Businesses and government leaders say they want to see Lansing have a vibrant downtown to grow mid-Michigan. But challenges remain amid with fewer office workers and increasing vacancy.
Joanna Liu left Taiwan nearly 20 years ago to live with her parents in Okemos. She started off preparing sushi to be sold at Meijer. One day, she visited Michigan’s Capital City and became inspired by the activity there.
“I came to downtown and I [saw] a lot of people walk around,” Liu said. “I told my mom, ‘one day I want to have a business here.’”
Liu got the chance to open her own restaurant in Lansing along Washington Square in 2010, down the block from the state Capitol. AnQi Sushi Express launched with just sushi but has since expanded to offering bubble tea and Taiwanese meals.
“That’s special … not too many restaurants [have] Taiwanese food, so people like it,” she said.
Most of her customers have been state employees that commute daily to Lansing. But the COVID-19 pandemic brought much of that traffic to a screeching halt.
The Lansing area has seen a number of businesses close since then, but Liu is thankful she’s been able to stay open.
“Fortunately I never closed,” she said. “I just keep working because I know if I closed then that would be very difficult to come back.”
The importance of having a thriving downtown
Even prior to the pandemic, Liu acknowledged downtown has struggled to be a vibrant place beyond work hours.
Business and government leaders in Lansing often say having an active downtown is important to growing mid-Michigan — and they hope to see the neighborhood thrive beyond the 9 to 5 routine.
But the area is facing a number of challenges.