes, but as more and more businesses have opened and have created experiences downtown, people’s eyes have been opened to the possibilities of Downtown Jackson. As time passes, the parking downtown gets fuller and fuller, which is a good problem to have because it forces people to walk from one place to another. When you are forced to walk downtown, you get to experience the area to its fullest.
Over the past three years, the Greers have added to the physical space of downtown by renovating their building. Not only do they help people purchase homes in the neighborhoods adjacent to downtown, but they practice what they preach. They embody what it means to live, work, and play downtown, and they hope this inquires their clients to do the same.
“You will find a synergy and a unity with your neighbors downtown. This is just a wonderful place to live and I’ve lived here since 1995, so I have a long history. I’ve lived here for over half my life in this area,” Brad said. “The more people realize the opportunities, the more people will come downtown.”
