The city always has offered a variety of big-name stores for people to come downtown and shop at, such as American Apparel, 115 E. Grand River Ave., or Urban Outfitters, 119 E. Grand River Ave. They are some of its larger business attractions that bring people downtown since Barnes & Noble Booksellers closed.

But what makes the city unique are the Curious Book Shop, 307 E. Grand River Ave., and Mackerel Sky, 211 M.A.C. Ave., type businesses. The ones you can’t find anywhere else and hope you don’t as that’s what makes it special. They are what gives the city its character.

These places have a face to them. Somebody who people know and see every day they go into their stores. And there aren’t too many of those types of businesses left in East Lansing.

What these businesses are not doing is leaving a black eye on the city. They aren’t leaving because of bad business or inability to turn a profit. They could’ve stayed around but the owners had opportunities they couldn’t pass up and the businesses closing were the drawback.

And it’s understandable why the owners are closing up shop. Niche businesses normally aren’t a huge moneymaker and, if they can make more money elsewhere, they should pursue that opportunity.

With businesses closing, it puts a bit of a damper on people coming to the downtown area for these unique stores. Although these business might have been geared towards a specific audience, that audience no longer has to come into the city and can find what they’re looking for elsewhere.

The only hope is that with these niche business gone, new ones will take their place and add something new to East Lansing to add a new flavor.

A franchise store from a big name everybody knows would be fine and bring in business to the city, but what it sacrifices is the city’s uniqueness and character.

And that’s what makes a small-town city like East Lansing special.

Without those two traits, the city loses something. And it definitely lost some of it with those stores leaving.