FENNVILLE, Mich. — Several new businesses have opened within the past year, and there's still more to come, as the city of Fennville takes steps to revitalize the community's downtown.
One new business that recently opened is The Brew Sisters.
Chrissy Ciokiewicz and Stacey Hoske are both stylists at Cris' Salon in downtown Fennville, which is owned by Ciokiewicz.
"We had a lot of clients that asked about coffee and stuff at eight o'clock in the morning, and there wasn't anything," Hoske said.
Now, they're also the newest baristas on the block.
"We just kind of started talking about it, and then it just happened," Ciokiewicz said. "The support that we've had from the community is amazing. I've had people stop when we're outside, trying to fix something that we can't reach and help us."
It was that simple observation that brought The Brew Sisters to downtown Fennville in May.
"We've had good, bad, everything in between, but I think our first summer being open, for me, we were busier than what I expected by a long shot," Hoske said. "We have a lot of kids from the high school that work here in the summer, and it's their first job. So, it's really fun to see them come in and grow being here."
The coffee shop is just one of four new businesses calling Fennville home within the year, according to Micah Machiela, Fennville's Downtown Development Authority coordinator.
"This January, February, March, we're having two new businesses move into that office space [on Maple]," Machiela said. "Also, we welcomed Iggy's Pizza to Main Street here in Fennville."
An Edward Jones financial consulting office and a doctor's office will take over additional space on Maple St., and the new Wine Trail Inn, where the Stevens Hotel used to be, is set to open this summer. But Fennville's current focus is the City Square.
"The Downtown Development Authority has owned this parcel right on the corner of Main and Maple for over a decade now, and it's really been a long-term goal of theirs to turn that into the heart of our downtown," Machiela said.
With help from state grants, the city hopes to connect both sides of downtown with a new fireplace, band shell, and splash pad.
"We actually accessed two different state grants, one for the side with the band shell, where the bands will play during our concert series, and the other grant for the side with our splash pad and fireplace here," Machiela said. "We also were able to take part in a third opportunity, where we fundraised about $65,000 from the community and from local businesses, and then that was matched by a $50,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation."
Downtown Fennville also has incentives for businesses when it comes to physical improvements.
"Two years ago, we started our Façade Improvement Grant Program, which basically financially supports downtown businesses that want to put in improvements to either fix up their facades on Main Street or help with ADA compliance," Machiela said. "We'll support businesses with up to $10,000 to do that, as long as they match that amount."
The city became certified through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Redevelopment Ready Communities initiative last year.
"That's a status that the state has, that cities can basically do a number of requirements to reach that, and then once they do, there's new grant opportunities that are available to the town," Machiela said. "Now that we have achieved that status, we are eligible for the Match on Main grant, which brings up to $25,000 to a local business to help them do some different renovation projects that they've been hoping to do."
Machiela says the Downtown Development Authority is currently planning events that will occur in and around the new City Square. They're also planning a summer kickoff event, which is exciting news for The Brew Sisters.
"They do the music in the park. So, we talked about staying open later on those nights," Hoske said. "Chrissy made a whole sandwich menu. So, we do a lot of bagel sandwiches. And just to have chips and sandwiches and that kind of thing, that's quick, they can stop in here, grab something to drink, go sit and watch the band play."
As they settle into their growing neighborhood that still harbors that small-town feel, the business owners see the positive impact on the community.
"As a family, you can go down, you can sit out there, listen to music, walk around on sidewalks," Ciokiewicz said. "I think it's helped bring traffic to Fennville and helped the small businesses out."
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