Supportive community makes Jonesville tick
"It's a good, wholesome community. People really care about their neighbors."
Liz Klimas
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: Focus
The corner of E. Chicago Road and West Street in Jonesville, Mich. is lined with cars Saturday evenings. Patrons wander the streets, stopping at a shop or eatery. But by 10 p.m. the corner is desolate and the town is sleepy.
Only 10 minutes from campus by a winding country road or Michigan 99 highway, Jonesville is home to restaurants ranging from fine dining to Mexican fiesta, Wal-Mart and many small shops. And while Jonesville has had its ups and downs economically - currently a down - the focus on local support and reverence for town history keeps the community going.
"Here you have a very positive and forward community," Interim City Manager Bob Snow said. "There really is a sense of people wanting to do the right thing for their community."
If you build it, they will come
Wayne Babcock moved back to his hometown of Hillsdale, Mich. in 2001 to be closer to his parents. With him he brought back the skills necessary to open his own restaurant - The ChicagoWater Grill, located on US 12 - and in turn brought traffic, economic growth and culture back into Jonesville's downtown.
"When ChicagoWater Grill came in I thought he was nuts," David Trippet, long-time area resident and owner of Marcella's said. "I thought when Wayne put that place in, there way no way it would fly. Well, shame on me."
Three years later The Gathering II, now known as Marcella's, was opened. Babcock said the first owner of The Gathering II saw the traffic the grill attracted and noticed the need for a coffee shop locally.
Trippet also grew up in Hillsdale County and "always thought it would be cool to have an ice-cream parlor." He and his wife, Marcella, began looking for a building in the Hillsdale and Jonesville area and got a tip the building they currently own was going on the market.
They made some renovations to the original building in a of turn-of-the-century theme, as well as the space next door which now serves Mackinac Island Fudge Ice-Cream. The waiters and waitresses even sport Victorian-era attire.
Trippet's next phase for the building is to renovate the top floors back into a hotel. The upper floors will have five rooms, two suites and a conference room. Trippet hopes to install a manual elevator complete with a bell man and will continue remodeling in turn-of-the-century fashion.
"It is not an original idea but it was to this area," he said.
More restaurants have brought business to Jonesville as well: Saucy Dogs, a barbeque restaurant, opened in April of 2006, and Los Mariachis, a Mexican restaurant, opened in late 2007.
Trippet said he thinks if the area would embrace tourism more, the economy would benefit.
"If the community would get out of the rut in thinking that more industry is the answer to our economic woes, we could see a boom in bringing in outside money," he said. "People would come if we had something for them to come to."
Jonesville does support industry with The Jonesville Industrial Park and, also outside of the downtown area, sees the Wal-Mart plaza as an economic draw.
"I know that Jonesville has huge packages to offer factories - tax incentives, free land - all for a 10 year commitment," Babcock said of industrial businesses looking to come to the area.
Snow said Jonesville supports all kinds of growth: economic and residential. But like much of Michigan, the village has recently taken a hard hit economically. Despite the success of some businesses, it's a struggle to bring industry to the town, he said.
"We have taken a hit too," Snow said. "But as a whole, I think Jonesville is surviving and growing."
Keeping the old
Powers Clothing, Inc., a men's clothing store, has been in the same family since 1890 and is still going strong. Dave Pope, co-owner and corporation president of Powers Clothing, attributes the store's success to its quality and business practices.
"For one thing, we are content to live within our means," Pope said. "From a business standpoint we offer people fair prices and still do things like wrap [purchases] at Christmas. I was wrapping myself just the other day."
Mainstreet Pizza has also had a long tradition in the town since it began operating 18 years ago.
"This area needed a pizza place at the time," said owner Don Gilbert, who owns four other pizza parlors around the state.
"Business is good. We've had our ups and downs. It's not as good as it was 15 years ago with the economy and more competition in the area."
Keeping it local
Babcock said one special thing about Jonesville is the resident's commitment to keeping things local.
"Anything that I can buy locally I will," he said.
