Craftsman Michael Fischer and his graphic-designer-wife, Lori, have put their creative talents together and opened a Dreammaker Bath and Kitchen store in Old Town Lansing.

After spending a year looking for the perfect spot for their new business venture, the couple finally decided on the 1236 Turner Street location.

“We didn’t want another commercial, strip-mall-type location where you walk in and everything is square and cold,” Fischer says about settling on a unique building in Old Town.

Before moving in, the Fischers made minor changes and updates to the 6,600-square foot, 100 year-old building. Dreammaker Bath and Kitchen takes up 3,300 square feet of the 6,600 square foot space. The Artisans Circle, a group of local artists, shares Fischer’s building.

Dreammaker Bath and Kitchen is an extension of Michael Fischer Builders, which is Fischer’s home remodeling company. Dreammaker Bath and Kitchen acts as a showroom for Fischer’s custom moldings, cabinetry and fireplace mantels.

The Old Town Dreammaker Bath and Kitchen location will officially open in January or February.

Source: Michael Fischer, Dreammaker Bath and Kitchen

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

Get out your cash register. The development surge that started in Lansing two years ago has hit the $700 million mark. In the last two years, private investors invested more than $538 in new city developments. The city fueled these investments by giving developers more than $163 million in financial incentives to start their projects.

“We’re clearly on our way to making Lansing a world class city,” says Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero.

The $538 million in investments includes the $25 million Capitol Club Tower project, the $14 million Kalamazoo Gateway project and the new $24 million national headquarters of Lansing-based TechSmith. These financial estimates don’t include nearly $45 million that will be put into the city when developers put up the new Michigan State Police headquarters or the Market Place and Ballpark North projects.

Lansing Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) President Bob Trezise says the investment has created a positive business climate, which has prompted private developers to put even more money into the area.

Trezise and Bernero say the investment has created 2,839 jobs and prompted more people to stay in the area.

“We know that we’ve got the commodity that will sell,” Bernero says about the area.

Source: Virg Bernero, City of Lansing

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

After training with one of the most well respected Pilates instructors in the industry and owning her own studio in Brooklyn for eight years, long-time New Yorker Rosanna Barberio/Downes says she’s back in Michigan and excited about her new Old Town Lansing studio, Old Town Pilates.

“It’s nice to be a part of the Old Town that’s changing, because Old Town used to be a scary place,” she says. “I wanted to be a part of this positive change because this is where I grew up.”

Her 107½ Grand River Avenue loft is a former residence that has high, exposed brick ceilings, modern lighting and huge windows that overlook Old Town’s shopping district.

Downes was able to find a Pilates studio that didn’t need any renovations. Lansing Developer Richard Karp renovated the building in 1998, and he lived in what is now the Pilates studio for nine years.

Old Town Pilates has been opened for a little more than a week, but Downes is already pulling together several classes and thinking about adding instructors.

Downes teaches mat classes and holds private lessons.

Source: Rosanna Barberio/Downes, Old Town Pilates

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

The Governor’s Council on on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports recently moved to Old Town to practice what it preaches – using walkable, sustainable environments to keep employees healthy.

The Governor’s Council helps citizens learn how to incorporate exercise into their daily routine to live healthfully. However, before moving to Turner Street in Old Town Lansing, the Council operated from a building off Okemos and Jolly Road, which is not a fitness friendly environment. They now occupy part of a recent $1 million Old Town brownfield redevelopment project.

“Part of what brought us to this building is that you can bike to work and invest in Old Town,” says Risa Wilkerson, Vice President of Active Communities for the Governor’s Fitness Council.

The Council’s move to Old Town Lansing allows employees to walk to work and lunch rather than drive. They’ve also put together a “fitness fleet” of bikes local businesses can check out so employees can bike rather than drive their car.

Source: Risa Wilkerson, Governor’s Fitness Council

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

The trolley that shuttles people between Downtown Lansing and East Lansing recently moved its 10,000 rider between the two entertainment corridors.

The Entertainment Express is a collaboration between the City of Lansing, the City of East Lansing and the businesses on the route to help facilitate more activity at neighborhood businesses.

“We’re getting the message to [students] that cool things are happening in Downtown Lansing, and there’s a way to get here,” says Randy Hannan, with the City of Lansing.

The Entertainment Express started a year ago, thanks to nearly $500,000 in media sponsorships and local business donations to the $90,000 a year operating cost.

Hannan says eventually the city will add routes bringing REO Town and Old Town into the loop, so these major area shopping districts are linked.

He also says the city may add a lunch-time express that would loop around the Capitol building during lunch, so those who work outside of the Capitol can easily get downtown for lunch.

