TIFTON — Local entrepreneur Regina Clark is hoping to provide visitors not just a place to stay, but a better means of connecting with the community.

The owner of dance studio Regina’s School of Dance has also made a trio of apartments on Third Street available for short-term rent through Airbnb, inviting tourists interested in seeing Tifton or travelers just passing through to stay a night or two right in the center of town.

Dubbed the “Studios on Main” by Clark due to their close proximity to Main Street, the apartments are only a short walk from just about any business in Downtown Tifton and a short drive from anywhere in town, giving visitors easy access to the city’s downtown area and a great look at what the Friendly City has to offer.

The units themselves come fully furnished and sport a full kitchen, washer and dryer, green areas located behind the units, and a classy aesthetic mix of antiques and modern stylings.

Clark purchased the building the three apartments occupy in the early 2000s, using it for her dance school for more than two decades. However, after a visit with her son where she observed other Airbnbs, she became inspired to create something similar for Tifton’s visitors in the heart of the city, putting the apartments open for rent on Airbnb in 2022.

The property in question has worn many hats throughout its history, including hosting a police station and a bank. Clark’s renovations and modifications to the building endeavor to preserve as many details left over from these former establishments as possible so as to add a bit more of a historical charm to the apartments.

She reports that the units have seen about a 50% occupancy rate since their opening, usually from vacationers stopping in on their way to Florida or traveling doctors and nurses, but she has asserted the apartments are open to anyone looking for a place to stay in Tifton.