Behind the Scenes - Downtown for Halloween
Downtown businesses and event organizers love the seasons and Halloween is no different. This year there are no less than 10 Halloween themed events/promotions taking place downtown Muskegon. From pumpkin carving at the Library, to decked out symphony musicians, to a costume parade at the Farmer's Market, to Scarefest at the Harbor Theater; there is not shortage of opportunities to get spooked downtown this Halloween. One event that is sure to spill into the streets is the Monster Pub Crawl, organized by Clear Channel station WMRR. We caught up with Andy O'Riley to get the scoop on this event, so you can make plans to show off your costume downtown this Halloween.
MS: Who’s participating in the crawl this weekend?
AO: Racquet’s, The MAC, Tipsy Toad, Mike's Inn and the Holiday Inn. It is a great collaboration of all the downtown business owners. I think they all agree that events like this will lead to the long-term success of downtown, plus they all get a chance to one-up each other on special events all night.
MS: What promotions are in store for costumed crawlers this weekend?
AO: There will be costume contests all evening long. We try to stagger them out so every spot gets their time to shine with events. Plus, WMRR is offering a $250 prize to participants that complete the "crawl". There are no set start times or places, every bar will have punch cards and when they complete the stops, they can drop them off at the last one with their name and number on it. I gotta tell you too, the costumes last year were outstanding. The great thing too is that every bar offers a little different atmosphere....there is something for everyone. A nice thing too, is the special rate the Holiday Inn is offering to help people stay safe out there and not drink and drive.
MS: This is not the first downtown pub-crawl. What other crawls have been held downtown and what makes downtown a great place for a crawl?
AO: We got the idea rolling on St Patrick's Day a few years ago. We added Halloween and a pre Bike Time event too. We want to make sure these events stay special. The turnout is usually great, and I would hate to see it become the status quo and get lost in the infinite list of things for folks to do. What makes downtown so great? Easy! Location is great. We have a group of merchants that work together to make it successful and best of all, everything is within walking distance, so designate a driver and be a part of it.
MS: Clear Channel has brought other events downtown as well. Let our readers know which events you are a part of and if there are any new exciting concepts on the way.
AO: One of the best events we have been able to bring to downtown is Moosefest for our sister station WMUS. It has grown over the years from an acoustic deal to a full day of top country acts. It is just great to see them have such a nice event. WMRR loves to be a part of the Lumberjacks...we have a pretty good hand in the Warren Miller Film event at the Frauenthal every year and keep your eyes open for MMA action on the night before Thanksgiving at the Walker Arena. King of the Cage returns, and I think we might have been able to adjust the concession prices a little for the difficult times.....cheap beer!! I should remember too Star 108 and their "Work Aholic Women’s Wednesdays". I have seen the Port City Princess having some mighty fine times over the last few years.
MS: Well, thanks for your part in bringing vitality downtown Muskegon!
AO: It is our pleasure! Thanks to Monster Energy drink, all of the downtown bars and restaurants and most of all our listeners that come out to support all of the nightlife downtown. We hope that this year is the best yet for the MONSTER Pub Crawl
Check it out on the web
WMRR Website Crawl Page
Labels: Downtown Muskegon E-News
Behind the Scenes – Building on Third Takes a Turn
We’ve reported on Third St progress numerous times over the last years, as property by property, this district is making a comeback. Over the summer one of the last pieces of the puzzle fell into place when Brad Link of Orphanage Tattoos, purchased the attached building to his at 1121 Third St. Brad is a long time Third Street believer and this next venture is sure to solidify that with his new investment. We caught up with Brad to talk about Third St, his current business, and plans for 1121 Third St.
MS: Brad, tell us a little about the history of your involvement and your current business on Third St.
BL: I bought 1125 Third St, the building that houses my current business, the Orphanage, in May 2003 and opened the shop of July that same year. As the building had been a tattoo parlor prior to my purchase the location made a lot of sense, and I was able to open with only some minor renovations. Even just 5 years ago it was amazing how different Third St was. Neighborhood Investment Corporation had just completed their overhaul of 1115 Third St, but other than my business, there were only two other businesses in the district. Now pretty much every storefront is occupied and a lot of improvements have been made to many of the buildings. In addition to owning my business here, I live above my shop, which has also proved extremely helpful in improving the area as you don’t get looked at as someone who is only around during business hours.
