the center building

Art in the Loft, on the 3rd floor of the Center Building, is a must see when in Alpena. Great art, jewelry, and other items for sale. And you can see a Lake Huron view from the front windows.

When I was a child, downtown Alpena, Michigan was bustling. The city boasted around 13,000 inhabitants & Friday night, downtown was the place to be! Right in the heart of Second Avenue was a large three story building that was home to Montgomery Ward & Co. There you could buy anything from a refrigerator to a new hat. Like J.C. Penny & Sears, Wards had its own niche in the American Marketplace. But sometime in between the Fifties and the Seventies, "Monkey Wards" as they were affectionately known disappeared from the American mainstream leaving behind in Alpena a huge (to us) old empty building. Over the years, different businesses came & went. Eventually a group bought the building & over the past twenty years The Center Building has evolved. You can check it out at www.centerbuilding.com & then click on each of the floors & see their individual sites. I won't go into great detail, you'll get the windshield tour today. I have already told you about The Fresh Palate, a unique restaurant with everything made from SCRATCH! On the same floor is Thunder Bay Winery, where you can sample a variety of great tasting wines grown here on the east coast of the Mitten. Down the hall you can look through the window & see Persian Carpets & more. But I am saving a choice plum for last.... (drumroll) Art in the Loft! This place is just great fun! You take the elevator up to the Third floor (yes there ARE stairs if you really need the exercise) and step out into an unfinished loft. When Wards was there, they used it for storage so no effort was made to make it appealing. Today, the rough bricks & huge timbers only serve to make a good backdrop for the artwork displayed there. There is everything from Jewelry to painting to sculpture to ... well let your imagination go. They have classes & what I like is there are tables at the front where the view is awesome. Because most of the buildings left downtown are only two stories high, this place has a view over the rooftops of its neighbors & you can see Thunder Bay. If you're hungry you can arrange to have your meal up in the loft courtesy of the Fresh Palate... the Lifelong Learners (a group for Seniors-but others can join) had a Christmas Party up there the night of the Santa Clause Parade. The meal was catered by Hu Nan Restaurant, & everyone was amazed at how much fun it was to watch a parade in November, & stay Warm! I've made numerous purchases up there as gifts & for myself. The prices are great & the variety is too. Just one more place to put on your list of things to do when you visit us up in Thunder Bay Country.