Local Businesses

East Lansing Council members Erik Altmann, Shanna Draheim, and Mark Meadows said that in hindsight the City should have advertised the eBay auction of the million-dollar public property on Merritt Road. But they think the taxpayers have gotten a great deal.

More billboards in East Lansing, more sorority houses, more alcohol sales downtown, more revenue for the City, more coffee near the Amtrak station, more rental licenses: all that plus the eBay land deal, depending on how the votes go. ELi brings you up to speed.

Photos by Raymond Holt capture what ELi readers reported on Twitter yesterday: it's hard to figure out where you can walk downtown right now. Mark Meyer reports.

Responding to a reader's question, an investigation by ELi's Amalia Medina and Alice Dreger looks at what it takes for East Lansing restaurants to offer outdoor seating downtown. Spoiler alert: they would pay a lot less in Ann Arbor.

ELi's Sarah Spohn takes us inside the house at Hagadorn and Grand River Avenue and into a world bursting with color and camaraderie. B/A Florist has been in the business of selling flowers for 40 years because of the community relationships the staff has cultivated over the past four decades.

“We have had a gratifying and exciting time in the thirty years we have been doing business as Mackerel Sky Gallery," says Linda Dufelmeier. So why is this East Lansing institution planning to close at the end of this year?

Why do City staff say it's OK for Target to be selling alcohol without the required local permit, and how is the alcohol-selling landscape of East Lansing's downtown shaping up with big redevelopment? ELi's Alice Dreger reports.

Greg Ballein says more parking is critical to sustaining businesses downtown. Erik Altmann says it’s time to stop “inducing” driving and parking. The debate at Thursday’s meeting of the East Lansing DDA was intense.

What will the new Target store in downtown East Lansing offer when it opens this Sunday? ELi's Mark Meyer reports.

ELi's Brad Minor takes us inside Sundance Jewelers to meet the Yonkus family, owners and operators of one of the city’s oldest family-owned businesses.

Who is running for City Council? Is P.T. O'Malley's moving into the Menna's Joint space? What happened to the driveway drama? What's the latest with the eBay land sale? Answers to these ELI reader questions and others!

Right now and through the whole month of July, you can park for free for the first half-hour at gated garages and the Bailey lot in downtown East Lansing. ELi's Brad Minor explains the special program and brings feedback from downtown businesses and City leaders.

City Council recently discussed whether to again make some marijuana uses count as misdemeanors (crimes) in East Lansing. But where did this idea come from, and who thinks it's a good (or bad) idea? ELi's Andrew Graham and Alice Dreger report.

ELi Publisher Alice Dreger explains not just the legal process but the basics of running for Council in East Lansing. Three four-year seats on Council will be on the November 5 ballot.

Seams' owner Jessy Gregg seeks to provide not only new and vintage fabrics to experienced customers, but also to help people learn to make their own clothes, so they can feel good about who they are. ELi's Brad Minor reports.