Development News

Deborah Johnson Wood

Habitat for Humanity of Kent County has constructed 65 LEED-certified affordable homes in Kent County since the organization built the first one in the United States back in 2006.

Now the nonprofit has applied the same green philosophy to the rehabilitation of its future Grand Rapids headquarters, shooting for Silver LEED-NC in renovating the former Adelante High School, 425 Pleasant St. SW.

Half of the 9,000-square-foot building is contemporary open offices for the departments that oversee housing construction, family services and fund development. The other half contains executive offices and an 84-seat multipurpose conference center.

"Our current building is humble to say the least, we've always made do," says Chris Hall, director of construction. "To be able to design a building around how we work, we anticipate we'll be able to carry out our mission much more efficiently."

Inside, the eco-friendly features include high-efficiency HVAC systems and skylights that allow natural light to flood the workspace. Outside, two rain gardens will keep stormwater on-site.

"On the property behind the building, we will put in a nursery to grow plants we can use for landscaping the (Habitat) homes," says Mindy Miner, fund development associate.

Hall says Habitat's existing building, which is kitty-corner from the new facility, will become a storage warehouse for lumber and construction supplies.

Some of the current offices will become a bunkhouse-style room where out-of-town student and other volunteers can stay overnight on cots. The space includes an existing kitchen and showers.

Hall says construction of the new facility will run about $880,000. He says a $3 million capital campaign includes funding to add a loading dock and other updates to the existing building.

Christman Construction is the general contractor. Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber is the project architect and engineer.

Source: Chris Hall, Mindy Miner, Habitat for Humanity of Kent County

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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Development News tips can be sent to info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

Kathleen Jackson doesn't sugar-coat the story when she says finding the right location for The Candy Shop Café was an answer to prayer – the words come straight from her heart.

Jackson and her husband Michael, both 29, opened the combination coffee shop/café/candy store at 2404 Eastern Ave. SE in February. Michael, a former personal chef and a food services manager at Saint Mary's Health Care, operates the catering side of the business.

"About three years ago I met Barb Bush, the owner of the building," Kathleen Jackson says. "The first café in this spot had just closed down and I heard about the fire with the hardware store next door. Once I saw the space, I thought this would be an amazing place for us to continue what we were already doing, which was catering. I said, Lord, if you open the doors, we'll walk through."

The shop is in the same building as Sundaes in the Heights, directly behind the popular ice cream spot. Both spaces were damaged in 2006 when Alger Hardware caught fire.

"My husband and I worked for a candy company and loved it. We loved people coming in and seeing the candies they used to get when they were kids," Jackson says. "So we have a small retro candy store inside the shop that sells Dots, Mary Janes, Slo Pokes Suckers, Gumballs, Jaw Breakers. We also carry fudge and gourmet popcorn from Pentwater Popcorn."

The café offers breakfast sandwiches including vegetarian wraps, coffee, lattes and cappuccinos. The lunch menu includes gourmet sandwiches – ham and cheese, Reuben, club – and a build your own sandwich option with a selection of breads, meats and cheeses. Taco salad and a chicken Caesar salad are popular picks right now, Jackson says.

Customers can keep up with store events on Facebook at The Works Candy and Catering Company. Store hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Source: Kathleen Jackson, The Candy Store Café

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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Development News tips can be sent to info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

Y'all won't be callin' these dogs Coney dogs. These are chili dogs, Southern style – and that means with coleslaw on them (or as a side dish, if your Michigan taste buds insist).

But hot dogs won't be the only thing on the menu at Jonny B'z Dogs and More, 638 Wealthy St. SE, Grand Rapids. The restaurant, owned by Jon Goad, managing partner, and Bob Graham, opens in early April.

Goad, 51, was born and raised in Virginia, moved to Grand Rapids with his family during his high school years, married his high school sweetheart Ginger, and settled down here after they traveled the world. Ginger is a chef at The Winchester, next door to Jonny B'z.

