Yes, this is great news. Great to hear about a company that was not downtown relocating to downtown. I wish TechSmith would relocate to downtown Lansing. Between Dewpoint, TechSmith, and Spartan Internet Consulting, you could have a small IT hub in downtown.
I've heard of TechSmith before, do you know about how many employees they have?
About Spartan Internet, has anyone heard what's going on with their Holmes St School headquarters? I thought the project was dead awhile ago, but a little over a year ago they started putting up steel on the back of the building then work stopped again and nothing seems to have happened since.
If you guys remember, TechSmith was the company quite a while ago that was planning a headquarters right off of 496 east of the freeway it what Lansing was trying to develop as a tech park. Unfortunately, that fell through.
As for Spartan, I haven't been down that way in ages, but last I heard, they were still very much still going forward. The renovation has taken longer than anyone would have liked, but I believe the project is still alive and moving.
LANSING – Two empty storefronts in the heart of downtown Lansing could be filled with new stores and apartments as early as next spring.
The developers who spearheaded renovation of the Knapp's department store at the corner of Washington Square and Washtenaw Street want to bring ground-floor retail and eight upstairs apartments to a building directly across the street.
The storefronts — 228 and 232 S. Washington Square, across Washtenaw from the new Knapp's Centre — most recently were home to a Hallmark Gold Crown gift store and Capital City Books and Magazines.
George F. Eyde Family LLC, a company owned by leaders of Meridian Township-based Eyde Co., pitched the $1.5 million project. It would total 13,500 square feet, with nearly half of it devoted to retail. Eight upstairs apartments would be offered at market rates, developer Nick Eyde said.
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But Eric Arntson, a Domino's Pizza franchise owner with several stores in the Lansing area, said he is close to signing a lease for the former Capital City Books building. He said he plans to move a restaurant on Saginaw Street in Lansing, east of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
It would have 29 seats for customers to dine in, as well as an opportunity to watch pizzas being made, he said.
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So happy to see these being renovated. They've really sat empty for too long. I used to patronize both of the businesses, and was sad to see them go. My only annoyance with the comeback of downtown is that it's been uneven, and by that I mean all of the little interesting retail businesses that used to line the square even in the bad days have been replaced by nothing but bars and restaurants. I'd like to see the mayor put together some plan to attract/grow/start a program that would incentivize small, independent retailers to get that component back in downtown.
I feel I've noticed the same thing about downtown -- the loss of some retail shops and gain of bars/restaurants. I miss Michigania also. I wonder if some of the retail that has left downtown has moved to Old Town. (In other words, is the general growth/revitalization of Old Town inhibiting the growth of downtown shops? Not sure that REO Town is having an effect yet -- I think it's too soon for REO.) Don't get me wrong, I'm happy about the growth and renewal of Old Town. Just a thought.
Nope. Old Town has poached about zero downtown retail establishments. Same for REO Town. These two districts have grown independently of downtown. Old Town has nearly the same problem downtown does, but Old Town is at least kind of honest in their aim in that they market themselves at galleries and such.
Poached business, no, but Old Town has benefited from more locally owned businesses. Downtown really needs at minimum a medium-sized grocery store. It would be such a boon if downtown Lansing could convince Goodrich to open there. Besides that, I think many of the retail will follow as more units open up and more people live downtown.
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About Spartan Internet, has anyone heard what's going on with their Holmes St School headquarters? I thought the project was dead awhile ago, but a little over a year ago they started putting up steel on the back of the building then work stopped again and nothing seems to have happened since.
As for Spartan, I haven't been down that way in ages, but last I heard, they were still very much still going forward. The renovation has taken longer than anyone would have liked, but I believe the project is still alive and moving.
There's also an article on the fashion incubator "The Runway": The Runway, a Lansing-area 'incubator' network, prepares to open in Knapp's Centre
So happy to see these being renovated. They've really sat empty for too long. I used to patronize both of the businesses, and was sad to see them go. My only annoyance with the comeback of downtown is that it's been uneven, and by that I mean all of the little interesting retail businesses that used to line the square even in the bad days have been replaced by nothing but bars and restaurants. I'd like to see the mayor put together some plan to attract/grow/start a program that would incentivize small, independent retailers to get that component back in downtown.