Natalie Schneider, owner and manager of Small Planet, 16800 S. Chandler Road, Suite 109, talks with William Grattan, a sales representative of Dan Henry Distributing Co. Schneider will be managing the music venue with her father, Vaughn Schneider, who owned the original Small Planet from 1974-2000. They are expecting to open the venue in mid-July.
Eight years after her father closed Small Planet in downtown East Lansing because of the city’s redevelopment plans, 24-year-old Natalie Schneider is reopening the music venue in a new location.
Small Planet is set to reopen at 16800 S. Chandler Road in mid-July.
A developing area
While its new location near Chandler Crossing is farther from downtown East Lansing than the old location of 220 M.A.C. Ave., Schneider said she is not concerned about attracting guests.
“We’ve got all the apartment complexes (out there), and Bath Township is really developing,” she said. “We’ve got the water park there and golf courses, and we hope we attract people from those places.”
The complex near Chandler Crossing where Small Planet is opening currently has Hair and Body Elements, Institute of Traditional Asian Martial Arts, Kevalli’s Pub & Pizzeria and a hair school.
Jim van Ravensway, East Lansing’s director of Planning and Community Development, said although many MSU students live in the area, the complex is technically a part of Bath Township, and the city of East Lansing has nothing to do with its development.
“I know the developers wanted to have more of a downtown area, it just hasn’t gotten to that point,” said Ann Marie Kerby, assistant planner for Bath Township.
The township is planning to develop the area commercially, but developers are not buying as quickly as they were expected to, due to the economy, Kerby said.
“I don’t know when the economy is going to turn around, but will probably take a couple of years (to develop), is my guess,” she said.
Updating the venue
Schneider said she wants the venue to have the same feel as before, but she wants to make it more than a nightclub.
“I don’t want it to turn into just a college bar — I want to create an intimate atmosphere where people also want to come in and have dinner,” she said.
Jaime Schneider, Natalie’s 21-year-old sister, said Small Planet will offer a variety of options for guests.
“We’re going to have food, so during day (it’s a) family atmosphere, and at night we’ll have live bands, comedians, lots of different things – we’re trying to provide to everyone,” she said.
Small Planet will feature ethnic food, especially Caribbean and Mexican food, along with vegetarian dishes, said Vaughn Schneider, the general manager of Small Planet, and Natalie and Jaime’s father. Although Vaughn Schneider has been involved with Small Planet since its beginning, he decided to let his daughters be in charge.
“He’s getting older, (and) he knows in the end it’s going to be my sister and I running it,” said Jaime Schneider. “He’s trying to get us ready for (that), because we plan on having it for a long time.”
Jaime Schneider is going to start off as a bartender, and said she will basically be doing whatever her family needs.
The history of Small Planet
Vaughn Schneider first brought Small Planet to East Lansing in 1974 as a vitamin store with a lunch counter. Once stores like Meijer and GNC came into the area, he turned Small Planet into a place for fine dining, known for its natural ingredients, Natalie Schneider said.
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After East Lansing became more of a college town, Small Planet turned into mostly a college bar to cater to the students, providing a lot of live entertainment, with bands such as Kid Rock and Weezer, she said.
“(This time), we plan to bring in quite a few national acts (again), and a lot of local bands,” she said. “It will be a huge variety — some country, some rock ‘n’ roll, some jazz and blues — we want to try to cater to everybody.”
The city of East Lansing bought the building Small Planet was leasing in 2000, in order to develop City Center I, said Ted Staton, city manager of East Lansing. City Center I was a development project that included Cosi, Barnes & Noble and CVS Pharmacy.
“The city was very anxious to redevelop that block,” he said.
Vaughn Schneider decided to close Small Planet after this.
“At that time, my dad just wasn’t ready to relocate, (but) now that my sister and I are older, we can help him out a little bit more,” Natalie Schneider said.
