For instance, during one of the keynote sessions in the Pix, we learned about the cultural significance of the theater and how it’s been a gathering place for the entire county for decades. It was a technological marvel for its time, being the first building in all of Lapeer county with “air conditioning” in 1942! Originally, the building was cooled with hydrothermal, using a complex system of copper pipes that would draw cold ground water up and through the ceiling of the building. The cool pipes would chill the air around them and the cool air would move downward into the building, to which Jim Alt joked that the theater has been the “cool place to be” in Lapeer since the 40s. The main takeaway from this story, however, is that downtown Lapeer has been a center for innovation for a very long time making it even more impressive that the community remains at the forefront of entrepreneurship and innovation today.

Outside of the keynotes held in the Pix, breakout sessions took me to small businesses and community spaces that were both familiar and hidden gems I’d never explored. I particularly enjoyed a session on supporting food industry small businesses that was held within the Doghouse Café – a veteran and woman-owned coffee shop and roaster that supports local dog rescue – because we could look around and see the tangible effects local resources can have on an emerging small business.

Recently, the DDA and Main Street program conducted a large survey of the community’s desires for downtown. Paired with PacerAI data on traffic in the DDA district and ecosystem analyses of market gaps, they identified a need for more variety in cuisine offerings and cafe/collaboration spaces. Because the Main Street staff make a concerted effort to engage in the community, they were able to immediately identify a local couple who they knew were interested in starting a Thai restaurant in the city. They also knew there was a building that had been empty for some time and through many conversations and business planning support sessions, they were able to help this couple purchase a building on main street rather than down on M24.

With the support of the Main Street program, the owners of Kin Thai then applied for and received a $25,000 Match on Main grant through MEDC which helped to redevelop and subdivide the building they had purchased. The Kin Thai restaurant has since become a local gem and when the owners decided to look for another business to move into the other half of their building, they again collaborated with the Main Street program to identify business types that continued to fill gaps in the local market, just as their restaurant had. The Doghouse Cafe fit the bill – with local owners supporting a good cause and filling a need for meetup and collaboration space within the community.

Like with Kin Thai, the Main Street program and DDA were there every step of the way to support the owners of the Doghouse café by helping to connect them with small business resources, a space, and other local business owners in the downtown. It is often easy for those of us who work in local economic development and placemaking to talk about how we can better provide resources and make space for entrepreneurship in our communities, but to see it in action is something else entirely. Being in the space surrounded by my peers and entrepreneurs, it was easy to see what piece of the puzzle we each represented and how those pieces could fit together to make something like the Doghouse successful.

Likewise, attending a session on the benefits of philanthropic and government partnerships on the local economy led me on what felt like an Alice in Wonderland journey to a location that was hidden in plain sight. As my colleague and I entered locally owned Beyer’s Furniture and made our way through their winding showrooms to an unmarked side — we found ourselves suddenly within a small theater room outfitted with a stage, backdrops, and seating! It felt like discovering a secret when we entered the Stone’s Throw Theater which is home to local adult and youth theater troupes. While learning about the Lapeer County Community Foundation and the Lapeer Economic Development Corporation, we also learned about the space and the kind of life it holds within the community. Beyer’s Furniture not only makes space for the theater but collaborates with the troupes for “dinner and a show” evenings where food is catered in from a main street restaurant. These meals are enjoyed in the kitchenette showrooms, followed by a theater experience in the Stone’s Throw Theater room. I might not have ever found the little theater on my own and it is now on my radar to attend some of their productions in the future.

Rediscovering downtown Lapeer left a deep impression on me, but what stood out most vividly was the strong and supportive network of collaboration and support within the community. From the City and DDA/Main Street, to philanthropy, entrepreneurs, and the County – individuals and organizations are ready to roll up their sleeves, come together, and make the community a great place to live, play, and start a business. Because of this collaboration, the main street corridor is a far cry from the largely empty and aging strip it was just ten years ago. Today, the downtown is lively and robust with a 97% occupancy rate, 77 residential units, and 110 unique businesses.

I’ve explored some of this collaboration in depth previously in an interview with Lapeer County Community Foundation (LCCF) director, Nancy Boxy, but it was truly amazing to see the sheer extent of cross-sector partnership within the community. From the small things like the rainbow crosswalk, which was painted by community volunteers to visually mark the boundaries of the social district, to the large projects like the reimagining of the now vacant Opera House property as a multi-use five story structure replete with storefronts, a boutique hotel, and three floors of residential, it was clear that all of these projects were successful because of shared vision across the community and the multitude of stakeholders partnering together.

It’s not just the fact that the community is ready and willing to come together around a project that left a strong impression - Lapeer’s success is largely also the product of the community’s willingness to innovate and try something new.

Over the past decade the collaborative network in Lapeer has: 1) prepared and redeveloped three sites through the Redevelopment Ready Communities (RRC) program; 2) opened one of the state’s first social districts in 2021; 3) had eight small businesses awarded $25,000 Match on Main grants; 4) used the Public Spaces Community Places crowdfunding and match program through MEDC for two projects; 5) continuously run a small business production incubator with a long wait list and extremely high success rate; 6) and is now fundraising $1.2 million for an accessible playground.

I could spend all day lauding the great things the Lapeer community is doing, but wouldn’t you rather go check it out for yourself? If you are interested in learning more about how Lapeer main street thrives and what small town innovation can look like, hop on over to the historic downtown today. While you’re there, be sure to connect with the City, Chamber, the Lapeer County Community Foundation, and of course, be sure to experience the amazing small businesses, enjoy a walk in Rotary Park, and catch a show at the Pix.