At left, shoppers at Stone’s Throw Furniture, a locally owned store selling modern furnishings and interior design services. Below, Pat Yocum works in a raised garden bed at the Carrier Street Garden, one of two handicap-accessible community gardens in Creston.
Annie Van Dyke, Karen Van Dyke and Jeny Mueller get together for lunch at Red Jet Café, a Gilmore restaurant in the building that once housed the Creston Public Library. Above, a Grand Rapids Park & Recreation Department soccer match at Aberdeen Park.
recently merged with South Plainfield to become The North Quarter as a way to make improvements to the street. Family businesses include Kay’s Pharmacy, Dorothy and Toto’s Gourmet Kettle Corn Shop and Kingma’s Market. The Van Dykes were sad when one long-standing store closed after 30 years, but the couple is thrilled about the potential of a co-op in the neighborhood. “It won’t be the same without D’Amico’s Market,” said Annie, the Van Dykes’ 25-yearold daughter. “But there’s hope that there are cool things to come, and not just things that will fit one economic class but something that will really appeal to everybody.” This spirit of hope and activism and the affordability of housing stock is today
drawing young people to the neighborhood — or, in Annie’s case, back to the neighborhood. “I didn’t think I’d stay in this neighborhood,” she said. My family was here, but it didn’t seem like staying in the neighborhood was a cool thing to do, including staying in Michigan.” After college, Annie moved in with her parents because she couldn’t find a job. Today, she rents her own home in the Creston neighborhood. “I’m having a lot of fun, developing good friendships and getting to know my neighbors,” she said. “It really feels like a whole new city to me. It’s not boring old Grand Rapids, but it’s a thriving place and a thriving community with a bright future.” GR
“There has always been a committed group of neighbors in Creston. The neighborhood association serves as a gathering place.” — Lisa Van Dyke
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