HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — Hudsonville's downtown transformation is drawing national attention, with Business View Magazine spotlighting the city as a model for small-city growth.
For longtime residents like Kong Khammanivong, the change has been years in the making.
"When I was younger, we would always travel through Chicago Drive. We passed by almost every single time. Things has changed majorly since back in the days. It just had a bunch of old car lots and little commercial buildings," Khammanivong said.
Khammanivong, the owner of Rock n' Thai, said he has watched the transformation of Hudsonville's downtown firsthand over the years.
Now, that same stretch along Chicago Drive is filled with new businesses, restaurants, and development, a shift that Business View Magazine says makes Hudsonville a model for other small cities.
Matt Van Woerkom, a Hudsonville Downtown Development Authority board member, said the growth reflects what the community is becoming.
"It's exciting for the city. We're a growing community and having a downtown space for people to go to restaurants, do different activities, it just adds to the excitement of what Hudsonville is becoming," Van Woerkom said.
Leaders say the strategy centers on creating a destination, a place where people want to spend time. Van Woerkom said that approach is also generating real economic opportunity.
"You don't have a thriving economy without job. The more businesses that are coming in providing those jobs, the better," Van Woerkom said.
That momentum shows no signs of slowing. New businesses continue to arrive downtown, including the ice cream shop Huddy's, adding another gathering place for families and keeping the energy of the city's growth going.
For Khammanivong, the changes are long overdue.
"I think it's awesome that our community is getting this. We need more of this." Khammanivong said.
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