MS: Tell us about some of the changes that you have noticed over the years that helped you make a decision to make a new investment.
BL: Well I mentioned the changes to many of the buildings, but in addition to that I really pursued the purchase of 1121 Third as my current property has a shared wall with it, and because the lack of maintenance and the blighted storefront was hurting my property. Over the years a number of customers have commented on how the blight made them less interested in coming to my shop. So when the opportunity came up, I jumped on it.
MS: You came to own 1121 by purchasing it from the Muskegon County Land Bank. How did that work?
BL: The former owner lost the property through tax foreclosure and recently Muskegon County created a Land Bank, which is an entity that can choose to retain ownership of property for resale or redevelopment, rather than putting every single property up for public auction. This process gives the Land Bank more control over the type of buyer they pass the property on to. This spring I was informed the Land Bank had taken the property and as I had been interested in the property even prior to the foreclosure I began discussions with them, and the Land Bank seeing me as a responsible, adjacent property owner, sold me the property.
MS: Looks like you have already gotten down to work on fixing up the building. What improvements are you working on?
BS: As I mentioned, the property had been pretty blighted prior to me taking ownership. The windows had been boarded up, and the entire front retail space was full of junk and crumbling. So I have already cleaned the space up, filling up a number of dumpsters, as well as installed new windows and doors. This week an entire new storefront is being installed, complete with a new window and door system. I probably wouldn’t have considered the new storefront except I was able to take advantage of the City of Muskegon façade program, which will cover half of the cost.
MS: Any firm plans regarding what you might do with the space once you complete the improvements?
BS: I had considered just fixing up the building to the point where it wouldn’t negatively impact my current building, but after some thought I am pursuing the opening of a bicycle sales, rental, and fixit, location. I’m kind of a gearhead and my collection of bikes had already been growing so it seemed kind of a logical step. As I am pretty busy with the tattoo parlor already, I am looking at putting some of my friends to work in the shop. It could be a win-win. The plan is open that next spring when cycling season begins again.
MS: Well, it is great to see small business owners being able to take a chance on investing in property and getting business off the ground on Third St. Thanks for your hard work and dedication.
BS: You’re welcome.
Check it out on the web
Orphanage Tattoo
Muskegon County Land Bank
Labels: Downtown Muskegon E-News
Downtown businesses and event organizers love the seasons and Halloween is no different. This year there are no less than 10 Halloween themed events/promotions taking place downtown Muskegon. From pumpkin carving at the Library, to decked out symphony musicians, to a costume parade at the Farmer's Market, to Scarefest at the Harbor Theater; there is not shortage of opportunities to get spooked downtown this Halloween. One event that is sure to spill into the streets is the Monster Pub Crawl, organized by Clear Channel station WMRR. We caught up with Andy O'Riley to get the scoop on this event, so you can make plans to show off your costume downtown this Halloween. 
AO: Racquet’s, The MAC, Tipsy Toad, Mike's Inn and the Holiday Inn. It is a great collaboration of all the downtown business owners. I think they all agree that events like this will lead to the long-term success of downtown, plus they all get a chance to one-up each other on special events all night. 
AO: We got the idea rolling on St Patrick's Day a few years ago. We added Halloween and a pre Bike Time event too. We want to make sure these events stay special. The turnout is usually great, and I would hate to see it become the status quo and get lost in the infinite list of things for folks to do. What makes downtown so great? Easy! Location is great. We have a group of merchants that work together to make it successful and best of all, everything is within walking distance, so designate a driver and be a part of it. 
AO: One of the best events we have been able to bring to downtown is Moosefest for our sister station WMUS. It has grown over the years from an acoustic deal to a full day of top country acts. It is just great to see them have such a nice event. WMRR loves to be a part of the Lumberjacks...we have a pretty good hand in the Warren Miller Film event at the Frauenthal every year and keep your eyes open for MMA action on the night before Thanksgiving at the Walker Arena. King of the Cage returns, and I think we might have been able to adjust the concession prices a little for the difficult times.....cheap beer!! I should remember too Star 108 and their "Work Aholic Women’s Wednesdays". I have seen the Port City Princess having some mighty fine times over the last few years. 
