Living Here

Guest Writer: Jay Krammes

April 21 to 27 was a celebration of National Volunteer Week, which is always a great reminder of the important work our volunteers do to help us in our mission to strengthen and nurture the culture, health, and sustainability of our downtown district. While this special week is coming to an end, we love to celebrate our volunteers all year long by honoring a special volunteer each month. This month’s volunteer of the month is Alan Woodbury.

517 Day 2024 will be a two-day celebration of what is great about the 517 in Lansing, Michigan. This event is organized by a collective of local businesses and cultural organizations and features an all-day lineup of local talent and activities. 517 Day is a chance to come together and appreciate the unique culture of Lansing through music, art, vendors, and fun.

Middle Village, a small business retail accelerator program presented by DLI and powered by Lake Trust, will host a grand opening on Thursday, May 2 at 11 a.m. for its next cohort at its new space located at 215 S. Washington Square in the historic Atrium Building in Downtown Lansing. 

Guest Writer: Melissa Cole

Your Destination for Fresh and Healthy Sushi in Downtown Lansing

Atrium Building to house a fresh new downtown shopping experience  

LANSING, Mich. (April 18, 2024) - Middle Village, a small business retail accelerator program presented by Downtown Lansing Inc. (DLI) and powered by Lake Trust, announces five new businesses participating in its fourth cohort. Middle Village’s 2024 grand opening will be held on Thursday, May 2 at 11 a.m. at its new space located at 215 S. Washington Square in the historic Atrium Building in Downtown Lansing.  

It’s a place where tools find their rhythm.

Hand saws dance across wood and mallets get to the beat.

“It’s beautiful,” said owner-operator Megan Shannon.

Megan Shannon is the owner-operator of Tiny Bit of Wood.

A first-generation woodworking school now located in downtown Lansing.

“We focus mostly on hand tools because I like getting people to slow down a little bit and just chill out,” Shannon said. 

In 2018, Megan Shannon left her job as a special-education paraprofessional at Okemos Public Schools to pursue woodworking full time.

“I left the public school system, but then I really started to miss it,” she said. “I decided I was going to put the two together and teach woodworking.”

Two years ago, the lifelong Michigander began hosting classes at her home workshop in Holt. She named her one-woman business Tiny Bit of Wood.

“You won’t be able to believe that such a cool thing is happening in our city,” said festival director Emma Selby.

Calling all film lovers. Grab your popcorn because it’s time to check out the Capital City Film Festival.

Every screening is a reel treat. With more than 100 films you can catch.

“The schedule is jam-packed. We have everything from some funky short films. We have things that we have titled heavy hitters, which are all you know like a cry your eyes out if you’re in that mood,” Selby said.

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Excitement about the future at the 3rd annual “State of Downtown Lansing”. Downtown Lansing Inc. highlighted some of the new work underway to liven up Washington Square.

Lansing’s downtown has been a huge talking point following the pandemic after most businesses moved to remote work leaving the downtown area. Businesses struggled to find another consistent customer base when work went remote. Still, Executive Director of Downtown Lansing Inc., Cathleen Edgerly, says this will be the year they bring people back downtown.