Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, near Pasadena Avenue, was historically an important business corridor in the city, linked directly into the surrounding neighborhoods. A weekly initiative led by the King Avenue PLUS neighborhood association is delivering a modern take on that history on Mondays through August 24.
On Momentum and Motivation Mondays, a wide range of vendors, community partners, food trucks, and others set up booths on both sides of MLK just south of Pasadena, near the Neighborhood Engagement Hub (3216 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue) and in front of Flint Public Art Project murals depicting scenes from the Civil Rights movement painted by Kevin ‘Scraps’ Burdick.
“We’ve done annual pop-ups for the last three or four years but this is the first time that we’re doing something totally different,” said Susaye Brewer, who serves King Avenue PLUS and helps organize Momentum and Motivation Mondays. “This year, what we’re doing is activating the historical business district. We are in partnership with both local business owners, whether they are marketplace vendors or food truck vendors, and also community partners to provide resources for residents that live in this area.”
The weekly popups began in June, and have steadily gained in popularity – in fact, Brewer said that they’ve already had to modify their hours because of interest. Now they are open on Mondays from 1-6:30 p.m. (previously, it was 11 a.m.-5 p.m.) in order to provide people with time after work to shop and visit with vendors.
“Due to popular demand, we’ve already had to change our timing,” Brewer said.
Mondays also often include music, games, and other fun to create a vibrant and festive environment. The events also simply promote foot traffic in the corridor and surrounding neighborhood. Several residents already use the Neighborhood Engagement Hub’s tool shed and other resources in the summer, and the popups are one more way to build community.
“The most important thing that we’re trying to do is not only connect residents to local businesses so they’ll know what services and products that they provide, but also to provide information from community partners so they’ll be able to know what resources are out there,” Brewer said. “And we’re trying to actually boost the local economy. So we’re providing foot traffic, we’re providing consistency, and placemaking, because a part of the activation is revitalization and beautification.”
A key component of the space that King Avenue PLUS has created is that it is free to vendors (called ‘activation corridor partners’) because Brewer doesn’t want cost to be a barrier to anyone participating. That has resulted in approximately 50 participants so far, representing a wide range of businesses and organizations, and there are still spots available for people interested. Vendors can reach out to Susaye Brewer at (810) 336-9897 or kingaveplus@gmail.com for information.
“So far it’s been positive energy, positive connection,” Brewer said. “It’s been dancing in the street, good foods, good vibes. We’ve become a positive visual, and it’s been just really good interactions. Just come on out, enjoy, have a good time, we wanna see you there.”
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to catch up on all of our headlines every Tuesday.
