This used to be a really seedy district.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE
TO ENGINEER A SMALL TOWN RENAISSANCE?
People didn't want to drive here because it was a dangerous area.
ASK
OLD TOWN
Old Town has changed tremendously over the years.
It was blue-color at the turn of the century up to the 40s and 50s.
I've been cutting here since 1949, right here in the same spot.
On any given day there'll be a couple of hundred people. Busy as a mall.
When the malls came in, some of the businesses moved out.
The buildings were vacant. Some slum landlords bought them.
At one time it was very bad right here. It's come back 110%.
A year ago, this building had two sides, half a roof and the back was falling off. This building has sat for 20 years before it was renovated, so it's come a long way in no time.
It's tremendous to see.
IT TAKES VISION
We call him the mayor of Old Town. Robert played a role in everything.
In the 70s, when everything was boarded up, he was one of the few that truly saw the opportunity that was down here.
And he worked hard for it. We tragically lost Robert in February.
We haven't recovered yet, but we're just working to make Old Town the best thing we think it could be, and what he hoped it would be.
IT TAKES DETERMINATION
People thought I was crazy for coming down here. We worked our tails off getting our clients in and the new family that we had acquired here.
In late 1998 the whole block was boarded up.
It was either the best decision we'd made or the worst decision.
The spirit of Old Town and this old revitalized area suits who we are as people. We're really glad to be down here.
It has been homegrown, indigenous. Folks have lifted themselves by the bootstraps. It was their belief and love of the community that is bringing it back. It's an eclectic mix, but it has authenticity that you don't find in a strip mall. Boutiques shops, specialty stores.
You see that in Old Town. That's the niche of downtown USA.
The mall won't work in downtown.
What we have to offer is unique. America's downtown.
IT TAKES LEADERSHIP
We log thousands of hours of volunteer efforts.
We have four committees that work to bring people down to the area.
Flowers, redoing the fronts of buildings, painting things new streetlights, representing Old Town businesses keeping Old Town in the media and anything we can to grow the area.
We're very much a small town community.
Old Town is real. Our business was established before Old Town.
At some point, a few people decided to turn it into a community.
And we're happy about that.
- Everyone is family.
- We stick together.
The people in this area are very friendly, it's like we're family.
You going to be running this place one day? No? You messed that up.
We're right on the river and have beautiful buildings to work with but if we didn't work hard, we wouldn't have the things we have.
It's a beautiful setting, but we work hard to make it what it is.
A BETTER LIFE AT WORK
STARTS WITH ALL OF US
JOIN THE NETWORK WWW.IKEA.COM/BUSINESS
IKEA BUSINESS A better life at work
Dedicated to the vision and energy of Robert P. Busby
A town came together and convinced both IKEA and the small business community of America that they were a town of small businesses, big dreams and lots of potential. Follow the businesses of Old Town Lansing, share their hopes, learn from IKEA designers and see the results of IKEA's Main Street Makeover.