By Alexandria Webb
There are many treasures and gems that can be found in the city of Grand Rapids, and local treasure hunters now have a new place to shop with the recent opening of the city’s newest vendor market, the Crow’s Hold, located at 200 Division Ave S.
Owner Alyssa Veneklase graduated from Grand Rapids Community College in 2000, with an associate’s degree in Language Arts, and then earned a bachelor’s in Business Administration from Cornerstone University. Early in her life, Veneklase had no clue that one day she would be opening a home for vintage clothing, books, baked goods, crafts, plants, and so much more.
“I actually transferred from Grand Valley to (GR)CC because I decided I wanted to go into photography, and it was like, I don’t want to say renowned, but it was spoken very highly of,” Veneklase said.
Both Veneklase, 47, and her husband Brad, 47, grew up and reside in Grand Rapids.
“We live, work, and play here, so it’s really important to us to help see this community thrive, and Grand Rapids has grown so much. When I came to school here, there was nothing, you just didn’t do anything downtown,” Veneklase said.
Now, Veneklase has created a storefront where people can come and shop from small businesses of all specialties.
“We had no idea we were going to own a retail shop, because we’ve been in real estate forever. I was in retail in my 20s, so I kind of know the ins and outs, and then we had heard about, you know, vendors who need a place to sell their stuff,” Veneklase said.
“I mean I did photography for a really long time. I saw myself doing something creative, which I guess this is kind of getting back to my creativity, and real estate overall isn’t that creative. This has been a good combination for me, of like (a) real estate development end, but also meeting with dozens of artists and coming up with a vision of the space and seeing it come to life has been really fun.”
This idea arose when Veneklase was searching for a way to support local artists and businesses, but couldn’t find a specific location to browse and buy from them.
“And when I was looking for some artwork for our daughter, she’s 13, and we redid her room I was like, ‘Gosh where do I go in Grand Rapids to buy, like I want local art? I don’t want to go to Target. I don’t want to go to TJ Maxx. I don’t want just recycled art.’” Veneklase said. “I called a friend who was an interior designer and she’s like, ‘Alyssa there’s nowhere. There’s nowhere here to buy art. Unless you go to the LaFontsee art gallery and you want to spend $3,000 to $10,000’ and I’m like obviously not.
“So I got to thinking, where do artists in Grand Rapids display their artwork? Other than coffee shops, where do you go? And me as a consumer, do I want to shop around 10 different coffee shops looking for a piece of art? It was daunting to me, so we just kind of came up with this idea.”
Veneklase had decided to take this vision and implement it.
“I have owned this building for seven years, and it’s 20,000 square feet, so it was really hard to find renters for a space this large. We finally just decided at the end of last year, maybe we need to come up with an idea ourselves, and this is what we came up with,” Veneklase said. “So I have been very quickly, like within months, probably six months time, we did construction, we got vendors, we started filling it, and opened May 16.”
Crow’s Hold is centered around the idea of bringing together a community of unique and different vendors.
“Crows are notorious for gathering treasures and trinkets and shiny things, and bringing them back to their nests. So we wanted this space to be full of treasures every time, since there’s so many vendors and they’re all restocking things all the time, there’s always something new and different,” Veneklase said.
Vendors are given the opportunity to express their own styles and personalities through their booths.
“I would love to be an incubator space, to have them say, ‘I did so well here, I’m now ready for either a bigger space here or to get my own shop somewhere,” Veneklase said.
May Southaveilai, 23, of Holland, has been working as a cashier since the day Crow’s Hold opened, and said each vendor brings something different to the venue and has a chance to share their story.
“We get to have a different perspective from everybody, and just get to know their story and why they started their business in the first place, which could be really inspiring,” Southaveilai said.
Booth rental on the main level starts at $3.50 per square foot, and lower-level booth rental starts at $2.75. Where wall space starts at $1.50 per square foot on the main level, and $1.25 per square foot for wall space on the lower level. Veneklase offered different options for space depending on the needs of each person, such as Hey Wall, a business by Amy Carrol and Mindy Peterson.
“Some of these are just artwalls. They just rent that wall, so the cost is very minimal, they don’t have the full expense of a commercial real estate,” Veneklase explained. “We started off our lease super simple. It’s three months, then month-to-month after that. We wanted to make it very streamlined, very simple, very easy, very affordable. So that first time artists can have a place to start.”
Veneklase further explained the idea for booth cost, and what vendors can expect commission-wise.
“We did a lot of research (on) what’s the (average) in Grand Rapids, and we did the lowest. Same with commissions, commissions are anywhere from 10% to 30%, we do 10% and then they cover the 3% credit card fee, because we don’t take any cash here,” Venekelase said. “Most vendors, when they do a market, they’re doing their own credit card machines and paying that fee anyway…so essentially every vendor goes home with 87%, which they’re all very happy with.”
