The storefront that used to be Barnes & Noble, 333 E. Grand River Ave., currently is in the process of finding a new leesse. In the meantime, the empty store space lies in the center of East Lansing’s busiest street, an eyesore to passersby.
This Friday, with the help of Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum officials, the site will host The Land Grant, a program that showcases artists whose work focuses on food, water and agriculture, with an emphasis on sustainability. The event will provide artists, academics and activists the chance to spread their message of sustainability, as well as provide a farmers market with live music from 5-7 p.m.
Using this space for this event is a good use of the vacant space on Grand River Avenue. While the space remains free, using it to provide events for the community will spark a student interest in the space, making it more attractive to potential investors.
This should not be a one-time-only occasion. The empty storefront should continue to be used in the future for events such as this until it’s leased and has a singular purpose. Although the owner of the building may not want to turn it into an event space, the store’s floor is not being used for anything else, and the space houses one of the largest floor spaces in East Lansing, making it logistically pleasing for events like The Land Grant’s farmers market.
This event will be an effective way to gauge the level of student interest in what type of store the building could become, which could help lure investors to the space to incorporate a new use for the storefront. The property is highly accessible since it is located right across from campus, and whoever leases it will have student consumers.
The storefront, as of now, reportedly has a couple of renters interested, but housing community events could be a useful way for leasees to test the waters of what new use the building could provide. Because the property is in the center of Grand River Avenue, many students have an interest in what the space will become, and hosting events such as this will allow potential renters to explore the various ways the building can be tailored to a large student clientele.
It also is promising for the city of East Lansing to see that activity is happening in the empty storefront. Many East Lansing residents are nervous that the property could turn into a new City Center II, remaining vacant, undeveloped and not aesthetically pleasing to the city of East Lansing. Using this space for a public event shows that the owner is capitalizing on an opportunity to showcase the storefront as an integral property in East Lansing.
Continuing to hold events like these should reassure concerned citizens, convincing them this property will not be plagued by the same problems the City Center II project has encountered up to this point.
This Land Grant farmers market is a good sign for the city. The property owners should continue to host these events if they want the property to remain attractive to prospective leasees.
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