Old Town - Lansing, MI

Old Town Dickens Village: Two-Day Victorian Event Kicks Off The Holidays

This article was posted on Tue, Dec 02 2008 | Permalink

Kick off the holidays in Old Town at the second annual Old Town Dickens Village, now two-days of family fun! Starting at 11a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, December 6& 7, Old Town will be transformed into a Victorian wonderland, complete with free horse-drawn carriage rides, holiday market, live music, special events, art and much more.

During Dickens village meet Scrooge, Tiny Tim, the ghosts and all of your favorite characters from Charles Dickens’ much-loved A Christmas Carol.  Each day at 1 and 3p.m., Scrooge will meet the ghost of Christmas Future, see his grave and become filled with Christmas spirit.  Scrooge will then lead a parade of people from Turner Mini-Park up to the beautifully decorated Turner-Dodge House for refreshments.

In addition to the great shopping and dining always available in Old Town, Dickens Village offers a variety of special events for the whole family.  Events include, an Arts & Crafts Bazaar, kids’ crafts, holiday market, Snow Princess Tea, Pride Band and Sistrum concerts, cooking demonstrations, art & music sales, A Christmas Carol puppet Shows and even a visit from Santa.

Pick up a Dickens Willage flier at any Old Town retailer or calll 517.485.4283 for more information.

Special Events located throughout Old Town

Saturday & Sunday
Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides, 11a.m.-5p.m.
Scrooge’s Parade, 1 & 3p.m.
Gingerbread Crafts & Bake Sale, 11a.m.-5p.m.

Saturday
Kids Crafts & Arts & Crafts Bazaar 10a.m.-5p.m.
Holiday Market, noon-5p.m.
Snow Princess Tea, 1p.m.
Pride Band Concert, 3p.m.
Sistrum Concert, 2p.m.
SCRAP Art Projects, 2-5p.m.
Goldenrod Open House & Sale, noon-5p.m.
Santa, noon-5p.m.

Sunday
Cooking Demonstrations, noon, 2 & 4p.m.
Mural Dedication, 2p.m.
Puppet Shows, 1:30 & 3:30p.m.
Holiday Art Market, noon-5p.m.
Women’s Center Fundraiser & Art Sale, 1-4p.m.
How to: Bows & Wrapping Paper, 1:30-3:30p.m.

 

Shop Local This Holiday Season

This article was posted on Tue, Dec 02 2008 | Permalink

Do your shopping in Old Town this holiday season and actually enjoy your holiday shopping experience while also helping Old Town’s locally-owned stores thrive. Shop our friendly shops for one-of-a-kind items and find the perfect gift for your friend or loved one. Or, if you’re too indecisive to narrow down the perfect present, give the gift of an Old Town Gift Certificate. Old Town Gift Certificates are redeemable at participating Old Town businesses and come in increments of $5, $10 and $25.

Shopping in Old Town is not only a fun experience, but it helps boost the local economy. $73 out of each $100 spent at a locally-owned business stays in the local economy, versus only $43 spent at larger businesses.

For more information on how supporting locally-owned businesses supports the local economy,visitwww.CapitalAreaLocalFirst.com.If you would like more information on Old Town business and gift certificates, call the OTCA at 517.485.4283 or visit http://www.iloveoldtown.org.

Additional Member Benefits Available with SBAM

This article was posted on Tue, Dec 02 2008 | Permalink

The OTCA is proud to provide a free Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) membership to all 2009 OTCA member businesses. SBAM focuses the political power, buying power, and entrepreneurial resources on behalf of Michigan’s small businesses every day! Here’s a sample of the added benefits your new SBAM membership will provide:

Access to affordable health insurance options
Now your business can obtain affordable health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield or Blue Care Network of Michigan. Combine a BCBSM or BCN plan with a Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account, or Health Reimbursement Arrangement for added benefits and savings to both the employer and employees. SBAM members also enjoy free Summary Plan Descriptions, member-only customer service assistance and consolidated billing. COBRA
administration is also available for companies with more than 20 employees.

Expert resources
Getquick–andfree–answerstoquestionsrelated to information technology, human resources and the law with SBAM’s member hotlines.

Discount services
Merchant services, identity theft protection, office supplies, shipping, and more are all available at special member discounts.

Professional services
NuWave Technology Partners provides a wide array of IT services at prices negotiated especially or members. Discounted computer training services are also available from New Horizons Computer Learning Centers. SBAM also offers retirement plan services from Nationwide® Financial Services and payroll processing through Ahola Payroll.

Champions of small business
SBAM champions the small business cause every day at the Capitol. Stay up-to-date on legislative issues affecting your small business by subscribing to the Small Business Champion, a free weekly e-newsletter.

Visit http://www.sbam.org for more information or contact Greg Rambat at or 800.362.5461 to learn how you can begin taking advantage of these great opportunities.

Member Business Spotlight: Dollar Deal

This article was posted on Tue, Dec 02 2008 | Permalink

The Dollar Deal, has been offering exceptional deals in Old Town for more than 15 years. You might be surprised at all you can find in the store. Stop by for all your party needs including balloons and other decorations. Or, check out their selection of cleaning products, the same you’ll find at the grocery store, but priced at only $1. The Dollar Deal also carries food items, tools, pet supplies, baby products, beauty products, school supplies and much more. The Dollar Deal expanded four years ago and now carries more than 3,000 items, with all but a few priced at $1or less.

Now, the Dollar Deal is planning for exterior renovations. Located on Washington Ave. and Grand River Ave, a very prominent corner, the façade improvements should make a big impact on Old Town. President Rafi Aljazi, has wanted to do improvements for the past couple years and is excited to finally start. Mark Haun, a local artist and sign maker, will be painting a mural depicting Old Town’s architecture in the large font window-wall on Washington Ave. side.The upper transom windows will also get a touch of color with information on products available at the Dollar Deal. And, lastly, a new sign, mimicking the current sign on the second floor, will grace the front of the store. Keep an eye out for these changes, scheduled to be complete sometime this spring.

Stop by and check out the selection at the Dollar Deal Monday through Saturday from 9a.m.-8p.m. or Sunday from 10a.m.-6p.m.

Dive Into New Scuba Shop in Old Town

This article was posted on Tue, Dec 02 2008 | Permalink

Walking into Capital City Scuba you feel like you’ve been dropped onto the Caribbean coast and are ready to jump in the water with the sea-blue walls, beautiful mural and tiki hut-like counter area.

Owners John and Connie Iszler have put together a beautiful business and stellar staff at this new full-service shop. The experienced Capital City Scuba team offers classes for divers of all skill-levels. If you are new to scuba diving, you can attend one of their free “Try Scuba” classes at a local-area pool to see if you feel comfortable in the equipment and would like to take the beginner course. They also offer refresher courses, kids classes, leadership and specialized
trainings.

Once you know how to dive, they offer special chartered trips designed just for divers and their families. This March, they have a trip planned to Cozumel, Mexico. And, as avid shipwreck divers, John and Connie will have future trips planned to check out Great Lakes shipwrecks in addition to the warm water locations.

Capital City Scuba sells all the scuba, snorkeling and diving equipment you need, including a full line of Aqua Lung gear. Their knowledgeable staff can also service any of this equipment.  Stop into Capital City Scuba at 515 E. Grand River, Monday-Friday from 9a.m.-7p.m. and Saturday from 9a.m.-5p.m., give them a call at 517.853.9500, or visit their website at http://www.capitalcityscuba.com.