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Mr. Sandman might be out of a job. The legendary figure who’s been putting people to sleep and bringing good dreams has some competition in town with a woman who’s got her own bag of tricks for overnight fun and rest, and she’s a hit with the kids.

If you want a true sense of modern-day general store magic, The Counting House welcomes you.

Grand Valley State University is gaining a fresh perspective with new President Philomena V. Mantella.

A few years ago, Jim Torrey started reaching out to new breweries in Grand Rapids offering his woodworking services. “I started cold-calling them on Facebook and asking to make their cheeseboards and beer flights.”

A furniture showroom and interior design firm has moved into the former MoDiv space and it is quickly gaining attention from interested passersby.

The sleek vehicles showcased at Cars & Coffee Grand Rapids (C&CGR) exude a zip-zing panache that unfetters spectators’ imaginations.

The life of a candle shop owner means your trash never smells bad.“I mean literally, it never stinks,” says Jill Bromley-Sung, owner of Wax Poetic Candle Bar, who also comes away smelling pretty nice herself.

“We’ve been here six and a half years. It’s time to put an expiration date on it and move on,” said Kim Carignan, 54, a resident of Grand Rapids’ northeast side. Carignan, who has lived in Detroit, Chicago, New York and Naples, Florida, said she and her husband haven’t been able to make the friendships they’d hoped for in West Michigan, something she said was easier in the other places she’s lived.

As temperatures drop and snowstorms await, local nonprofit Dirt City Sanctuary said even though items such as a proper pair of boots should be an essential necessity to surviving winter, many individuals in West Michigan walk the streets without such provisions.

From monthly visits to Mary Free Bed’s children’s floor to special appearances at Fifth Third Ballpark, Relay for Life, Gilda’s Club events and more, the Cosplay Crusaders are using their superpowers to lift kids’ spirits across Grand Rapids.

Mark Washington, Grand Rapids’ next city manager, is a busy man.

Once Valerie Burkholder retired early this spring, after working for 28 years, she decided to follow her lifelong dream of opening a bookstore.

This past June, Parliament the Boutique rebranded as Gemini Handmade after five years on the South Division Avenue for the Arts corridor. Now, the local artisan-based shop has made another big move—to 963 Cherry St. SE.

The new activewear shop TO & FRO helps you look good during yoga, at the gym or while running (your life).

Michigan Overboard donates 21 percent of its profits to water protection and conservation-focused nonprofits. That isn’t just some random number either, 21 percent of the surface fresh water on planet Earth is right here in the Great Lakes basin.

Best friends since the third grade, Amy Calvert and Kristy Dipiazza started a business together simply out of need.

Jordan Fisher first dreamed of opening a flower shop several years ago, but he was unable to find the right location and his career ended up taking him and his wife, Faten Fisher, to Seattle for two years.

Upon entering the storefront for Treetops Collective on South Division Avenue, it immediately becomes clear that people are at work. Commercial sewing machines are positioned along the street-side window; long tables overflow with fabric, beads and half-finished products; shelves are stacked with T-shirts, onesies and cloth baskets for sale. Women talk, laugh and enjoy each other’s company.

Debbie Harry (not to be confused with the lead singer of Blondie, who will be in Grand Rapids next weekend at Frederik Meijer Gardens) got new feet after a bout of frostbite left her footless.

Canine training business A Pleasant Dog has found a new home. In an effort to expand its services, A Pleasant Dog relocated from Wealthy Street to 1430 Knapp Street NE.