At first glance, All Aboard Travel Agency looks like a casualty of the times — a small, unsuspecting shop trying to survive in the era of AirBnb and Travelocity. But things aren’t always what they seem. “When people see our building they’re often surprised,” All Aboard Travel owner Christina Boyer said. “They often say ‘Wow....
The City of Hillsdale’s unofficial motto, “It’s the people” might have a home in Hillsdale after all. City Councilman Brian Watkins raised the possibility of placing the slogan on the city’s water tower at a Jan. 24 city council meeting. Watkins said he came up with this idea after looking at a recent Board of...
Hillsdale’s property tax exemption programs will save businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars over the next decade. These programs are designed to encourage development of buildings that are unoccupied or wearing down. “We want, overall, for Hillsdale to become more attractive for new businesses to relocate,” said Kimberly Thomas, Hillsdale City Assessor. In October, the...
Over the centuries, the farm has changed: the milk house became a garage, the shed now stores junk instead of ice packed in sawdust, and the rafters of the barn were nailed into a fence and collected in a scrap heap — but enough remained the same for the Watkins’ farm to receive one of...
After labelling Hillsdale an at-risk community as part of his Rising Tide initiative in 2015, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder met with city and college officials Oct. 26 at the Mitchell Research Center to discuss issues holding Hillsdale back from greater economic prosperity and stability. “It’s great to see the community together; the key is getting...