Written by Mary Jo White & Published by LSJ, December 21, 2010
Eighty-year-old Betty Gillison has something for everyone in her well-stocked Toy Village, 3105 W. Saginaw, west of the Lansing city limits, originally a centennial farmhouse, from the serious doll collector to the 5-year-old who has only a dollar to spend.
The company is now celebrating 50 years in business. And during that past half century Gillison has made sure that everything she sells is a solid, well-made, classic “something.”
You won’t find Barbie and Ken or anything Disney. There are no teenage Bratz dolls with their eyeshadow and lip gloss.
“We carry things proven through the years that children love,”Gillison said.
“We look for high-quality, safe toys that have been proven child-worthy.”
Toy Village overflows with sturdy wooden blocks, time-tested Playmobile items, dolls made of everything from felt and porcelain to wood and wax.
There’s a whole room with stacking rings and other safe items for the very young. Once a farmhouse bedroom, it still has its original wood floor.
The farmhouse kitchen is stuffed animal central, sporting everything from ferrets and seal pups to penguins, dinosaurs and a very large pheasant with bright plumage.
There’s a huge section devoted to board games, too, something Brigitte Todd, who only recently discovered Toy Village and was browsing last week, said she really appreciates because her family enjoys playing them together.
Todd’s daughter, Faith, 9, was more interested in playing with a set of wooden ramps for racing cars.
Welcoming children to play, in fact, is another customer draw.
Pam McJilton comes from Fowlerville to pick out toys for her grandchildren, sometimes bringing along her 5-year-old grandson who loves Thomas the Tank Engine.
“They’re tolerant of kids playing here,” McJilton said. “Everything lasts forever. They don’t sell junk.”
Family history
Gillison and her first husband, Howard Slagh, an accountant at Fisher Body, bought the farmhouse in 1962, putting an addition on two years later. They lived upstairs, and their two children, John and Cindy, worked the counter after school.
Six years after Slagh’s death from cancer in 1972, Gillison married Dow Gillison, a former district manager with Massey Ferguson, who used to joke that he went from dealing in iron to dealing in porcelain.
Dow Gillison died in 1995 and John Slagh began managing Toy Village.
Gillison remembers children from Windemere Park Elementary, now a charter school, walking the pedestrian overpass, now gone, to buy penny candy at her store.
Now she sees those children’s children. “What we have is second and third generation,” she said. “Parents say they want to show their kids where they came as kids.”
Gillison really has a soft spot in her heart for the dolls. The collectibles come from California, England, Switzerland and Germany.
There are fairies made of felt and an Alice in Wonderland with two playing cards.
There are dolls with hand-carved wooden bodies and porcelain heads, with hair made of mohair and hand-stitched clothes.
Asked which was her most expensive doll, Garrison said she once carried a doll looking at another doll in a window that retailed for $7,000.
Gillison wound up selling four of those dolls.
“If I like it,” she said, “I can usually sell it.”
Another favorite is the matryoshka nesting dolls from Russia, of which Gillison stocks plenty.
The store’s dollar section is important, too, with John Slagh spending a good deal of time carefully stocking it.
After all, a good toy store carries items kids can afford.
Over the years, Toy Village has expanded to include two adjacent buildings, now used for storage, a Website maintained by Gillison’s grandsons and a spot on Facebook. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, too, and form the perfect spot for the annual garden party when doll collectors and designers get together for a weekend. Gillison has a way of making employees part of the family, too.
Phyllis Whipple of DeWitt Township, for instance, has worked at Toy Village for almost 20 years and has no plans to retire. “I just enjoy it,” she said. “It keeps your mind busy and active.” Plus it’s a great place to find gifts for her 11 great-grandchildren. Gillison shows no signs of retiring. “As long as I can walk, I’ll be working,” she says.
Six years after Slagh’s death from cancer in 1972, Gillison married Dow Gillison, a former district manager with Massey Ferguson, who used to joke that he went from dealing in iron to dealing in porcelain.
Dow Gillison died in 1995 and John Slagh began managing Toy Village.
Gillison remembers children from Windemere Park Elementary, now a charter school, walking the pedestrian overpass, now gone, to buy penny candy at her store.
Now she sees those children’s children. “What we have is second and third generation,” she said. “Parents say they want to show their kids where they came as kids.”
Gillison really has a soft spot in her heart for the dolls. The collectibles come from California, England, Switzerland and Germany.
There are fairies made of felt and an Alice in Wonderland with two playing cards.
There are dolls with hand-carved wooden bodies and porcelain heads, with hair made of mohair and hand-stitched clothes.
Asked which was her most expensive doll, Garrison said she once carried a doll looking at another doll in a window that retailed for $7,000.
Gillison wound up selling four of those dolls.
“If I like it,” she said, “I can usually sell it.”
Another favorite is the matryoshka nesting dolls from Russia, of which Gillison stocks plenty.
The store’s dollar section is important, too, with John Slagh spending a good deal of time carefully stocking it.
After all, a good toy store carries items kids can afford.
Over the years, Toy Village has expanded to include two adjacent buildings, now used for storage, a Website maintained by Gillison’s grandsons and a spot on Facebook. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, too, and form the perfect spot for the annual garden party when doll collectors and designers get together for a weekend. Gillison has a way of making employees part of the family, too.
