Seth Rivard and Jeff Sheehan opened the Rockford Brewing Company doors in 2012, taking over a vacant building at 12 E. Bridge St. The pair then bought the old Vitale’s building to expand the popular business that offers award-winning beers and food.
“I had previously lived in Muskegon and was working on opening a brewery there, but was struggling to make progress. Then I got married and was looking to build a house. We drove through Rockford and that was all it took,” said Rivard. “The amount of change here in the past 12 years has been phenomenal.”
He points to local summer tourism, the White Pine Trail, kayaking, businesses and parks as part of Rockford’s allure. Also, the support from other businesses RBC has gotten from the start.
“When you live in a beautiful place, people are generally in better moods,” he said. “And a rising tide floats all boats.”
Ask business owners, Rockford’s leadership and just about anyone who lives, volunteers and works in the city and they will tell you that the people of Rockford are its biggest asset.
“I don’t say that lightly,” said Thad Beard, Rockford’s city manager. “We have a very active community, with people on waiting lists to join committees because they want to be part of our community.”
Candy Lancione, owner of Aunt Candy’s Toy Company at 63 Courtland St. in downtown Rockford, agrees wholeheartedly. “This is a close-knit, positive and wonderful group of people. And that hasn’t changed in the 30 years I’ve been here,” she said.
The small town of close to 7,000 residents within its city limits was first settled by Hopewell, Mascouten, and Ottawa peoples who were drawn to the Rogue River that flowed toward the Grand River. One of the first white settlers was Smith Lapham, who came in 1843 and who was given 40 acres on the east side of the Rogue by a business partner. The partner left but Lapham stayed. As more people came to the area, a town began to form and was platted at Laphamville in 1856.
In 1865, on the advice of railroad officials who thought a shorter name would be helpful, the town was replatted as Rockford and incorporated as the Village of Rockford in 1866. Now its borders touch four townships—Plainfield, Algoma, Courtland, Cannon—from a section south of 10 Mile Road to a section touching 12 Mile Road to the north, and east and west of the river that runs through the center of town. Rockford Public Schools comprises over 100 square miles.
The Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park and Rockford’s downtown are the heart of the city. Bikers ride the trail, stopping to look at the Rogue River dam, grab lunch or dinner at one of the dining establishments, listen to a concert, lick an ice cream cone while watching the activity on the river or the people strolling or biking by. Kids gather after school at the Krause Memorial Library, Rocky’s, Pump House or in the downtown parks.
For Jim and Karen Avery, Rockford’s downtown was the perfect place to open a second location for The Toasted Pickle, at 17 Squires St. Square, complete with dine-in, takeout, and a walk-up window. Its first location is in downtown Grand Haven.
“We picked Rockford for its small-town feel, it’s very walkable, and has lots of shops. We had been looking for a place in Rockford for two years,” said Jim Avery. “The owner of Ramona’s Table cold called me and said he was retiring, had been following us for a long time and asked if we would consider Rockford. We met the next day. I walked out on the deck and, honestly, would have done just about anything to be in that location.”
It wasn’t long before Ramona’s Table became The Toasted Pickle. “Rockford has been so wonderful, and the proximity to the White Pine Trail is like a dream come true,” said Avery. He points to regulars who frequent the restaurant, as well as visitors to the downtown area.
“Rockford has a neighborhood feel. We were thrilled and surprised with the support other businesses. If we’re short of something, like receipt paper or an ingredient, other businesses help. We are not at all competitive; we all really work together,” he added.
For Lancione, that neighborhood feel goes back more than 30 years when she first opened Aunt Candy’s. Now her customers include children of those she served decades ago. She started with about 1,000 square feet of store space, and is now at about 4,000 square feet of toys for all ages. From yo-yos to classic board games, Tinker Toys to baby dolls, puzzles to books, Aunt Candy’s has it all.
“I make teenagers put away their phones when they come into the store,” Lancione said with a laugh. “They ask why, and I tell them that the phone isn’t as important as who they are with.”
That sentiment is the basis for Aunt Candy’s success. “The store is part of Rockford’s ecosystem. There are friendly, good people here who are involved and informed about the community,” she said.
That community appeal and small-town feel makes housing within the city limits an area of concern for Beard, the city manager, and city leaders. Property values went up 10 percent two years ago and 6.9 percent last year, according to Beard.
“Is there interest in moving into the city of Rockford? Overwhelmingly yes. It’s an issue,” he said. “We have all levels of housing, but those are exhausted. There is very little greenspace to build on. It’s a good problem, but it’s still a problem.”
At issue for leadership is keeping up with all that’s going on in the city. The dozen or so parks need improvements and renovation. Roads and other infrastructure need continued updating and maintenance. One of Beard’s 10-year goals is creating a stable mechanism to fund road repair and maintenance, plus making those roads more accessible to pedestrians, bicycles and scooters.
In the meantime, by mid-summer building begins on the Hotel Rose, a $14-million boutique hotel with 54 rooms, two restaurants and retail space. Wolverine Worldwide is doing environmental remediation work on its property within the city limits, and the Meijer Sports Complex at 3300 10 Mile Road will see $12 million worth of improvements.
Rockford is also in the middle of an $8.5 million campaign to expand Krause Memorial Library from 9,500 square feet to 22,000 square feet. The city is nearing 50 percent of the money needed. The Rockford Area Museum raised about $400,000 to move to its current location at 21 S. Monroe St. Each year, Rockford School District second graders visit the museum to learn about the city’s history and explore the downtown area.
“There are so many good people who care about the town and the progress of the town, and support what the town does,” said Mayor Konkle, who taught and coached in the Rockford Public Schools beginning in 1960. He’s been president of the historical society for about 25 years, on the city council for eight years and mayor for two years.
“People are willing to do things for Rockford on a volunteer basis. The city council members are unpaid, the mayor is unpaid; people work at the museum and at festival events. The more people you can get who care about the town and not themselves, the better your town in going to be,” he said. “We want Rockford to continue to be a community that gets along.”
For more information, visit the following links:
City of Rockford: Rockford.mi.us
Rockford Area Museum: rockfordmuseum.org
The Toasted Pickle: thetoastedpickle.com
Aunt Candy’s Toy Company: auntcandystoycompany.com
Rockford Brewing Company: rockfordbrewing.com
Krause Memorial Library: kdl.org/locations/roc/
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