Muskegon family to turn former church into commercial hub

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — A Muskegon family is turning a near-century-old former church into a commercial hub and space for the community.

The Corner church on West Muskegon Avenue was built back in the 1930s in the heart of downtown. It will soon have new life, all because of a Muskegon family of innovators.

“We’re all entrepreneurs,” said Victoria Bernhardt, who already runs a plant shop inside called Little Miss Green Thumb. “There’s just something about the Bernhardts.”

Since it opened nearly a century ago, The Corner has been home to many groups, including the First Church of Christ, Scientist. Until the pandemic, it was an outreach center for the Muskegon Central United Methodist Church nearby, the Bernhardt family said.

In June, the Bernhardt family bought it for about $500,000 to turn into a family-friendly commercial center.

“It’s great to be back in the community,” Victoria Bernhardt said. “I’ve been all over Muskegon trying to find my roots, and this feels right.”

Victoria’s mother, Theresa Bernhardt, will manage a holistic health office called Health From Within. Victoria’s sister will run musical theater classes for kids, dubbed Broadway Bootcamp, upstairs in the auditorium. For the last 15 years, Broadway Bootcamp has traveled to schools, libraries and community centers for the classes.

“Everywhere they go, people ask them, ‘Where can we come and find you?'” Theresa Bernhardt said. “This will give them a home as well.”

The auditorium upstairs, where the church services were once held, will be a space for communities to come together. It can host weddings, reunions, motivational speakers, comedy shows, religious services, plays, musicals and more.

“You name it, you can be a part of it,” Victoria Bernhardt said.

Play Muskegon, a space for kids to enjoy, will be on the ground floor. They call it an imagination center and compare it to a children’s museum.

“Living in Muskegon, we recognize a strong need for community to have many places to recreate,” Theresa Bernhardt said. “We also see parents looking for answers, ‘Where do we take our kids that is safe?'”

The family has been working on the renovations for several months. They’re expected to cost millions, especially where the church services were once held. The restoration of the stained-glass windows will cost $250,000.

“Each window needs to be cleaned and restored,” Theresa Bernhardt said. “There are cracks in some. Some panes are broken so we have to match that glass.”

The group is working on installing a solar panel system on the roof to provide a significant amount of power to the building. They are also improving the bathrooms and adding new disability accommodations. Outside will be an expanded front patio and a pedestrian plaza behind the building.

As the family continues to work on fixing it up, they hope that when the entire center has its grand opening next spring, it will be another piece in revitalizing Muskegon.

“You can tell when you go through Muskegon, Western Avenue is very busy, very lively,” Victoria Bernhardt said. “This Third Street side is midtown, not as lively. We hope to build this bridge and connect these two groupings of neighborhoods and make something special for everybody that’ll last a while we hope.”

Victoria Bernhardt added that she hopes the community gets behind the project.

“We’re a family-operating business and we hope to bring that to everything else going on,” she said. “I hope there’s always some activity going on. Whether there’s a show at night or a play rehearsal in the morning, I hope there’s a constant vibration.”

Little Miss Green Thumb, the first business in the center to launch, is open Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

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