MUSKEGON, Mich. — A few years ago, besides a hockey game, there was not a lot to do in downtown Muskegon. That’s changed. Now downtown has plenty of stuff to do, including a new spot located inside a former bank.
Lumberman’s Vault is honoring its former use.
“We took the vault door off from [the] vault over there. We made that the center point of the front of the bar. We tried to keep as much as we could of the bank nostalgia,” said Co-owner Troy Wasserman.
What used to be a bank lobby is now a food hall with a full-service bar.
Angie LaFever said, “The vaults are a really cool touch. It just... it reminds you that it's actually used to be a bank. It's been repurposed into some place that we can all enjoy.”
“It's just good to see that they're repurposing the building for something else that we can all use,” said Brandon LaFever.
There are currently two restaurants open, Soul Filled and Casa Cabos, with three more restaurants to open soon.
“It's just a concept that has something for everybody. I mean, I think once it's all full with all the bays being finished in here, if you walk in here and you can't find something that you like, then you probably have a struggle finding anything you like, anywhere,” said Wasserman.
On the second floor, there is a salon and other retail spaces. Lumberman’s Vault is the newest venue that has opened in downtown Muskegon in recent years.
“There's so much happening in downtown Muskegon. It's almost kind of like a new downtown every time you're here,” said Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce Rachel Gorman.
She is excited that another empty spot has now been revitalized.
Gorman said, “With Core Plaza, we've seen the success of what a mixed-use building like that can be. So lumberman's vault, it's like the cherry on top of this.”
As a lifelong Muskegon resident, Wasserman is glad that he is helping the city grow.
“When we bought this, we didn't say, 'Hey, let's do a food hall on the first floor.' You know, it just... we talked about what other cities had that would be cool here, and to kind of help revitalize this area a bit and transform this building into something new and fresh and unique,” said Wasserman.
Lumberman’s Vault says all of the restaurants should be open by the end of next month and in the spring, they plan on opening an outdoor bar.
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