Profile

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.

Carol Moore purchased the historic church and is leading it through a transformation.

Sometime back in the mid-1990s, Dr. Luis Tomatis initiated a daily ritual of hosting tea at 4 p.m. in his downtown office. For the 20 years since then, Tomatis has welcomed colleagues, friends, college and hospital presidents, and students, many of them medical students, for conversation, tea and cookies.

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

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.

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.

As a full-time student and athlete at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) and the founder of her own company, Locker Lifestyle, Katarina Samardzija is living her dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur.

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

As the holiday festivities begin, The Hero Foundation wants to remind the community not every family is lucky enough to afford Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas presents let alone pay for everyday necessities. Families coping with cancer are not only concerned with the emotional aspects of the disease, but they must deal with the financial side effects of cancer as well.

Survival and passion paved a path for Triumph Music Academy. After teaching music lessons to pay for college, James Hughes, owner and director of Triumph Music Academy, realized his music lessons were unique.

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.

There’s an old phrase, “Home is where the heart is.” To many, family members mean a full heart. To some, great friends often become as close as family. For the Grand Rapids Women’s City Club, members found both family and a sense of home at the historic 1860s Heritage Hills home, the Sweet House, which the club had occupied since 1927. This past April, due to financial reasons, the club said goodbye to its long-term home and entered into uncharted territory.

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

Don Myers had amassed a comic book collection of 30,000 issues when his college-age kids began encouraging him to do something more with his hobby, specifically, to open a comic book store.

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 need for a safe, accepting environment for teenage girls in the foster care system is often overlooked. Negative perceptions of teenage girls as being promiscuous or bringing unwanted drama to families are just a few of the perceived problems, which make it difficult to find a home.

There are few Grand Rapidians who seemingly have their hands in as many endeavors as Jonathan Jelks.

Kelly Kermode still has the small pinch pot she made in kindergarten. It’s a reminder of where she started and where she’s going when it comes to life and her pottery skills.

Join editors Dani Vilella and Ashley Nickels as they explore grassroots activism in Grand Rapids, “a modern rust belt city.”

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.