"Everybody in Michigan is rabid about Coney dogs," Goad says. "In the south we don't have Coney dogs, we have chili dogs and it doesn't look like a Coney, doesn't taste like a Coney. When I was two in Lynchburg, Virginia, up against our back yard was Meeks's Delicatessen and he served me my first chili dog with coleslaw. It was like crack cocaine – I was hooked."

In addition to hot dogs served with a variety of toppings, the menu includes hamburgers topped with chili or coleslaw, French fries tossed with fresh seasonings and gumbo.

"I'm going to serve Virginia country ham deep-fried in a biscuit," Goad says. "Customers will be on it like a bull dog on a pork chop."

The building, a historic renovation, retains its tin ceilings and original wood floors. Goad says the two storefronts he's leasing will have reproduction black and white checkerboard composite tile that replaces the original, but badly damaged, that was in the building.

The restaurant contains a full kitchen, something Goad says is unusual for hot dog joints.

"Most hot dog places around town have re-heating kitchens, but we're doing a lot of fresh foods so we need a full kitchen," he says. "The hot dog world has a lot of yellows, greens and reds in the restaurants and we're going to go with earthen tones of those colors, muted and up to date."

Source: Jon Goad, Jonny B'z Dogs and More

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Development News tips can be sent to info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

Tom Southwell says the untold story of West Michigan is that the region is thriving, and he points to his company's recent manufacturing expansion as proof. Southwell is a partner in the Grand Rapids Chair Company, which just added a 28,000-square-foot table top manufacturing facility to its properties.

The company, headquartered in the old McInerney Spring and Wire plant on Chestnut St. SW, added the former Studio Ink / StudioCraft building, 837 Godfrey Ave. SW, in response to increased customer demand for tables for healthcare, education, hospitality, corporate and government environments.

"We've always made tables," Southwell says. "We saw the opportunity to enhance our production in both volume and flexibility, and to make other types of tabletops and chair components. This new plant allows us to increase our volume capacity, our throughput and our quality while lowering our prices for customers."

The cost reduction and increased quality control come from bringing the entire manufacturing process in-house, Southwell says. That process uses both modern CNC equipment and traditional woodworking machinery – both of which require skilled employees for operation.

"Dave Miller, one of my partners, had his eye on the Cadillac of machinery, which is generally real old pieces of machinery," Southwell says. "We were able to purchase 20 of those machines for the new building and clean them up with new bearings, new knives."

The company hired 12 skilled employees who already knew how to operate the equipment.

"The craftsmen that are available for employment in West Michigan you can't find anywhere else," Southwell says. "The work ethic of the people is such that the people care about the products they produce."

"Michigan kind of gets a bad rap, primarily due to the auto industry," he says. "Grand Rapids and West Michigan is a thriving place for us to do business and we encourage other companies to do the same."

Source: Tom Southwell, Grand Rapids Chair Company

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Development News tips can be sent to info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

These aren't your ordinary business incubators: small spaces gathered in one building. These are full storefronts available in three Grand Rapids' neighborhood business districts for below-market lease rates. And they come with free accounting, legal and marketing support, business training and business plan development.

"What we're doing is creating a 'scattered site' incubator model," says Darel Ross, president of Lighthouse Communities, the nonprofit behind the idea. Lighthouse is the developer behind the proposed Lighthouse Development Center that will house six retail incubator spaces.

"We thought, what can we do, not just in an incubator property but throughout all our commercial properties, using the properties as a tool for economic development in the neighborhood business districts," Ross says. "We found as we filled our business incubator (Development Center) there was a demand for flexibility and affordable space. The need was larger than what we could deliver."

Urban Pizza, a take and bake pizzeria owned by Malika Pimpleton, is the first business in the new incubator model. Her retail space in the new Uptown Village building, 950 Wealthy, Grand Rapids is slated to open by April 1.

"Lighthouse pays for her first four months' rent so he can use that money to do her build-out," Ross says. That, along with 12 months of subsidized rent allows the owner 16 months to build clientele, and to get her accounting, legal and marketing needs in order.

