Muskegon doing pretty well downtown

Dec 24, 2009
Muskegon Chronicle
Steve Gunn

Cynical people like to say that Muskegon does everything backward.

That may be true, but this time we can honestly say that it’s working in our favor.

Anyone who’s been downtown recently must admit that the area has dramatically improved. And amazingly, all of the growth has occurred in the midst of a severe economic downtown.

While the rest of the nation is mired in the economic mud, our forgotten downtown has risen from the ashes, with great prospects for continued growth.

That’s backward old Muskegon for you.

Some may be too young to remember, but downtown Muskegon was once a booming retail center, particularly during the holiday seasons.

I recall Christmas shopping with my parents on Western Avenue, with huge crowds pouring into department stores like Hardy Herpolsheimers and Grossmans.

The former Muskegon Mall, which replaced a section of Western Avenue in the 1970s, also attracted large numbers for a time. Remember when the mall had full occupancy on the main floor, as well as specialty shops and restaurants on the upper and lower levels?

Yes, Virginia, there really was a Muskegon Mall, and people really shopped in stores like Mr. Brother Man, Peepers Incorporated and the So-Fro Fabric Shop.

Then came the dark days for downtown

Pedestrian traffic dwindled in the late ’90s and early 2000s, after the opening of The Lakes Mall and similar establishments in Fruitport Township. Store after store left the downtown mall until it was little more than an enclosed ghost town.

Finally the mall closed in 2002, and its Chicago-based owner added insult to injury by chaining off the huge parking lots surrounding the building.

Then came the demolition of most of the mall, followed by a lengthy period when huge, embarrassing sand hills covered the 23 acres where the structure once stood.

Muskegon’s center looked like it was hit on 9/11, but nobody flew any planes into our city. It imploded and died all on its own.

There have been false starts at rebuilding since then. Remember all the talk about downtown casinos, aquariums and baseball stadiums, back when there was money galore for those types of projects?

None of it ever materialized, and the economy hit the skids. That’s when our downtown, of all places, suddenly bounced back to life.

Local governments, organizations and key individuals started cooperating on plans to rebuild the area. That led to the re-establishment of the lost section of Western Avenue and several side streets, complete with new sidewalks, light fixtures and parking spaces.

Those improvements seemed to open the floodgates for all the new development that’s occurred over the past few years.

You say you haven’t been downtown lately? You have to check out the fantastic new Baker College Culinary Institute of Michigan, the Sidock Building and the Hines Building where the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce is located.

The chamber building, I’m told, now has full occupancy, including a Subway restaurant. You know there are signs of renewed civilization when Subway moves in.

There’s also the old Century Club, converted to a new home for Hegg’s Gallery of Fine Furniture; the old National City Bank building, now home to the Muskegon Athletic Club restaurant/bar; and the old Comerica Bank building, which will soon be home to eight floors of urban condos.

Let’s not forget the new artwork, including the very cool sculpture of Muskegon benefactor Charles Hackley sitting on a bench at Third and Clay, staring at the park he donated. There’s plenty of room for others to sit next to Chuck, and he looks like he would be a great listener.

Our new downtown still needs work and polish. Holes must be filled and more retail stores attracted, but it’s a great new start at a very crucial time for backward old Muskegon.