The City of Big Rapids has seen businesses coming and going in recent memory. Economic instability has caused businesses to leave their storefronts and even relocate outside of the area.

For quite some time, downtown Big Rapids has lost its entertainment avenues to draw in visitors. According to Executive Director of the Mecosta County Development Corporation, Kelly Wawsczyk, there are multiple initiatives in the works to change that.

“While change continues in many rural places, there are opportunities to rejuvenate downtowns through the attraction and nurturing of creative building uses,” Wawsczyk said. 
“The intent is never to reinvent the past, but to stimulate ideas for the future that will contribute to the economic health of our community.”

Initiatives that have been discussed by city officials include creating a children’s museum and re-establishing a movie theater in the downtown sector. Wawsczyk also said that incubator spaces, which “serve as host locations for booths and offices in a shared environment,” have been a creative trend across Michigan recently.

“This (incubator space) model is especially beneficial for startups that lack the initial capital for a traditional brick-and-mortar storefront,” Wawsczyk said.

The City of Big Rapids has also made their move to re-capture the glory of downtown. This summer, the city commission moved forward with the development of a social district in hopes of drawing more people to eat, drink, and shop locally.

“Partnering the social district with events at Pocket Park, the Farmer’ Market, or other festivals is a great way to create a vibrant downtown that people will stay in longer,” Big Rapids City Director of Community Development Michelle Stenger said. 

Stenger said that Cottage Inn Pizza is working to move into the downtown area as well, but no official date has been announced for an opening. Downtown businesses have also been purchasing seating areas that can be “rented” yearly with no maintenance costs.

When it comes to new businesses finding their way downtown, Wawsczyk says the landscape is different now and storefronts have ben affected.

“Downtowns often struggle with empty storefronts and underutilized buildings in rural regions. These downtowns were once the hub of commerce and community activities. Long gone are the one-stop downtown shopping districts with products ranging from apparel to hardware. Although current downtown tenants provide a good base of locally owned businesses, they are often not sufficient to fill storefronts vacated by previous retail uses.”