Summer is in full swing and area farmers’ markets are open and bursting with a delightful array of fresh vegetables and fruit, scrumptious baked goods, local meats and cheeses and so much more! Support these local producers while you partake in one of summer’s most enjoyable activities.
It’s a Saturday night and Downtown Flint is packed with pedestrians. The Capitol Theatre is hosting a show, Flint Local 432 is rocking, a local rapper is performing at Riverbank Park, Brush and Buckham Alleys are flush with art and poetry, and the Flint City Bucks are playing a pivotal match at Atwood Stadium. What do you do? Where do you go? Maybe you hit the Flat Lot for the silent disco or visit Flint City Hard Cider to enjoy a drink and an acoustic set? The point is that you have options and Flint’s Downtown is as vibrant and accommodating as it ever was. The best part: the majority of the Downtown excitement has been created by area residents who had an idea and the drive to make it happen. The first step toward this reality is the recently-launched What’s Up Downtown.
“It’s stunning,” said University of Michigan-Flint student, Manny Wright. “I’m setting up shop here. I told all my friends that from now on, if they need me, I’ll be hanging out here.” Wright was sitting in one of the student meeting areas in UM-Flint’s newly-opened Murchie Science Building Expansion. It was his first time there and he was obviously impressed. “Just walking through and looking at all of the community rooms is exciting,” he adds. “I board at Riverfront and it offers some of the same, but this is different. I’m claiming this spot.”
The Genesee County Savings Bank has a long history in the City of Flint. Founded in 1872, the bank employed a majority of the city’s most influential persons including William Wallace Crapo, Charles Mott, Josiah Dort, Arthur Bishop and William Atwood. As the bank continued to grow, a new building was needed. Built in 1920 at the corner of Kearsley and Saginaw Streets, it became a Flint icon and, after a major renovation in 1947, changed hands multiple times before falling vacant in 2000. This year, the building will open its doors once again as the new Hilton Garden Inn Flint – completely renovated and a wonderful representation of the city, its past and future.
The Greater Flint Health Coalition, a nonprofit focused on improving the health of citizens in Flint and Genesee County, is relocating its headquarters to downtown Flint with support from the Michigan Strategic Fund, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced today in a news statement. The project is anticipated to generate a total capital investment of $2.8 million and create 20 full-time direct jobs in the healthcare sector.
Walking into the Flint Trading Co., patrons are greeted by Owner Walter Robert McAdow and Emmett, the office puppy – a delightful, four-month-old Golden Retriever that chewed on my coat and notebook a bit. Open since May 2018, the atelier (French for artist studio or workroom) is located above Flint City T-Shirts on Saginaw Street in Downtown Flint.
Sloan Museum has received a grant of $250,000 from the Margaret Dunning Foundation to support re-imagined Carriage to Car exhibits in the new Sloan Museum of Discovery, opening in late 2021, according to a news release.
The new Coolidge Park Apartment complex is open and ready for tenants, according to Glenn Wilson, Co-Founder and President/CEO of Communities First, Inc (CFI). The most recent of several projects undertaken by CFI, the former Calvin Coolidge Elementary School building has been given new life as a mixed-use, mixed-income development that represents $16.5 million of investment secured by the nonprofit organization for the Flint community.
MY City Magazine recently sat down with Kay Schwartz, Director of Library Services at the Flint Public Library, to talk about the exciting $27.6 million project to completely renovate the Library. According to Schwartz, the project is proposed to begin in 2020 and the renovation would enhance the facility’s educational opportunities and community spaces for the public. Plans for the project have been in the works since 2016.
It’s been the pride of Downtown. The Flint Farmers’ Market is a bustle of activity, bringing unique foods, abundant fresh produce, delicious baked goods and a wide variety of events drawing thousands of visitors to Flint. June 21 marked the fifth anniversary of the Flint Farmers’ Market at its current location at 300 E. First Street.
Spencer Ruegsegger and Kristie Bearse love Flint. They have lived and worked Downtown, and have spent many nights enjoying the entertainment and nightlife there, but felt the scene was missing something. “We love everything about Flint, but found ourselves doing the same thing at every single place Downtown,” says Ruegsegger. “Whenever we wanted to do something different, we always ended up traveling a bit. We felt it was time to bring something unique to Flint.” After putting their heads together and visiting some out-of-town night spots, Ruegsegger settled on an idea. “I’ve been in the bar and nightlife industry for a long time. I’ve always wanted my own place and knew that whatever I did, it had to start in Flint. During our travels, Kristie and I visited a couple arcade bars and thought the business concept would be a great way to differentiate ourselves here,” he says.
