MANISTIQUE, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Schoolcraft County couple has broken ground on a revitalization project in Downtown Manistique.
Emily Navarra-Meftah and Eric Meftah have backgrounds in the arts—dance and music, respectively. The two met in Vietnam fifteen years ago, and they’ve lived in Manistique for the last six years.
“We had the intention to open up a small business, so we decided to be students of the area,” Navarra-Meftah said. “We were looking for spaces downtown to rent. We wanted to make sure that it was going to be a viable space for our businesses and tick off some other boxes for the city’s needs.”
The couple purchased the building at 109 River Street in 2023. Since then, they have identified some of those local needs.
“Obviously, we needed housing,” said Navarra-Meftah. “We’re going to have two one-bed, one-bath apartments upstairs. In the rear of this building—given that it was previously a bowling alley up until, I believe, the ’80s—there will be a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment.”
Those new living spaces will be called Roots on River Apartments. The front of the building will become Auntie Em’s Joy, a dance studio and dance retail space.
“I have been dancing for 39 years,” Navarra-Meftah said. “I’ve pretty much lived my whole adult life overseas as a choreographer, a teacher, and a performer. It just kind of fit, and it was important to bring something to the people that actually live here and are going to raise their families here.”
Navarra-Meftah and Meftah are redeveloping the building under the name Modes of Motion LLC. The project has received a $585,820 Revitalization and Placemaking program grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). It is also being supported by InvestUP’s Build U.P. program, which provides $460,820 in collateral support in partnership with Peoples State Bank. Additional support came from the Manistique City Council, which approved a resolution to establish an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act district and authorize an exemption certificate for the property. The building will also feature an ADA-accessible public restroom, which is being supported by an additional $22,000 in grant funding from the City Council.
Auntie Em’s Joy: Dance Studio & Retail has also received a Small Business Support Hub Direct Grant through the MEDC. The overall project carries a projected capital investment of $1,343,790.
“We’re braiding a variety of funds together with this, so it has to be kind of symbiotic in terms of right time, right place, right people,” said Navarra-Meftah. “We have had tremendous support.”
The direction of the project has changed several times since the building was purchased. However, the couple says all that change has led them to exactly where they needed to go.
“You plan your own thing, but you have to adapt to where you are too,” Meftah said. “Where does your expectations and then the City’s expectations hold hands? Plus, the bank and the grant program. Everyone’s in a circle holding hands, and that’s when you get the green light.”
“We’re very excited to make use of this space, create some new memories, and bring some vitality back to a building that has been vacant for so long and neglected,” Navarra-Meftah added. “It’s got great bones; it’s got beautiful brick that we’ve exposed so far. We’re pretty excited to be at this point.”
Modes of Motion held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, along with representatives from the MEDC, InvestUP, the City of Manistique, and Schoolcraft Tourism & Commerce. Pending construction timelines and other factors, the owners hope to have completed work on the building by this time next year.