Lighthouse has commercial properties in three neighborhood business districts – Madison Square, Wealthy Street and Grandville Avenue – and plans to roll out the new incubator program in all three areas.

"If we can take away some of the expenses and surround you with support, we know you have a legal entity that's best for your business, a solid business plan, and you're working with an accountant all from day one," Ross says. "That makes the neighborhood business districts stronger and lets the business owner concentrate on the business, instead of worrying about overhead and rent."

Source: Darel Ross, Lighthouse Communities

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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at info@rapidgrowthmedia.cominfo@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

The City of Holland has launched a new web site geared at promoting the city to people looking to relocate for jobs, college or retirement. The site, www.enjoyhollandmichigan.com is an opportunity for people to explore what Holland has to offer them, from their homes or offices and that their own pace.

"The ultimate goal is to create a one-stop shop for people who want to know what it's like to come and live in Holland, Michigan," says Joel Dye, city of Holland community development coordinator. "We are anticipating the primary users to be Realtors, who will show it to clients considering relocating, and recruiters looking to bring employees into the area."

The web site includes pages about Holland's neighborhoods and schools, its economy and jobs. Other pages tout the downtown shopping district, recreation programs throughout the city, including those at Evergreen Commons and the Holland Community Aquatic Center, and information on the city's parks and beaches.

"If you're relocating for a job in Holland and bringing a spouse, you can go to the jobs page to see what work is available for them," Dye says. "There are links to the area's largest employers, to the Chamber of Commerce, to Lakeshore Advantage and to others. Ten people who work in Holland are quoted on what they like about working in Holland."

The home page includes a promotional video of Holland originally created for another web site, www.hollandbythelake.com. The video garnered 21,000 hits and prompted local fans to urge the city to expand on it and create the new web site.

Grooters Productions created both web sites and the video.

Source: Joel Dye, city of Holland

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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

Muskegon developer Gary Post says that even in good economic times, traditional lenders might not finance the idea behind the proposed $2 million Russell Block Market – and right now getting the money is impossible.

So he's trying a different angle: Post has formed a nonprofit organization, Russell Block Market, Inc., to oversee the market and to help the project vie for grants and donations not available to traditional commercial ventures.

Post's plan for the Russell Block Market, 360 W. Western Ave., is a retail incubator on the first two floors, set up as an open market, then possibly a business community center or arts center on the upper two floors.

The main purpose of the nonprofit, he says, "is to get things started again downtown with a plan to provide some type of support (to the new businesses) and hopefully spin them off into other locations downtown and reestablishing some of the retail we lost a few years ago when the downtown mall was torn down."

The building has been gutted, and has a rebuilt stairway tower and elevator shaft. The removal of 1940s exterior cladding damaged the façade. Post says it needs $175,000 in repairs and historic renovation. Existing funding includes some $25,000 from a Cool Cities grant that also went toward renovation of the nearby Century Club and Savings Bank buildings.

"The nonprofit allows us to attract other funding sources we might not be eligible for," Post says. "Many grants go to nonprofits and we hope for private donations as well."

Post applies this week to the Michigan Economic Development Corp. through the city of Muskegon for an $85,000 Urban Revitalization grant toward the façade improvements. The grant requires a $90,000 match. Post says the city doesn't have the matching funds, so he is raising the money. The city will administer the matching funds and the grant if the grant is approved.

Source: Gary Post, Port City Construction and Development

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

Warner Vineyards plans to celebrate in downtown Holland with a bit of the bubbly and its 24 other wines and champagnes by the time Tulip Time Festival is in bloom.

The vintner's new tasting room, Warner Vineyards of Holland, begins the build-out this month on its newest location at College and 8th streets.

"We're waiting for the liquor control commission to grant the liquor license," says Bill Warner, one of the partners in the four-generation family-owned business. "But we've already overcome the first two hurdles, which are the hardest, so we hope to be open by April first and if not then it'll be May first."

