A Community Leads a Development Process
A community of investors, founders, and partners came together to help us develop the UICA building and transform it into Bamboo Grand Rapids, a center for entrepreneurship.
It was around 11pm on a Tuesday night, when my husband said he found a building for Bamboo in Grand Rapids.
In order to build a statewide platform for entrepreneurs, we knew we’d expand to Grand Rapids someday. I wasn’t sure we were ready yet, but he kept insisting, and so I gave in.
We took a trip to see it. The location was ideal. The former UICA building is a purpose-built art gallery space once home to creatives and artists. It’s located right downtown at Fulton and Division. It has an iconic design, plus parking.
Inside we found 40,000 sq ft of art gallery space with atrium style layers, unusable hallways, disconnected floors, and massive energy inefficiency— but we also found a 200 person theater and a 4,000 SQ ft outdoor rooftop patio. It was a wonderful maze of space designed for gathering people. In this design, however, this maze of space would require a massive amount of work and capital to re-purpose it for co-working or any other commercial use.
So there it sat there, empty for many years in Downtown Grand Rapids.
I began to take founder friends out to see it. Ted Viele at Midwest House was one of the first partners of ours in Grand Rapids to encourage us. It wasn’t too big, friends said. They could see the vision. They would help.
So we began a 1.5+ year process that led us through conversations with community groups, city leaders, founders, investors, and led us to an important partnership with Start Garden, our anchor tenant and incubation partner. During this time, I gave birth to a baby, and spent many day trips during postpartum, pumping in my car and then preparing to present our vision to anyone who would listen.
This one stretched us. It forced us to learn fast. But the project finally came together because the public and private partners we found to support it, including the City of Grand Rapids and the State of Michigan (MEDC).
“It really feels like we’re a city that values partnership, a community that comes together,” a friend Jennifer Wrangler of The Right Place said to me once over lunch.
It really truly was and will be a community effort to renovate and reactivate this place.
Now that we’ve closed on financing, construction has begun. We’re set to open later this year. Here’s a look at what the Grand Rapids community wants to see at Bamboo Grand Rapids, 2 Fulton West, a new hub fostering entrepreneurship.
Community Feedback Gathered for UICA Redevelpoment
I personally met with nearly 100+ stakeholders, entrepreneurs, city leaders, designers, small businesses, and residents. Here is a short summary of what the community told us they want to see.
1). Creating a Dense & Vibrant Hub for Entrepreneurs
Grand Rapids has a rich history of entrepreneurship, and a fast-growing tech community. Both entrepreneurs and economic development orgs want to see density in their ecosystem. So this hub will intentionally court additional partners alongside our incubation partner Start Garden, to foster a density of founders, creatives, service-providers and funding sources. Density leads to more collisions. It creates unexpected innovation. It tells a story of a place and an ecosystem.
But really, it helps you build faster.
We are actively courting our next partners who want to support entrepreneurs in West Michigan, please reach out here to book a time to learn more.
2). Creating a Welcoming Vibe for All
Some residents feel disconnected from Downtown. Some college students and young professionals have told us the Downtown areas feels too “corporate” for them. Bamboo will create an inviting and inclusive environment for all. We will design options for low-cost/free participation, through public activations and community events. We aim to provide parking and micro-mobility options nearby, so it is easy and accessible to arrive. Our culture will be welcoming.
3). Activating Building Areas Important to Residents
There are four main physical building areas identified that continue to be cited as important to the city, entrepreneurs, and residents.
The Main Corner →Fulton and Division is critical to see re-activated again. We are considering pop-up retail space alongside our welcome desk and lounge space to show a vibrant and active street corner again.
The Art Gallery Space → The art gallery space above will be renovated and reactivated again for a coworking lounge, and special events venue on weekends and evenings. We will welcome weddings and formal gatherings.
The Theater Space → Available for events of all types again. We are seeking local partners to activate the theater for public use again.
The Rooftop → Many cite that Downtown Grand Rapids could use more public rooftop spaces. We are considering a diverse variety of general programming here (ie wellness events, public pop-up coffee shop, etc). In addition to it’s use for co-working during the weekday, and events space for outdoor gatherings.
4). Connecting West <> East Michigan’s Ecosystems
Many founders have told us they feel disconnected from the momentum in Southeast Michigan, where many venture capital funds, angel investors, and high-growth startups are located. With Bamboo Grand Rapids, members can easily travel across locations and we will intentionally help startups expand to other cities.
We will serve as a bridge between all our Michigan cities, helping partners expand and startups access local support. I am currently helping a Grand Rapids startup navigate a real estate location in Ann Arbor and integrate into the community. I do this for fun, and so does our team. Your growth helps all of us grow. Together, we can foster better collaboration across our cities.
A photo of the theater currently at Bamboo Grand Rapids (2 Fulton / UICA).
This project would not have happened without the support of many many people but below are a few instrumental in guiding us and supporting this project:
Project Partners: The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, The City of Grand Rapids, Bank Michigan, Song United, Synecdoche Design, Start Garden, Midwest House, Construction Simplified, AERES Real Estate, and JLL Grand Rapids Real Estate, The Right Place, Michigan Community Capital among others.
Friends who helped us expand: Derric Scott who advised us on financing and coached me through the process of this development, Richard App who helps retail companies open in Grand Rapids and is the best connector, Melvin Eledge at Downtown Grand Rapids Inc, the entire team at The Right Place for many many conversations, Tara McCrackin for her patience on the sale with Ferris and her kindness, founder friends: Dre, Ted, Rachel & Sadoc, Tyler, Bryce, Carbon Media team, Trista Van Tine, Monica Wheat, Alysin Malek and many more too who toured and gave us feedback along the way.
Last and most importantly, to the entire Start Garden leadership team and board who believed in our vision, and who’s partnership is bringing this project to life. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Join our next public event here at Start Garden. Get a first look at designs and next round of updates.
More to come, but see you soon in Grand Rapids.
-Amanda