Laker Alley
Where will your project take place?
The Alley between Field’s Fabrics (212 W. Savdige) and Mama Mia’s (218 W. Savidge) Spring Lake
Briefly Describe Your Project Idea:
The alley between Field’s Fabric’s and Mama Mia’s is a small space but has lots of potential. We would like name the alley and have it as a destination in our downtown’s Social District. This could be a great gathering space for drinks, food, art, and local history. Spring Lake is home to the Lakers
Why does your community need this project?
With the implementation of the Spring Lake Social District in 2021, we have been working on adding more public gathering areas within the social district. We don’t have a lot of outdoor seating options in the Social District currently. With Smoke N Ash’s taking over and renovating Mama Mia’s, they are bringing a fresh start to that beloved business and will be extending hours and their menu. They will partner with neighboring Stan’s Bar on to-go orders and social district drinks. Field’s Fabrics draws in quilting and sewing fans from all over the state. Many times the quilter will travel with someone who’s not a fan of hanging out in a fabric store. Instead of waiting in their car, they could come and hang out in the alley, maybe grab a drink or something to eat, read a book, or just simply sit and take in the artwork and local history. It could be a nice family dining option too. Parents could get food from Smoke N Ash’s and social drinks from one of the bars/restaurants. The family could take it to the alley to dine and have family friendly time. We have a need for more family dining experiences in the Village.
What do you hope to achieve through this project?
Having people gather outside! We think this would be a nice amenity for the Village as a whole and goes along with our placemaking efforts. It would provide added value and use of the social district since we don’t have a dedicated gathering spot with the needed amenities currently. Our vision is to see folks come down for lunch and dinner during the warmer months. They can bring their own dinner or they can order from one of the restaurants in the district. This would benefit many businesses in the social district and the rest of the Village. We could even see folks working on their laptops outside on nice days in the alley.
Project Multimedia
Street front view from M-104/Savidge. Field’s Fabric is to the left and Smoke N Ash’s is to the right. The alley is approximately 10 feet wide and 70 feet long. 96 feet if you go from curb to curb. These two locations are on M-104/Savidge and have 20,000+ cars that pass by every day. A decorative sign could catch attention and get people to stop in the Village to check it out.
Backside of the alley which connects to a public parking lot. Smoke N Ash’s is on the left and Field’s Fabric is on the right.
Smoke N Ash’s is currently renovating the former Mama Mia’s building. They will be looking to do a Facade grant and could possibly use some of those funds to help add even more to this alley project.
Another look while inside the alley
View looking from Alley to M-104/Savidge.