For Nelson Haskin, every restaurant in downtown Hattiesburg is less about food and more about the people – the community that made him stay, grow and open four more doors on the same block.

What started as a single idea in 2017 has turned into a collection of places where friends gather, music spills into the night and the sidewalks feel alive again. For Haskin, success isn’t measured by how many restaurants he owns. It’s measured by the energy that fills downtown and the role he gets to play in bringing it back.

Haskin’s story begins behind someone else’s counter. As a college student, he worked as a server at Chesterfield’s, where he found that he was surprisingly good at waiting tables. Regulars asked for him, managers noticed and soon he was running the front of the restaurant.

“I just caught a little love for the industry because I was pretty good at it,” Haskin said. “I always knew how to cook, but I learned how to manage people and run the business side too.”

Even during his military career, the idea of one day opening his own restaurant stayed in the back of his mind. When retirement came, he decided it was time to take the leap. After searching for a small and affordable space just to get his foot in the door, Blu Jazz Cafe was born from a simple desire to give downtown something it needed.

At the Best of Pine Belt awards, Haskin and his wife walked in with no expectations. When Blu Jazz Cafe was named Best New Restaurant, he was stunned. In that moment, he knew there was room to grow downtown.

"He’s done a great job of creating the right atmosphere in all of his restaurants where you want to come downtown and eat,” said Michael McCullum, a 29-year-old downtown resident of five years. “It doesn’t matter which one you walk in, you’re going to get something good and you’re going to get great service.”

Nellie’s Chicken and Daiquiris came next, then Southbound Bagel, HattiesBurgers and Blues, and Bourbon on Front. Each opened within steps of the last, stretching across the same street. All five carry a different atmosphere – from the casual comfort of Nellie’s to the lively energy of HattiesBurgers and Blues – but together, they have reshaped the street and added to downtown’s spark.

Growing up in Gulfport, Haskin spent a lot of time visiting downtown and Columbia with his grandparents. He remembers sidewalks crowded with shoppers, storefronts humming with energy and family time spent in the middle of it all. When Blu Jazz opened, Hattiesburg’s downtown was quieter. He wanted to be a part of changing that. Not the whole story but just a piece of a bigger picture. His restaurants are simply his way of adding to that picture.

Of course, opening and maintaining restaurants wasn’t simple. Like many small business owners, Haskin faced financial hurdles. Banks were reluctant to take chances on startup restaurants, and securing capital was a struggle in the early years. What kept him going was the same community he was working to serve. As the restaurants gained loyal customers and regular traffic, that support made the challenges easier to navigate. Haskin relied on resilience and leadership to not only push through himself but also build teams of managers and staff who could grow alongside the businesses.

“I think that his restaurants are probably one of the biggest economic drivers of downtown and they have a certain duality about them that allows anybody from anywhere to feel welcome when they come into one,” said McCullum.

Now, those people aren’t just customers. They are employees, managers and future entrepreneurs. Haskin has made mentoring part of his work, and he’s proud to say new business owners often come to him for advice. He doesn’t keep struggles to himself, instead he shares them so others might find the road a little smoother. To Haskin, giving that kind of confidence back to others is one of the most rewarding parts of his work downtown.

Still, he doesn’t call himself the face of revitalization. That role, in his eyes, belongs to everyone who has put down roots along those streets. His name might be on five doors, but he insists that each one is simply another corner of a larger community effort. He hopes people remember him for his effort, not his title.

“I won't be doing this forever, but I just want people to know that I had a vision of being part of something bigger than me,” Haskin said. “I would like for people to see that we were a part of reenergizing downtown Hattiesburg.”

Five restaurants later, Haskin is still downtown, still cooking, still watching people fill the spaces he’s built. His story isn’t about empire or recognition. It’s about a community that gave him a reason to stay – and a man who answered back with open doors.