Holland Town Center continues local growth
HOLLAND TWP. — At a time when larger retailers seem to be closing every week, across Holland, there has been a marked emphasis on small businesses.
At the Holland Town Center, on James Street behind Dutch Village, placing an emphasis on small businesses has turned out to be the path to success.
Originally build in the late 1980s under the name Manufacturers Marketplace, through the years, the center has gone through ups and downs, name changes, owners and even a facelift.
And despite some years of famine, according to store owners now in the center, there has been a resurgence within the past five years, much of which the owners say is led by the community of small businesses within the center.
While there are larger businesses located in the center like Gap Outlet and Planet Fitness, the core stores at the Center are a mix of small businesses and local nonprofits including Black Tulip Salon and Spa, Seppo Chiropractic, Funky Buddha Yoga Hothouse, EcoBuns and Eighth Day Farms.
According to the Center’s website, the goal of the center is to provide a revitalized look with a neighborhood feel so it can be a gathering place for local residents.
“As a neighborhood, we are focusing on bringing in new businesses, giving them an improved look in a classic setting,” the website said. “Although it is our aim to bring in business, the Holland Town Center is more than a marketplace; we are striving to become a community, a more sustainable second-life within our city.”
Andrew Seppo, owner of Seppo Chiropractic, opened his business in the Center just under a year ago. In that time, he said the business has seen continued growth.
“We have heard a lot of stories about how the Center has had some tough times when the other mall was built across the road, but the Center has seen a resurgence of smaller business opening,” Seppo said. “That has been the best thing for our business, honestly. There is a fresh feel to the community here and we love it that there are people that walk by because there are smaller boutique shops and customers want to support the local businesses.”
From what Seppo has seen along with other business owners in the area, the Holland community supports local businesses and is willing to shop small rather than going with the bigger chain store options.
“The biggest thing for us at Seppo has been that personal touch,” he said. “Not that you can’t get that at a large chain store but I think knowing that the people who you are dealing with, whether it is EcoBuns, Black Tulip or several other stores, I know the owners because they are there. They are not owned by someone who is thousands of miles away. They are people and I think it is people who are really driving it. This community respects that.”
Although there have been a number of stores that have opened within the last year, places like EcoBuns have been there a bit longer and has seen the rise in business in the area.
“When we bought the store, it was at a time when this area was just starting to see an uptick,” said Marissa Berghorst, co-owner of EcoBuns. “It used to kind of have a bad reputation because it was really empty in here. But there has been growth in the last five years.”
In the months after Berghorst took over EcoBuns, she said the Town Center decided to hold a trick-or-treating event that really helped draw out people from the community and gave people a chance to see the growth that was taking place.
“I think that people in Holland have begun to realize that if they want businesses to stay and if they want Holland to be a thriving community, they have to support the businesses that are here,” Berghorst said.
The success of the Holland Town Center serves as a contrast to the business landscape just across the street. While The Shops at Westshore has a few local businesses that have found success, the mall’s anchor stores are all large national retailers.
And while places like Burlington Coat Factory and Dunham’s Sports remain staples at the mall, the other two anchor stores, J.C. Penney and Younkers have closed or are in the process of closing.
Priscilla’s Boutique has been located at the Holland Town Center for just under three years. Having been in business for 12 years, owner Priscilla Cruz Potter said she loves being located in the Town Center because of the increased traffic and because of the community between the different businesses.
Cruz Potter said the Center has been able to attract new businesses because the already established businesses try to make them feel comfortable and included.
“It breaks my heart to see small businesses go out,” Cruz Potter said. “The big-box stores can sometimes take over so it is just sad to see the small businesses go out. Along with myself, there are places like EcoBuns, Seppo and others who really try to band together and do marketing together and try to include each other in what we do.”
As a testament to the changes taking place at the Center, Cruz Potter talked about her experiences during Tulip Time when she had tourists come into the store talking about how much the Center has changed over the past few years and how noticeable the difference has been.
“For the people who haven’t been by in a while, I want to ask them to come out and give the Holland Town Center a look,” Cruz Potter said. “Come in and meet us and talk with us because we are happy to share our stories and we are happy to serve. To return customers, just keep coming back because we are here to serve you.”
For more information about the Holland Town Center and for a complete list of stores, visit hollandtowncenter.com.
— Follow this reporter on Twitter @SentinelAustin or @BizHolland.