GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – An art gallery that took the place of an old porn shop is using winnings from a business contest to bring creativity and change to Grand Rapids’ Westside.
In 2016, Stephen and Taylor Smith purchased an abandoned building at 727 Leonard St. NW. For years, the building hosted the Capri No. 3 adult book store.
The couple opened an interactive art gallery, Muse GR, last May. It took a while to reconstruct the whole building, Stephen said.
“It was dark and musty in the building," he said. "A lot of the walls were kind of falling apart. So we just decided to just rip up everything.”
The Smiths took the property through a complete 180. They say their space will be a welcome contrast to its bleak predecessor.
“We decided to just come in and just go in with the mentality that we were going to change the feel of the whole building and the whole feeling that the building brought to the entire neighborhood,” Stephen said.
Muse GR was one of 10 ventures to win $20,000 Tuesday at Start Garden’s 100 Ideas business competition. The couple plans to acquire more installations and ramp up event hosting with some of the prize money.
“There’s some installations that we want to do that’s interactive,” Stephen said. “I really love getting out and meeting people and seeing them use their skills, their gifts and their talents.”
Muse GR will be an ever-changing space, where artists and people in the neighborhood can interact, Taylor said.
“Change and transformation is a huge part of who we are,” she said. “And we want people to feel comfortable embracing change for themselves or even the concept of transformation. It will always have different art. It will always have a different kind of vibe and feel.”
The gallery is a fresh addition to a rapidly growing area, said Annette Vandenberg, executive director of the West Grand Neighborhood Association.
“It's not a restaurant or a brewery or a club, but it's art and it's family friendly and it's beautiful inside,” Vandenberg said. “So we're really excited about having Muse GR in the neighborhood."
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