Williamston’s unique boutique, Bloom, is outgrowing its 1,400 square foot space prompting owner Aly Wendt to look at options for expansion.
Wendt anticipates that the expansion will include renovating the third floor of the building owned by her and her husband, Jeff. The couple bought the rundown building in downtown Williamston in 2003. They renovated it and opened Bloom on the first floor, and moved into the second floor.
Renovating the remaining third floor would allow Wendt to expand her business upward. Each floor of the building is 1,400 square feet.
“We feel really connected in a way, because we’re business owners but we’re also residents of the downtown,” Wendt says about living and working in downtown Williamston.
Williamston has a relatively small downtown area, but this is another great example of the multiplier effect at work. Investment in the community breeds more investment. This is something we've seen in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Jackson, Muskegon and towns all over the state.
Unfortunately, Michigan's economy as a whole is continuing to struggle, and now it looks like the rest of the country may be headed towards a recession as well. That's bad news for everyone, especially the community development industry.
As economic growth slows we will face new challenges over the coming months, but we must not let that deter us. If anything, our work of making affordable housing and economic development projects a reality in Michigan is more important than ever.
Our state has been through tough times before, but with your help we promise to keep working day-in and day-out to move Michigan forward.