Founded in 1938, Warner Vineyards is Michigan's second oldest and highest award winning winery, Warner says. All of its wines and champagnes are made at its facility in Fennville using traditional methods to make small batches.

"We are 100 percent Lake Michigan Shore Appalachian – Appalachian means an area where the grapes are grown," Warner says. "At the tasting bar people can try the wine and then buy what they like by the bottle. We put the wines in the same order as they are in the tasting guide we have at the store, which includes a sweetness guide."

Besides traditional favorites like chardonnay, pinot grigio and merlot, the winery offers a number of fruit wines such as Blueberry Splash, Very Very Cherry and Peach and Honey, a peach, honey, cinnamon and apricot blend.

"We have looked at opening a tasting room in the harbor towns for years, and now that the Sunday drinking laws have changed the little harbor towns are neat places to do wine tastings," Warner says. "Sundays are big tasting days for us."

The company has three other tasting rooms in Marshall, South Haven and Paw Paw.

Source: Bill Warner, Warner Vineyards; Mimi Fritz, Downtown Holland Principal Shopping District

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

Timeless design and craftsmanship have made Germany the top producer of mechanical clocks, says Dan Winebrenner, owner of the Holland Clock Co.

The new retail shop at 210 College Ave., Holland, will offer a selection of German-made cuckoo clocks, Dutch style clocks that originated in the Netherlands but are now made in Germany, and present a few shelf and mantle styles. Winebrenner's expertise in clock repair and service will be a unique offering of the shop.

Winebrenner's fascination with clocks began early in his life, pretty much when he first became aware of clocks and timekeeping. Five years ago, he learned how to repair them. Shortly after, he launched Winebrenner Clock Service in his Holland home.

"It's been a challenge, but I've seen some pretty encouraging growth in the last year," Winebrenner says. "I started the repair business without the retail because it wasn't as big a financial commitment as having a retail location and an investment in inventory. Now, I'm at the point where I'm ready to add them."

Winebrenner and his teenage children, Ben and Veronica, painted two walls of the small, narrow shop with murals depicting German landscapes and the Black Forest. Inside the front window is a hand-painted map of Germany and surrounding countries.

"Part of the reason I chose the location in downtown Holland is because of the reputation the downtown area has, not only in West Michigan but nationally as a destination for shopping," Winebrenner says. "I sense that it's a growing, busy area and that's where I want my shop to be, where people are going to find it. I think it also fits in well with the cultural identity of the area."
The shop will open March 1, with initial hours from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Source: Dan Winebrenner, Holland Clock Company; Mimi Fritz, Downtown Holland Principal Shopping District

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

A 2.25-acre parking lot at Madison Avenue SE and Pleasant Street SE will soon be a new Grand Rapids city park. The property is in the heart of an area identified by Green Grand Rapids as deficient in green space, and is part of the 415 Franklin property (former Department of Human Services) acquired from Kent County by the city of Grand Rapids last year.

A design charrette on February 20 drew 50 adults and 40 children to voice their ideas about the park's design. The purpose of the charrette, sponsored by Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, South Hill Neighborhood Association, Heritage Hill Neighborhood Association and the City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department, was to present ideas for the park to design consultants O'Boyle, Cowell, Blalock & Associates.

"We held some pre-charrette meetings with a small planning team, we have a Facebook group for the park and we tapped into that energy, and we put out a pre-survey online, all to get ideas so the designers had some ideas for the meeting," says Steve Faber, executive director of Friends of Grand Rapids Parks.

"The property is partly in Heritage Hill and partly in South Hill and the neighborhoods didn't want water playgrounds or basketball courts," Faber says.

Faber says the neighbors want clear sight lines across the park for neighborhood safety, so most of the park will be open space. One section features a playground for kids ages two to 10; other sections have walking paths, a small slope for sledding and a proposed perennial exchange garden. Architectural elements at the entrance at Madison and Pleasant will draw from architectural influences of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Four City High students studying sustainable playgrounds asked the children at the charrette to design their ideal playground. Faber hopes to incorporate some of the high school students' findings in the park design.

