Editor's note: This story is part of Southwest Michigan's Second Wave's On the Ground Kalamazoo series.

KALAMAZOO, MI — It is no secret that Kalamazoo is going through a lot of infrastructure changes, and if you live anywhere near downtown, you may need a silver lining for getting stuck in traffic.

If so, consider all the new and recently opened businesses alongside East Michigan Avenue and its adjoining streets — Crafted Copper, which moved from Stadium Drive and features duckpin bowling,  Barrio, featuring signature tacos and cocktails, and High Dive Kitchen and Bar, which aims to be a 'dive bar with high-end food.'

Led by the opening of businesses like Dabney & Co. in November 2022, blossoming nightlife event-geared businesses are reshaping the post-COVID-19 scene in Kalamazoo. 

Daniel May, owner of Dabney & Co.Owner of Dabney and Co. Daniel May, says that although Kalamazoo nightlife is not back to pre-COVID levels, the scene is “still growing.” One of the reasons that May opened Dabney, he says, was to create a “hub of diversity” in downtown Kalamazoo that schedules a range of performers and events to draw people and also to open a space where BIPOC feels safe and comfortable. 

The business features soul food-inspired takes on new dishes like peach cobbler cornbread and a fried green tomato BLT, as well as lifts unsung powerful Black voices like the creator of the mint julep and the one for whom the lounge is named, John Dabney.

Business owners like May understand that the significant changes happening in Kalamazoo are aimed at ensuring a safe future and revitalizing the downtown area, but are still considering what the impact on their businesses will be. 

Kalamazoo Assistant City Manager Rebekah Kik recognizes that getting to the point where road construction does not impact the daily lives of those driving through downtown is “a journey,” and encourages the community, including concerned business owners to “hang in there with us… it’s gonna be so worth it.”

The Assistant City Manager lives and works in Kalamazoo, and is no stranger to the impacts of the downtown construction. Kik was also born and raised in Kalamazoo, and after her college years and early career that took her across the U.S. and abroad, returned home in 2013. Kik became the Assistant City Manager in 2022. 

Next year, the City of Kalamazoo plans to begin the process of changing several main one-way roads into two ways. When Kik was asked what the City is hoping the result of this will be, she says. “I think our biggest hope for that change is that our city becomes even more walkable and more vibrant, that truly people can live in the downtown, more than they do now.” 

This is a sentiment echoed by May, who wants to help create a culture in Kalamazoo that welcomes people to want to stay. 

The City of Kalamazoo will work with Western Michigan University to study the short and long-term effects of the planned road construction on businesses and on the connectivity of the downtown area with the campuses of WMU and K College. As skepticism about urging the connection between the educational institutions and downtown rises to the top in threads online and in City Commission Meetings, voices like May’s stay positive. 

Casey GrootenCrafted Copper, Barrio’s neighbor, is set to open later this year.“I think that it is tremendous," says May of the collaborative study. "Often college campuses have existed separately from downtown… to marry colleges and downtown together would be phenomenal.” 

May believes that many people who come to Kalamazoo for education see themselves as transplants, and often just take off when they get their degree. May envisions a downtown Kalamazoo that helps folks “see themselves living and thriving in the city as well.”

Increasing downtown vitality: Connecting campuses to downtown.

Clarence Lloyd, Vice President/Director of the Southwest Michigan First Chamber, is one of the students who stayed. After attending WMU for undergrad, Lloyd took up residence in Kalamazoo. Originally from Detroit, Lloyd stresses the importance of connecting the colleges to downtown to increase the vitality of the district. 

Casey GrootenClarence Lloyd, Vice President of Southwest Michigan FirstLloyd says the connection of the colleges to downtown will help individuals ”consider what their lives look like in this community.” He notes that the one ways in and out of town feel like walls to pedestrians, and that ”the street network creates a barrier” between businesses and potential business. 

