Main Street Vibrancy Grants Enhance Communities across Michigan

September 1, 2022

Downtown Lansing Inc.

1,300 sq. feet of vacant space was activated in a building that had been vacant for 10+ years. Public Funding to produce and support this micro-market shared space includes:

  • $20,000 market manager funding from DLI & City of Lansing

Private Funding to produce and support this micro-market shared space includes:

  • $50,000 commitment each year for 5 years from local bank
  • $20,000 in private rent support
MiddleVillageMarketBefore.jpg
Vacant building space soon to be
Middle Village Micro-Market

The Middle Village Micro-Market in Downtown Lansing opened with five merchants’ spaces selling their local products in October 2021 as a test holiday market. Hours of operation included Wednesday-Saturday, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm.

While housed at Middle Village, merchants received accounting and small business development training/professional development.

Following the end of the test Holiday Market, three Middle Village merchants moved into their own private brick & mortar spaces downtown, helping to meet DLI’s Strategic Action Plan.

Those three merchants are:

  • A Novel Concept Book Store purchased their own building in the 200 block of S. Washington Sq. at $190,000 to open their permanent home
  • Sweet Encounters Bakery & Café opened in the Knapp’s Centre February 2022
  • Capital Hippie signed a lease to move their store into a vacant building in the 100 block of S. Washington Sq