What’s Next for Stores in Saint Joe?

Pink Lemonade, The Buck, State Street Stuff, Jimmy John’s…stores like these line State Street downtown Saint Joseph, with a constant flow of customers filing through. Small businesses in town are a staple of our daily life, but what effect do these stores really have on residents and workers? How many more boutiques and “Pure Michigan” shops can we open before we’re run dry of originality?

Saint Joseph’s downtown is run by sun-kissed tourists in the summer and dominated by events like Ice Fest in the winter. Interaction between people and our local businesses is vital to the popularity and success of our town, and that fact has created a system that depends on easy-to-digest entertainment for those people.

But what about Saint Joseph’s residents? We can’t ignore the basic seasonal flow of tourism and the benefits it brings, but how can our town provide more variety than a second shop full of clever T-shirts? Ne’Ariee Leigh, 11, works at Lake Life, a souvenir store in Saint Joe. “I think it’s a good store, and I like working there, but I notice that the people who come in don’t really buy anything or seem uninterested.” She noticed that there are stores like Lake Life all over Michigan. “It just doesn’t feel like anything new.”

The opening of stationary store Yours Truly, Elizabeth this summer was, to me, a prime example of what could help Saint Joseph even more than traditional small-town tourist attractions. The stationery store offers a simple yet unique novelty for people to discover. At the same time, it caters to the residents of Saint Joe who could utilize it as one of their regular stops. Not everyone can appreciate a wall full of artisan ribbons and notecards, but there are plenty who do.

So, what else should we see opened in Saint Joe? What have we been missing, and who can we cater to next? Nearby cities like Benton Harbor have offered more arts and culture-driven businesses—3 Pillars Music for the record shop fans and unique dining experiences like Houndstooth for those looking for something more substantial than a burger or sub.

Saint Joseph isn’t a “project” city by any means—we’re well-developed and have created a community that thrives in the environment that’s been established. I just wonder what’s next for us and how we can add more variation to our daily lives. Instead of visiting the same three boutiques, can we introduce vintage shops? Why force ourselves to shop online if we could open a running specialty store? The opportunity in Saint Joseph is open, from the buildings for lease to the businesses looking to expand. It’s up to us as residents to take advantage of it.