Source: Randy Hannan, City of Lansing

Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.

Vintage Palooza is one of three art-based companies to share the 7,000 square foot space of the remodeled Perspective2 building in Old Town Lansing.

Vintage Palooza, an eclectic collection of antiques and vintage items, occupies one quarter of Prospective2, which owner Ann Hill opened with her partner who has a photography business. 

“When we looked at this building we realized we could have multiple businesses here and pursue our own interests. They were compatible with each other,” Hill says.

Hill took advantage of the 20,000 people the Old Town Jazz attracts each year and opened her business at 319 E. Grand River in September during the festival.

“I think it’s the atmosphere,” Hills says about the appeal of opening a business in Old Town. “It’s open, it’s diverse it’s very welcoming. There is a great sense of community.”

Perspective2 is also home to photography company Media Graphics and Studio Perk Coffee House. 

Source: Ann Hill, Vintage Palooza

Ivy Hughes is the development news editor for Capital Gains. She can be reached at ivy@capitalgainsmedia.com.

A $1 million brownfield cleanup and renovation of two historic brick industrial buildings and a parking lot at 1213 Center Street is expected to be finished by winter. The project is off Grand River in Old Town, just a block east of the more familiar and ongoing facelifts on Turner Street.

Work is finished on the first building, dating from 1913, with the complete renovation that includes 7,300 square feet of unique new office space. The non-profit Governor's Council on Physical Fitness just moved in, and anticipates hosting an open house event in October.

Alan Hooper, director of Northern Environmental Technologies, and his wife, Jamie Schriner-Hooper, utilized the brownfield credit program and tax increment financing from the city to help fund the cleanup and redevelopment project.

The second building, built in 1925, includes 3,000 square feet of occupied office space, and an additional 3,000 square feet of shop space that can be divided into commercial or office space. Hooper’s own Northern Environmental Technology occupies 2,000 square feet of building, and the non-profit Autism Society of Michigan uses the other portion.

The couple plan on keeping the remaining 3,000 square foot space, with its 15-foot high ceilings and new windows, as is and renovating it according to the desired specs of a new tenant.

They are starting work on the parking lot, which once houses underground gas tanks and probably needs to be decontaminated after exposure to harsh dry-cleaning solvents in the 1970s.

Once the lot is cleaned up, Hooper and Schriner-Hooper will create a new drainage system,  re-pave the lot and eventually put in a water-filtering rain garden.

All Photographs © Dave Trumpie

Lansing's Old Town neighborhood has made the cut for a national contest to win $50,000 worth of goodies from the Swedish furniture design darling, IKEA.

If Old Town wins the national contest, Old Town businesses will get $50,000 worth of the fab furniture donated. Old Town Commercial Association Director Jamie Schriner-Hooper says the $50,000 will be divided among 10 different Old Town businesses, including Gone 2 the Dogs, Pablo's, the Sierra Club and the Headroom Salon.

IKEA invited communities across the nation to submit a three-minute video about why they deserve to have the $50,000 of new furniture. Communities with qualifying videos were put on the IKEA Web site so the public could vote for which one should score the swag. Old Town's video submission is called "Old Town Lansing - Just a little past normal. . . ."

When the voting closed last week, Old Town Lansing had almost 1,000 more votes than the second place community, and more votes than all other eight competing communities combined.

Now that Old Town's made the final cut, all votes need to be verified. Old Town will hear from IKEA on or around Sept. 5.

Ivy Hughes is the development news editor for Capital Gains. She can be reached at ivy@capitalgainsmedia.com.

John Addis just moved his web design and photography business into a 1,300 square foot space in Old Town, with plans to start screening independent films in September.

The AE Studio and Gallery opened early in August at 523 E. Grand River, and owner Addis will soon be offering local artists and filmmakers a new venue to show their work. For the film screenings, Addis will clear out the gallery and let independent filmmakers set up shop on his 80-inch screen.

Addis already has 35 chairs that he'll set out for film enthusiasts so they can enjoy the show and share their thoughts; he wants filmmakers to be able to show their short films and get critiques from the audience and other filmmakers.

Right now, the walls of the renovated space are covered with pieces contributed by local artists. Addis still runs his photography and web design businesses from the back of the gallery.

Ultimately, Addis hopes to have some kind of after-hours production every Friday, with local independent film screenings once a month.

On the other three Fridays, he plans on inviting unique local musicians to perform in the gallery.

Ivy Hughes is the development news editor for Capital Gains. She can be reached at ivy@capitalgainsmedia.com.