Each vendor is free to tailor their own space to their specific needs and express themselves.
“We’ve told every one of these (artists) to pretend this is your own store. If you opened your own shop, put your personality into it,” Veneklase said.
Vendors also have the chance to partner up with each other and split the cost of a booth or wall space. Veneklase even provides shelf space for those who have smaller products and don’t require a bigger space.
“We’re trying to not restrict them…there’s no restrictions on what they can and can’t sell. As long as it’s not hate speech stuff, you know? Just be kind and loving to your neighbors. We want them to do the best they can, and sell what they can, and try new things,” Veneklase said.
Ajana Wilson, Gabby Fisher, and McKenna Wohfeil are the creators and vendors of Rouge Magazine, and they will be selling magazines and clothing. Fisher and Wholfeil began moving into their new booth and just started to decorate their space. They expressed their gratitude for the opportunity that Crow’s Hold offers.
“We’ve done public markets, but we’ve never had a permanent storefront kind of setup,” said Wohlfeil. “Crow’s Hold is giving us such an awesome space with all these different vendors coming in. The perfect opportunity for entrepreneurs like us to show what we are making here at Rouge, our magazines, our events, our clothing. It’s the perfect space to kind of get our foot in the door permanently, rather than pop-up events every now and then.”
Vendors are not required to stay at their booths the entire time, and they are welcome to continue traveling to markets. Crow’s Hold just offers an affordable, stable home base in a storefront style.
“That’s what they love, at a market you have to set up, tear down, man your booth the whole time. Up here, they just put their lovely things in, and they get a notification on their app, and when things sell, they have to come in and restock. But a lot of times they just like to come and hang out,” Veneklase said.
Veneklase also expresses the importance of having all different types of vendors, keeping Crow’s Hold full of surprises and fresh products.
“It’s also very curated. I’ve been very intentional about who comes in here and how many of a certain thing. I don’t want all vintage clothes, because then a customer comes in here and they’re like ‘Oh because this whole aisle is vintage clothes’. I have maybe three or four vintage clothing vendors, I have one or two vintage furniture vendors. In jewelry, I’ve got maybe two or three,” Veneklase said.
GRCC students who are wanting to either start their own booth or even incorporate one of their side jobs to get involved and fill out an application.
“I would love for, especially artists at GRCC, to know there is an affordable space for them to showcase their work. Even if an art wall is too expensive, grab a friend and split the art wall. We’re really flexible, and we’re really open to different ideas that artists have,” Veneklase said.
She even encourages those involved in the culinary arts to potentially look into selling their baked goods.
“We have some food vendors, we’re looking for a full time coffee vendor, food beverages, come be a pop-up for the weekend, and sell whatever baked goods you are making,” Veneklase said.
Crow’s Hold has also reflected Veneklase’s drive to learn new things. To this day she continues her learning just for fun at GRCC.
“As an adult people always are like, ‘If you do anything what would you do?’ Lifelong learner, I just want to be a perpetual college student,” Veneklase said. “And then one day I was like, ‘Why don’t I? I can’t do it full time but why don’t I just take a class here and there?’ And I started doing it and (GR)CC is so accessible and it’s close to me, and it’s affordable. I can find some (classes) that are only one day a week, some are two. And I’ve taken astronomy, macro-economics, automotive service, and weightlifting. I just have a whole list of really fun topics that interest me.”
Veneklase wants to encourage students to continue seeking information and learning wherever they are at in life.
“Never stop learning, and know that you don’t have to have the right answer. I didn’t go to school thinking that this is what I was going to do,” Veneklase said. “Over your lifetime careers may change. I’ve had so many different careers, and each one was a learning opportunity for the next one. I’ve grown so much and learned so (much), and I gained so much information, from every job I’ve had, whether that had anything to do with my degree. Just have to be open and flexible and do the opportunities that come your way.”
As a young entrepreneur, Fisher wants to let others know to take that leap forward.
“Put yourself out there, you never know…where life can take you and the possibilities that it has to offer. Just put yourself out there and it’ll always come back to you,” Fisher said.
The Crow’s Hold is taking vendor applications on their website. Veneklase does want to let students know that spots are filling up fast, but that doesn’t mean there is not a chance down the line to get a booth.
“I don’t have tons of spots left, but I do have a wait list,” Veneklase said. “If they do fill out that vendor application, I will look at their Instagram, and if I think they’re a good fit, I’ll put them on my wait list.”
Veneklase describes her business in one word, “Collaborative. They all love being in a space with…other artists, and I can already (see) this collaboration of, ‘Oh, you need this, I have a table’ or…’You want to do a small event together? It’s just artists together, (and) I love listening to them talk and all the ideas and the collaborations, it’s really, really fun.”
Crow’s Hold is open from Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday they are open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For those looking to shop at Crow’s Hold, they do not take cash or checks as payment.