Next steps are to add the park to the Parks and Recreation Master Plan by March 13 in order to qualify for possible state grants, brownfield tax credits and other funding.

Source: Steve Faber, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

The new Thistle Gallery opening next week in downtown Holland is more than three times the size of its former location in Douglas, and owner Mary Glinski intends to fill the extra space with original works from some 75 artists – a third more than she's ever been able to show.

All of the works in the 2,500-square-foot gallery at 26 East 8th St. are original, handmade pieces from artists in the United States and Canada.

"We'll have a space in the back of the store, about 500 square feet, that will be a changing exhibit of fine art," Glinski says.

Called The Studio At Thistle Gallery, the space will spotlight two or three artists who work in one medium, such as watercolor, oil or metal sculpture, and will change about every 60 days.

"We also have hand-painted silk, photography, textiles, some felting," Glinski says. "We have more jewelry than anything else because so many artists make jewelry, and we have some really, really cool pottery. We have an artist from Minnesota, Kerry Brooks, who's the only artist I know that does glass and pottery mixed together; we've carried her work for three years."

Glinski is a glass fuser and sells her own dishes, jewelry and other pieces at the gallery.

"Douglas is a great town with great merchants, but it's very seasonal and it's very difficult to have a year-round business," Glinski says. "I had outgrown my space and didn't have anywhere to grow. I'm really looking forward to the move and my employees are looking forward to the change. It's going to be a new energy for us."

The Studio At Thistle Gallery opens March 5.

Source: Mary Glinski, Thistle Gallery; Mimi Fritz, Holland Principal Shopping District

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

If Jason and Kris Spaulding have their way, local growers will drink the fruits of their labor at a new European microbrewery in the middle of the East Hills business district in Grand Rapids.

Brewery Vivant, a microbrewery specializing in French and Belgian beers, is the lead tenant in Locus Development's renovation of the former Spectrum Health Childcare property at 925 Cherry Street.

Three buildings – a barrel-roofed garage, a former chapel and a house – will undergo renovation. Locus Development's John Green says phase one will renovate the garage and chapel for the brewery and pub.

Jason Spaulding is a co-founder and former owner of New Holland Brewing Company and says his wife, Kris, began creating their business plan for a new brewery four years ago without having a location in mind.

"We wanted a vibrant neighborhood that felt small, near a populated area, a walkable neighborhood with a variety of owner-operated shops," Spaulding says.

"When this property came up, it was like it was meant to be – the barrel-roofed building has an 18-foot ceiling with trusses, so there are no posts in the middle of floor which is perfect for a brewery," he says. "The former chapel has an archway that looks very Belgian, and we're going to make Belgian and French beers."

Spaulding attended Doemens Brewing Academy near Munich, Germany, then he and Kris toured breweries in Belgium where they picked up ideas for Brewery Vivant.

"Belgians brew more artistically and use more local fruit and spices than the Germans do," Spaulding says. He wants to do the same, using local ingredients for his beers.

"We don't want to be a large brewery," he says. "We want to create a sustainable neighborhood brewery."

John Green says renovation of the entire project includes retail spaces in the existing house, possibly two additional buildings, and the brewery will be LEED certified.

Source: Jason Spaulding, Brewery Vivant; John Green, Locus Development

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

The Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority has launched a new marketing campaign and developed two new grant programs in an effort to attract more retail businesses to the downtown business district. The DDA says that more than 20 businesses opened in downtown last year, but most of them were restaurants and more retail is needed.

A new flipbook brochure notes downtown's unique characteristics: daytime demographics, six distinct business corridors and key entities downtown such as cultural, medical, government and schools. The DDA developed the brochure in collaboration with area brokerage firms to create a tool they would want to use to sell or lease commercial properties downtown.

"We're putting it in their hands so everyone has the same story about Grand Rapids, otherwise everyone looks at the census data and that's missing a lot about downtown Grand Rapids," says Anne Marie Bessette, DDA development specialist.