Babcock also said he likes how he knows about half his customers by name.
"It's a good wholesome community," Snow said. "People really care about their neighbors."
Hillsdale College Collegian 2007
Only 10 minutes from campus by a winding country road or Michigan 99 highway, Jonesville is home to restaurants ranging from fine dining to Mexican fiesta, Wal-Mart and many small shops. And while Jonesville has had its ups and downs economically - currently a down - the focus on local support and reverence for town history keeps the community going.
"Here you have a very positive and forward community," Interim City Manager Bob Snow said. "There really is a sense of people wanting to do the right thing for their community."
If you build it, they will come
Wayne Babcock moved back to his hometown of Hillsdale, Mich. in 2001 to be closer to his parents. With him he brought back the skills necessary to open his own restaurant - The ChicagoWater Grill, located on US 12 - and in turn brought traffic, economic growth and culture back into Jonesville's downtown.
"When ChicagoWater Grill came in I thought he was nuts," David Trippet, long-time area resident and owner of Marcella's said. "I thought when Wayne put that place in, there way no way it would fly. Well, shame on me."
Three years later The Gathering II, now known as Marcella's, was opened. Babcock said the first owner of The Gathering II saw the traffic the grill attracted and noticed the need for a coffee shop locally.
Trippet also grew up in Hillsdale County and "always thought it would be cool to have an ice-cream parlor." He and his wife, Marcella, began looking for a building in the Hillsdale and Jonesville area and got a tip the building they currently own was going on the market.
They made some renovations to the original building in a of turn-of-the-century theme, as well as the space next door which now serves Mackinac Island Fudge Ice-Cream. The waiters and waitresses even sport Victorian-era attire.
Trippet's next phase for the building is to renovate the top floors back into a hotel. The upper floors will have five rooms, two suites and a conference room. Trippet hopes to install a manual elevator complete with a bell man and will continue remodeling in turn-of-the-century fashion.
"It is not an original idea but it was to this area," he said.
More restaurants have brought business to Jonesville as well: Saucy Dogs, a barbeque restaurant, opened in April of 2006, and Los Mariachis, a Mexican restaurant, opened in late 2007.
Trippet said he thinks if the area would embrace tourism more, the economy would benefit.
"If the community would get out of the rut in thinking that more industry is the answer to our economic woes, we could see a boom in bringing in outside money," he said. "People would come if we had something for them to come to."
Jonesville does support industry with The Jonesville Industrial Park and, also outside of the downtown area, sees the Wal-Mart plaza as an economic draw.
"I know that Jonesville has huge packages to offer factories - tax incentives, free land - all for a 10 year commitment," Babcock said of industrial businesses looking to come to the area.
Snow said Jonesville supports all kinds of growth: economic and residential. But like much of Michigan, the village has recently taken a hard hit economically. Despite the success of some businesses, it's a struggle to bring industry to the town, he said.
"We have taken a hit too," Snow said. "But as a whole, I think Jonesville is surviving and growing."
Keeping the old
Powers Clothing, Inc., a men's clothing store, has been in the same family since 1890 and is still going strong. Dave Pope, co-owner and corporation president of Powers Clothing, attributes the store's success to its quality and business practices.
"For one thing, we are content to live within our means," Pope said. "From a business standpoint we offer people fair prices and still do things like wrap [purchases] at Christmas. I was wrapping myself just the other day."
Mainstreet Pizza has also had a long tradition in the town since it began operating 18 years ago.
"This area needed a pizza place at the time," said owner Don Gilbert, who owns four other pizza parlors around the state.
"Business is good. We've had our ups and downs. It's not as good as it was 15 years ago with the economy and more competition in the area."
Keeping it local
Babcock said one special thing about Jonesville is the resident's commitment to keeping things local.
"Anything that I can buy locally I will," he said.
Babcock also said he likes how he knows about half his customers by name.
"It's a good wholesome community," Snow said. "People really care about their neighbors."
Hillsdale College Collegian 2007
Be the first to comment on this story