And the nominees for Grand Rapids' Best Promotion are…

As part of a series, Rapid Growth is speaking with nominees of several "best of" categories of the 20th Annual Neighborhood Business Awards, a partnership between Neighborhood Ventures and the Neighborhood Business Alliance that honors businesses across the city that have added to the quality of life in their locales.

Best Promotion: Avenue for the Arts, Jenn Schaub/Dwelling Place
Avenue for the Arts branding and events has been one catalyst among many that have changed Grand Rapids' South Division Avenue from abandoned storefronts and littered sidewalks to a business district that has made a name for itself in the regional arts world.

By 2005, the blocks between Fulton and Wealthy had seen significant development. The artists and galleries wanted to differentiate the business district from the surrounding Heartside area. Avenue for (not of) the Arts was born.

As of 2009, Avenue for the Arts events have drawn thousands of people to browse galleries, shop, dine, dance and celebrate the arts.

"Over the course of a year we have seven annual events," says Jenn Schaub of Dwelling Place, the nonprofit organization that considers itself the steward of those events. Schaub helps organize and promote Avenue for the Arts.

"We have three annual events in the fall, winter and spring and four Avenue for the Arts Markets in the summer," she says. During the arts markets, vendors set up booths along the sidewalks, businesses extend their hours and offer special promotions, local and regional artists sell their wares and there's a variety of live entertainment options.

Perhaps the largest impact has been on the retail and dining establishments in the area.

"[During events] we have anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people come through," Schaub says, "and on a regular shopping day our businesses don't pull in anywhere near that many. These are the times when a lot of people get their first re-introduction to South Division, and we hear 'I had no idea it was so different now.'"

Other nominees are:    
•    ArtPeers, 1130 Wealthy SE
•    Cottage Bar Chili Cook Off, 18 LaGrave Ave SE
•    The Meanwhile Bar, 1005 Wealthy St SE
•    Modern Hardware Grill Off, 1500 Kalamazoo SE

Rapid Growth is proud to sponsor the People's Choice award in each category of the Neighborhood Business Awards.

The awards ceremony on November 5 is from 5 to 8 p.m. at Wealthy Theatre. The public is invited.

Source: Jenn Schaub, Dwelling Place/Avenue for the Arts

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].