"We have over 36,000 employees in the central business district, and what, perhaps, is more is interesting is that we have 31,000 college students that attend class within downtown's one square mile," she says. "Those are huge numbers that people don't realize we have and these numbers don't show up in the census numbers."

The brochure, available online at www.grcity.us/departments/dda/flipbook, points readers to a central commercial properties web site where they can view all available downtown properties and the broker contact information.

In addition, to the marketing, the DDA hopes that two new grant programs established late last year will encourage business owners to set up shop downtown by helping them tackle some of the costs associated with remodeling a façade or obtaining signage. The grants vary from $2,000 up to $25,000 depending on the type of business and the project.

"New businesses coming in have a challenge," Bessette says. "Not only do they have to set up shop and have all the merchandising and marketing down, but if they have to renovate the building, it's really a challenge."

Source: Anne Marie Bessette, Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

Phase 2 of the Reeds Lake Trail will break ground as soon as weather permits, providing an off-street walking and cycling path along the east side of Reeds Lake when completed in July.

The path will connect the existing Reeds Lake Trail at Kate Avenue SE between Reeds Lake and the East Beltline and run 0.75 miles northwest along Reeds Lake Blvd. to Manhattan Road SE. Users can then connect to sidewalks to complete the loop around Reeds Lake.

"This phase involves both East Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Township and has been over five years in the works," says East Grand Rapids City Manager Brian Donovan. "It's taken so long because of fundraising and the wetlands plan."

The wetlands plan involved having to eliminate one-half acre of wetlands along portions of the trail. Donovan says the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality required creation of a full acre of wetlands to replace it. The project will create that acre of wetlands near Waterfront Park on the west side of the lake. The city has five years to make the wetlands changes.

Completion of the trail loop allows users to travel off-street for the entire four-plus miles of the loop around the lake. Just north of the trail along the East Beltline, users can connect with Grand Rapids Township trails. In East Grand Rapids, bike lane markings on Wealthy Street run from Gaslight Village to the west city limits, where Donovan says Grand Rapids officials propose to continue the lane markings to downtown Grand Rapids.

Nearly $600,000 of the trail completion's $790,000 price tag is from private donations. Donovan says the project is within $3,000 of its goal. Those interested in providing a donation can contact the city of East Grand Rapids for more information.

Source: Brian Donovan, City of East Grand Rapids

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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Deborah Johnson Wood

Lindsey Scott was unemployed and using her time to help Found owner Susan Langjans with her new shop in Holland. That's when she got the idea to start her own store, Vagabond, inside Found.

Where Found, 203 E. Eighth Street, offers mostly repurposed furniture, lamps, art and vintage fabrics, Vagabond comes alongside with retro home décor and gifts that complete a room's look and feel.

"It's a pretty eclectic mix," says Scott of the new and repurposed items Vagabond offers. "I have vintage prints and frames, cabinet hardware, magnets, salt and pepper shakers, glassware and plates."

The store's gift lines include candles, hand-tooled leather journals by Milwaukee artist Sarah Heck and letterpress cards by Holland's Give Studio.

The two stores occupy the same space, but to customers it looks like one shop.

"Everything is mixed within the space," Scott says. "I'm using Susan's furniture to merchandise my things; she's using my things to merchandise her furniture.

"The new items are from very cool companies," she adds. "The vintage stuff we find at estate sales, salvage shops, Salvation Army, garage sales – we're just hunters. We spend time every week going out looking for things."

Found opened in May. Vagabond joined the fun in November. Since the two stores combined, Scott says they've seen an increase in customer traffic.

"The more you have to offer, the more reasons people have to come in and see what we're doing," she says. "We've noticed that people are spending more time in the store because there's more to look at. Not everybody's going to stop into a store and buy a sofa – but if they stop in to buy a card or a journal and happen to fall in love with a sofa, it benefits everybody."

Store hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Source: Lindsey Scott, Vagabond; Mimi Fritz, Downtown Holland Principal Shopping District

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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com. Have a development news tip for Rapid Growth? Contact us at info@rapidgrowthmedia.com.
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