What's going on in downtown Williamston? If you're a passerby, a casual shopper or a Lansing-area business news reporter, there's little doubt that something big is happening in the tidy little downtown just east of Okemos. After a few years of having to space out the regular rushes of business opening stories coming out of Williamston, Capital Gains decided it was time to answer the question.
"We get calls from businesses who are looking for locations in Williamston," says Executive Director of the
Williamston Area Chamber of Commerce Barbara J. Burke. "There was a time when there were quite a few open locations, but now I can only think of two now.
"It's really exciting."
That excitement has been building for some time. When Burke started her job at the Williamston Chamber in 2003, the organization had 60 members. Now they boast 160. The dwindling availability of storefronts also speaks to the dramatic change that has been happening there.
Standing like a prototype of that change in the center of downtown,
Tavern 109 is a beautiful 2012 historic renovation that brought two condos, four apartments and a classy restaurant to Williamston. Though it may be the most eye-catching sign of change there, things actually began to pivot toward growth even before that redevelopment project came along. As it turns out, a series of factors coming together in the right way at the right time became the key to the town's rebirth.
Generational Change
"We're at a changing point," says Michael Gradis of McKenna Associates who serves as downtown development authority directory for Williamston. "The market is opening up. You have a lot of people who have passed away. In other cases you've had people whose buildings have gone through foreclosure. There are buildings on the market now that weren't on the market before."
That's giving a new generation of Williamston residents and other area entrepreneurs the chance to fulfill their dreams of business ownership. Gradis gives the example of the longtime business The Fabric Gallery, which closed in 2012 when the owner decided to retire. It didn't take long for the building to be purchased and a
new bakery is currently on its way to opening in the space.
Hands-On Business Owners
The forthcoming Blue Button Bakery is the project of a local business owner who takes the word "investment" to a new level. Now the owner of nine Williamston businesses, Dawn-Marie Joseph is a central member of the new blood coursing through the business district's veins. In addition to all of those businesses, Joseph is the new downtown development authority chair and an active part of planning community events, such as the recent wedding event meant to draw brides-to-be to explore the many wedding vendors available in the city.
"Downtowns need to be some kind of destination," says Joseph. "They need a place where people could go to do a variety of things."
Gradis credits much of Williamston's turnaround to the hands-on on approach of the new generation of business owners like Joseph.
"I have business owners who take Williamston personally," he says. "When they see a sidewalk that needs to be repaired, they don't say, 'The city needs to take care of it.' They say, 'How can I take care of it?'"
A New Identity
Joseph, who moved to Williamston 14 years ago, was originally drawn to the city for its charm and sense of community. She stayed when she found it was that and more.
"It's both a comfortable and kind of progressive place," she says. "People want to push forward."
Pushing forward meant embracing their evolution as a community. Formerly known as an antiques hub, Burke says things began to change about a decade ago when the Williamston Theatre opened downtown. With a live theater so close to the long-open Sun Theater, and soon thereafter joined by Fireworks Glass Studios, a new identity began to emerge.
"Williamston is really becoming known for our artists," Burke says.
The identity change is more than superficial. Even the old community tagline is about to get an update by the downtown development authority.
"'Williamston Discover the Charm' worked for a long time," says Gradis, "but I don't think it describes us now. So we're taking a looking at rebranding."
Natural Incubation
Fueling the fire of business growth in Williamston is the fact that it's relatively easy to get one's feet wet as an entrepreneur there. Long before business incubators were all the rage in the business world,
Keller's Plaza began giving up to 16 small businesses a chance to give it a go with low-overhead shops in 1985.
"There is no doubt in my mind that it's a private incubator," says Gradis. "The businesses leave him, not because they don't like it, but because they need a larger spot. A lot of them go elsewhere downtown."
From new blood to longtime incubation opportunities, the stage was clearly set and now the time is right for Williamston to blossom. With only a couple of vacancies left, one might say it's nearly in full bloom. And while the businesses at the right time contribute to the community's recent growth, Joseph believes there's one more piece of the puzzle.
"I just believe in Williamston," she says. "I believe in the people who are in Williamston."
With new businesses continuing to open and the community's new identity emerging as unique, creative shopping district, it seems Williamston is giving a lot of other people something worth believing in too.
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Natalie Burg is a freelance writer for Capital Gains.
Photos ©
Dave Trumpie
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of
Trumpie Photography.