Block party

The block itself is a bit of an odd duck. The structure began as a grocery owned by longtime Lansing City Councilman Fred L. Kircher. Through a series of at least 18 add-ons, it developed into a piecemeal mix of storefronts, offices and warehouse spaces. The Allen Neighborhood Center has already turned a good chunk of former warehouse space into the Allen Market Place. The multi-use facility includes an incubator kitchen, a conference room/art gallery, offices, food storage and a large space that hosts its winter farmers market and special events. The renovated space is tucked away on the north side of the Kalamazoo Street storefronts.

Now the Allen Neighborhood Center has its sights set on the south side of the block. The organization was awarded a grant that will allow it renovate two storefronts in the middle of the block, 1607 and 1611 Kalamazoo.

It originally courted East Lansing Food Co-op, hoping the grocer would be interested in moving into Lansing. When the store ultimately declined, Allen Neighborhood Center began to consider other uses for the space. Rather than find another potential tenant, Allen Neighborhood Center decided to move into the space itself.

Allen Neighborhood Center operates out of three locations on the block — the Allen Market Place, a 1619 Kalamazoo storefront and a set of second-story offices — none of which are accessible to the others without going outside. The storefront and secondstory offices will consolidate into the 1611 Kalamazoo space. A new doorway will connect the southern storefront to the northern Allen Market Place.

“It will make our work so much easier,” said Joan Nelson, director of Allen Neighborhood Center. “We’ll all be more accessible to each other. There will be lots of cross-pollination.”

The center decided it didn’t need both storefronts, however, and offered the 1607 Kalamazoo space to Okemosbased dance studio Happendance.

“We were delighted to offer it (to Happendance),” said Nelson. “We’re all about movement and exercise. We thought it would be a great fit.”

Missy Lilje, CEO of nonprofit Happendance and an eastside resident, is excited about opening a second studio in an urban setting.

“It bothered me that you have to have a car to get to our current location,” she said. “When Joan called me, it was perfect.”

Happendance tried to open a second studio about 20 years ago, Lilje said, an Old Town location that “totally failed.”

“We didn’t do our research,” she said. “We thought we could do the same things we do in Okemos. We didn’t understand the market.”

The studio is trying to learn from this misstep, and has already started engaging the community to help plan its programming.

“Joan is already polling the neighborhood to see what classes they want,” said Lilje, noting that the studio is planning to offer dance classes for senior citizens, social tango classes and daytime programs for kids in response to early neighborhood feedback. It is also planning to expand its therapy and wellness programs.

Allen Neighborhood Center’s move to the middle of the block also creates room for another new resident, Sleepwalker Spirits and Ales. The fledgling brewery has been selling beer out of a makeshift space in the Allen Market Place since September, but is now moving out on its own — albeit not very far.

The brewery will take over the center’s 1619 Kalamazoo storefront as well as the 1611 Kalamazoo storefront, recently vacated by Labor Ready, effectively taking over the southeast corner of the block. Its plans include a 60-seat pub with outdoor seating and its own production facility, instead of the Allen Market Place kitchen.

“It’s really exciting. It will really change the look of the block,” said Matt Jason, cofounder of Sleepwalker. “I think it will be critical to the improvement of the Kalamazoo corridor.”

Workers have already started demolition to prepare the space, and the brewery is starting the process of licensing with the state. It is hoping to open its doors in early 2016. Jason, a 20-year eastside resident, hopes that the brewery can be a positive force in the community.

“People have a lot of negative connotations about Kalamazoo Street, but we’ve seen nothing but improvement,” he said.

Nelson said she hopes to have the new Allen Neighborhood Center office and the Happendance studio completed by Christmas. The rest of the Kalamazoo Street block is filled out by longtime residents Kutt II Beauty & Barbershop and I.COMM, an outfit specializing in commercial communication and security systems. Nelson is looking forward to the effect that the block’s new look will have on the neighborhood.

“We think it will further the transformation of Kalamazoo Street,” she said. “We are thrilled.”