Kik and Lloyd agree that communities with interconnected student life and downtown areas thrive. Kik cites Ann Arbor. The identity of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan is arguably inseparable In order for a version of this prosperity to reach Kalamazoo, Lloyd says, "We have to make it easier for people to get down here."

Haymarket Plaza leading the way

Casey GrootenHaymarket Plaza has had many improvements over the last four years. One area of downtown Kalamazoo that has seen a lot of development over the last couple of years is the Haymarket Plaza. The historic district is active with engagement between property owners and other entities to bring life to the square. Kik says there are ongoing collaborations between Haymarket and Parks and Recreation, as well as music organizers, to initiate various events in the coming year. The outdoor space is currently for rent. 

New dining/drinking establishments along East Michigan

Where Haymarket meets East Michigan Ave is where a generous handful of new businesses have sprung up during and since COVID, all of which encourage community members to walk the downtown area. Check out this list: Cairo’s Kitchen, Saugatuck Brewing, High Dive Kitchen and Bar, Barrio Tacos, and Benny DiCarta's.  

Kik spotlighted other initiatives focused on gathering folks to the downtown Kalamazoo area. Folks like Jennifer Hudson-Prenkert, with Sounds of the Zoo, which she describes as “a multicultural music festival and symposium that seeks to empower and unite artists, industry professionals, and music lovers from around the world.” They recently partnered with the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts to present this year's Art in the Park. 

Casey GrootenBarrio opened just last year and has another location in Grand Rapids. The music got people dancing, as anyone could see who walked through Bronson Park in the afternoon on Pride Friday and Saturday. People were vibing and enjoying themselves, enjoying the downtown area, walking the city, and spending money at local businesses. 

The way to bring people downtown is not to slow things down, says Lloyd, it is to make things “safer, more attractive to people to navigate the downtown with something other than a car.”

Part of making the downtown Kalamazoo area safer is making it safer for those who are already down here. The effects of construction from the last few years, and looming projections for the next few years, have been hard on Kalamazoo business owners. Business owners have been vocal at City meetings and online about their savings and emergency funds being eaten up, and about business being continually down. 

Casey GrootenHigh Dive Bar opened a little over two years ago.May is not alone when he says, “The city should consider providing a program or grant to allow them to thrive in the midst of the construction.” In Dabney’s start-up days, the business owner received a downtown redevelopment license, and some additional support and grants to assist with build-out expenses. Lloyd says these types of grants and loans are still available for business owners who are looking for help developing. As for grants or low-interest loans to keep the business owners, their property taxes, and their landlords happy, Kalamazoo City has not yet formally introduced any sort of plan. 

Why do the water main work, and the road transformation construction need to happen now? After COVID, the Exchange Building construction, bike lanes, and the Westnedge water main construction don’t business owners (and all of us) need to take a breath? The federal monies given out to Kalamazoo and other communities that are used for these large infrastructure projects, more often than not, come with a deadline. Complete the work by this date, etc… City officials like Kik add, “It is going to feel relentless for a little bit, progress is like that.”

Casey GrootenHaymarket Plaza, High Dive Bar, Barrio, and Crafted Copper are all within sight of each other in this photo. Kalamazoo business owners have made it clear to the City how they feel. Nervous, but hopeful. In research for this article, this older yet positive gem rose to the top. Even though Salt Lake City, Utah is several times the size of Kalamazoo, the city bolstered the local small business community by offering several different low-interest loans for up to $20,000. This was an effort to minimize the effects of major road construction that took place. Could Kalamazoo County do something like this?

In the meantime, businesses continue to open up downtown, and business owners like May will keep welcoming folks in just as they always have. As summer progresses, Kalamazoo (and May) gear up for a full schedule of events. Check out the events at Dabney and Co. here. 

Editor's Note: Stay tuned for our upcoming story on the vibrant music scene at Dabney and Co. in our summerlong series on Kalamazoo's nightlife. Have a suggestion for a nightlife feature? If so, we'd love to hear from you!