Ener Almanzam had walked past Woven Art Yarn & Fiber Gallery, 325B Grove St., many times before, but never thought to take a walk inside until Monday evening.
Almanzam and other local business leaders, professionals and city officials gathered at the gallery — a local business specializing in knitting, weaving and other handmade goods and practices — on Monday to partake in a Spring Social Meet & Greet, an event put on by East Lansing’s Downtown Management Board.
City officials and other members present at the event discussed upcoming opportunities available to businesses in downtown East Lansing, East Lansing Community Development Specialist Heather Pope said.
Pope said offering business owners a casual setting to get to know one another on a personal level was a good idea and served as an important event for the community.
“It’s a great opportunity for businesses to come and find out the resources, events and activities that are going on in the downtown,” Pope said. “(Business owners) can find out what’s available for them and what can help them as a business.”
Pope said the meet and greet was the fourth of its kind and the first to be held this year, and said other gatherings like it are anticipated to be held toward the end of the summer.
Almanzam, operations manager at local financial planning company Green Wealth Management, said coming to the event allowed him to see the Woven Art Yarn & Fiber Gallery for the first time.
“Since I’ve been in here and seen how awesome the place is, I have more of an inclination to shop here and maybe even participate in some of the events going on,” Almanzam said.
The event also helped bridge the gap between retail and office businesses in downtown East Lansing, Almanzam said.
Nancy McRay, owner of Woven Art Yarn & Fiber Gallery, said getting to know business owners in the downtown area and allowing them to see her wares while she learned about their businesses was one of the reasons she hosted this particular event.
“I’m really excited that many of them will not have been to my store before,” McRay said. “It’s important that we know one another, and we know what one another has to offer to the community.”
Jan Pfeiffer, membership manager at the Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau, said it was helpful to meet the business owners of East Lansing face-to-face in a casual setting to let them know about events going on in the community.
“Sometimes during the business day, they’re busy running their own business, so it’s hard to really chat with them,” Pfeiffer said. “This is a nice, casual and relaxed atmosphere to chat with people.”
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