New businesses adding energy to downtown Marquette

First, you notice the windows. Windows that once stared blankly out onto downtown Marquette streets are now bright with signs and displays offering everything from coffee to essential oils and massages to handcrafted items for the home. Downtown Marquette is becoming reenergized, becoming a home to small business owners and a draw for shoppers who prefer a more personal shopping experience over big box or online options.

Mona Lang, executive director of Marquette's Downtown Development Authority, has a ready answer about why the downtown area has attracted an influx of new businesses in recent months.  

"I think that the sense of place of the downtown is attractive, particularly to independent businesses. The vibrancy, density, history, and architecture all make downtown an attractive location for entrepreneurs to establish a business. In addition, the established business environment and already built environment make moving into the downtown neighborhood attractive to new businesses."

Lang notes seven new retail businesses have opened downtown in the past several months, as well as several new professional services. The DDA's role, Lang says, is to make the downtown district attractive to new businesses and to support businesses' sustainability. "The DDA offers guidance to resources available to aid business development, and provides public infrastructure maintenance and aesthetic features to support businesses."

Windsong Studios and the Java Bay cafe, coffee, and sandwich shop are among the small businesses that have recently made downtown Marquette their home. Windsong Studios was born when two other local businesses combined. Footnotes Gifts, owned by Cindy Engle, and Closet Creations, owned by Brian and Kena McEachern, joined studios in February and launched Windsong Studios on May 1. Windsong is located at 130 W. Washington Street in the Masonic Building, in the space formerly occupied by Wolfgang's Haus of Glass.

Windsong Studios is a working studio and retail space featuring handmade jewelry, custom embroidery, stained glass, and more, "Since the closing of Wolfgang's Haus of Glass, we decided to add stained glass tools supplies and classes to our list of things to offer," says Kena McEachern.

McEachern admits business is off to a slow start. "The traffic flow is a little slower than anticipated, but we are building a new business. Trying to get the word out has been somewhat of a challenge, but people are finding us."

McEachern has several reasons why the trio decided to locate their new business in the downtown area. "We found the cost of the space to be very reasonable, and the downtown area sees [good] traffic and is a beautiful area," she says.

Representatives from the DDA visited Windsong and presented the owners with a plaque. McEachern says she hopes the DDA will help promote the business and increase its profile in the community.

Meanwhile, at 1102 N. Third Street, Java Bay is quietly making its presence felt. Java Bay offers coffee, specialty espresso drinks and smoothies, as well as breakfast and lunch deli sandwiches. Owner Bob Dudo says he prefers a modest rate of growth because it allows him to focus on quality over quantity.

"I want to build slowly. I didn't want to do a big grand opening, didn't want to get too many people in here and disappoint them because we couldn't take the time to do things right. I want to make sure that the food is good and the atmosphere is good," he says.

Dudo and his wife, Nicole Collins, also own Java by the Bay in L'Anse. They were looking to expand, and when they found out about an available storefront in Marquette, decided, Dudo says, "to go for it."

The difference between a town with a population of just under 2,000 versus a college town that is also home to the largest hospital in the U.P. was immediately apparent, says Dudo. Java Bay is within walking distance of both Northern Michigan University and U.P. Health System Marquette. "Traffic is heavier because of the bigger population. People are walking by, noticing us and coming in. They don't even know who we are; they're just sticking their heads in the door and checking us out."

Dudo has also been in contact with the DDA, through Lang and Tara Laase-McKinney, the DDA's promotions and events coordinator. Java Bay also received a plaque, and Dudo says they helped him become informed and made him feel at home in the downtown area.

"Tara brought me up to speed on sidewalk signs and other things that you don't know you're doing wrong till someone tells you," Dudo says with a laugh. "She also brought fliers with information on upcoming events, which is really nice."

Making the downtown area a popular destination for customers as well as businesses is a DDA priority. "The DDA provides promotion and marketing events and activities that draw thousands of people downtown each year," says Lang.

Other businesses that have recently opened in downtown Marquette include White Pine Gallery along Third Street, Flying Moose, Essentials with Kim, and Revisions, all along Washington Street, The Marq along Baraga Avenue, and Forsberg, A New Leaf, along Front Street. Also new to the downtown area is the Marquette Chamber of Commerce, which recently relocated to Third Street.

When asked about the pressure on brick and mortar stores to compete with the ease of point-and-click online shopping, Lang acknowledges the challenge, but believes person-to-person interaction trumps the click of a mouse.

"Brick and mortar stores provide knowledge of their product and personal service that one cannot get shopping online. Personally, I am not an online shopper. I like being able to touch and see the products that I purchase. I also like knowing that my local business knows me, knows what I like, and knows their products," she says.

At Windsong Studios, McEachern echoes that commitment to the hometown shopping experience, which she and her business partners share. "Trying to keep the downtown area alive and thriving is an important part of our lives."