On Nov. 22, 28 and 29, the Michigan News Agency temporarily reopened for its final sale. The beloved Kalamazoo bookstore closed in February after the owner, Dean Hauck, passed away. The final sale was organized by Kalamazoo Forward Ventures, which purchased the building earlier this year.
“When Kalamazoo Forward Ventures got wind that the previous owner had passed away, we understood her legacy and we understood her passion for literacy, so our organization came in and purchased the building,” said Eric Cuningham, General Principal with Kalamazoo Forward Ventures.
The Michigan News Agency was opened in 1947 by Hauck’s stepfather, and Hauck took it over in 1988. It has been a Kalamazoo staple for decades. The purpose of the reopening was not only to sell the remainder of the store’s inventory, but also to honor Hauck’s legacy and bring the community together in her store one last time.
Kalamazoo Forward Ventures plans to repurpose the space. While they are not specifically planning to keep it as a bookstore, they hope to turn it into something that still recognizes literacy.
“We hope that we can keep some fidelity to her vision and her intent for this space,” said Cuningham. “We’ve recently hired an architectural firm to help us re-envision what it could be.”
The Michigan News Agency was a second home to many. Alex George, a middle school social studies teacher, worked at the bookstore during his college years and has returned every year since as a summer job. After knowing her for over a decade, George considered Hauck a mentor. He was involved in the planning and helped run the reopening and found it touching to see familiar faces in the store for its final few days as the Michigan News Agency.
“I am lucky enough to be still involved in this process,” said George. “I think the whole community felt the loss of Dean. It’s wonderful having the doors open. I’ve seen so many different faces come in here that I recognized from over the years interact with each other and know each other. It just truly is a community that Dean built.”
While there is not yet a definite plan for what the beloved space is to become, Kalamazoo Forward Ventures hopes to create something new that will enrich the community the way the Michigan News Agency did and honor Hauck’s legacy as a longtime Kalamazoo staple.
“It’s not a definite one way or another, but it is a change,” said George. “One of Dean’s things was saying the word ‘onward’. And truly, it is onward. Change is inevitable.”
