GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Once a place where furniture was made, the Sligh building in Grand Rapids is now home to several antique stores where fancy light fixtures, books and other décor are sold. But the store owners there are concerned their businesses could be in jeopardy, after the city has approved plans to build a six story building near the site.
Mark Miller is co-owner of Lost and Found Treasures of Old and New and says the businesses in the Sligh building attract visitors from Chicago and Detroit, and add value to the small business community in Grand Rapids.
He's created a petition to 'save the Sligh,' and keep the building as it is now.
"We have still not been engaged by the developers or the city at all," Mark says. "What the petition is, we've tried to engage with the city, and its so difficult right now, COVID has rearranged everything we cannot show up in a group to a meeting because there isn't one, so we have to let the city know somehow that what the proposal is not something that everyone is in support of."
Jim Murray co-owns 'Century Antiques' in the Sligh building and says the antique businesses are suited for the current building.
"The building is old, a lot of what we sell is old, and everyone looks forward to coming in here and looking around, seeing the structure," says Jim.
In a statement to 13 ON YOUR SIDE, the city of Grand Rapids says:
"The recent action taken by the Planning Commission was limited to the nearby Southeast corner of Wealthy St. and Grandville Ave. Specifically, the Planning Commission approved a six story building on that site and did not directly impact the current or future uses of the Sligh building. Current zoning allows for the retail at the Sligh building and any decisions regarding current leases are a private matter between the owner and the tenets. As a result, while the City’s Planning Department is certainly supportive of preserving the existing building, we’re not in a position to dictate to the owners which retailer or tenets with whom they choose to do business."
Grand Rapids Planning director Kristin Turkelson says the proposed plan is in it's very early stages, and that its the intent of developer to preserve the existing Sligh building, and convert it into ground floor retail with apartments. She says its up to the current retail tenants and the developer, not the city to discuss their future plan.
"These are great businesses that are an asset to our community, so we're hopeful that they can work it out, whatever that looks like," says Kristin.
We reached out the developer for comment, as well as the current owner of the Sligh building, but have not yet heard back.
For now, the petitions to 'save the Sligh' are inside all of the antique stores in the Sligh Building. To add your name visit the stores and ask.
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