Phyllis Whipple of DeWitt Township, for instance, has worked at Toy Village for almost 20 years and has no plans to retire. “I just enjoy it,” she said. “It keeps your mind busy and active.” Plus it’s a great place to find gifts for her 11 great-grandchildren. Gillison shows no signs of retiring. “As long as I can walk, I’ll be working,” she says.
Eastwood Winter Wonderland
Annual holiday tradition, featuring Santa Claus, live reindeer and more. Visit Schuler Books for storytime with Mrs. Claus. “Countdown ’til the Holidays” Prize Extravaganza from 1-2:30 p.m. Nov. 26 in Center Court where the Radio Disney road crew will give away a prize every 10 minutes. Horse-drawn carriage ride from 1-4 p.m. Nov. 26 and 27, $1 per person with all proceeds donated to Capital Area Humane Society. Children ages 10 and younger ride free. Free gift wrap in Center Court from 1-4 p.m. Dec. 18 with refreshments and holiday music.
Ticket Pricing: Free
Eastwood Towne Center – 3003 Preyde Blvd, Lansing, MI 48912
Short End of The Stick
November 30, 2010
Written by Jim Comparoni and Published by SpartanMag.com; November 29, 2010
A relaxed, glib Mark Dantonio met with media Monday at Breslin Center, as Michigan State’s weekly press conference switched over to basketball season mode. Dantonio lobbied Michigan State’s case for BCS consideration.
“I’m not trying to dis any of the other programs,” Dantonio said. “I’m just looking for a little respect. Just a little, hey, let’s talk about it a little bit and and weigh in on the conversation rather than say it’s a done deal.”
The Spartans (11-1) finished in a three-way tie with Ohio State (11-1) and Wisconsin (11-1) in sharing the Big Ten title.
The Big Ten’s representative in the Rose Bowl will be determined for the first time this year by BCS rankings. Wisconsin is expected to earn the bid via a higher BCS ranking than Ohio State and Michigan State.
Last spring, Big Ten coaches voted in favor of allowing BCS rankings to determine the Rose Bowl representative in the event of a tie.
“It was a 10-1 vote,” Dantonio said. “You know who voted against it, last May? You’re looking at him.”
Almost prophetically, Dantonio stands today in late November as the coach who would benefit most if the tie weren’t left to the BCS to decide.
“If you look at last year’s formula to go to the Rose Bowl, we were the team that would have gone,” Dantonio said, in reference to head-to-head percentages, or the older Big Ten model of inviting the team that had the longest Rose Bowl drought.
Michigan State has a winning percentage of 1.000 against the other teams in the tiebreaker, with a win over Wisconsin and not having played Ohio State.
Wisconsin has a percentage of .500, with a victory over Ohio State and a loss to MSU.
Ohio State has a percentage of .000 against the other two teams in the tiebreaker.
“There should be some consideration there,” Dantonio said. “We should at least be in the conversation.
“I don’t need any bad emails from any other state. I’m just trying to weigh in and do the best I can for our football team and I think that’s warranted in this situation.”
Dantonio was asked if it’s a disappointment that it appears his team met all of its preseason goals, owns a head-to-head advantage, but apparently will not rise high enough in the BCS rankings to go to the Rose Bowl.
“No, it’s not (a disappointment),” Dantonio said. “We’ll represent the Big Ten conference as co-champions. And we are an excited football team, a very excited football team. The Big Ten championship was our primary goal. We will go to whatever bowl that picks us and wants us the most. It’s going to be a great experience.
“It’s not like we are all sitting around glum. We are thrilled as a football team and thrilled as a football program, but at the same time you want the best for your football team and that (the Rose Bowl) is the epitome for the championship team. So I try to go to that particular bowl because I know when you walk onto that field, it is special. But it special for us whatever bowl we go to, and it should be special for all three teams.”
Michigan State has not been to the Rose Bowl since 1987.
“I would rather see our conference decide rather than throw it out,” Dantonio said. “Let our coaches and athletic directors decide rather than some computer. The computer doesn’t see every team play, but inside this conference, the coaches know. That doesn’t mean that we would be going. But if I’m going to make a decision in my family, I’m not going to outsource it. I’m going to make the decision in my family with my family members. I know that may be old-fashioned.”
Wisconsin and Ohio State are helped dramatically in the BCS ratings by the human voting polls. Michigan State is damaged in those polls due to getting blown out late in the season, 37-6, at Iowa.
“I just wonder what would have happened if we would have lost to Iowa in week five and beaten Wisconsin in the ninth week how this would be looked at,” Dantonio said. “I’m a fan of (ESPN’s) Rod Gilmore. He has us No. 4 (in the country, ahead of OSU and Wisconsin).”
But Dantonio has been mildly frustrated that more voters and pundits apparently haven’t given Michigan State much consideration.
“I see people on ESPN, people all over the country and everyone has a particular school that they like and I understand that, but why not us? I don’t know that I should speak to the question as to whether we deserve it,” Dantonio said. “What I’m trying to speak to is do we deserve to be truly entertained in the process? Because I sort of feel like we are being left out of the process a little bit.
“When you talk about an 8th-ranked BCS team or the 5th-ranked team or the 4th-ranked team, the margin there is so small you could skin it with a razor. So why not entertain the thought a little bit more?
“Are people really look at this and recognizing the fact that we played the toughest schedule of the three. We had the 39th toughest schedule. Ohio State played the 52nd toughest scheduled and Wisconsin the 66th, going into the season.”
Dantonio also pointed out that eight of Michigan State’s opponents have won six or more games and are bowl eligible. That’s more than Ohio State’s and Wisconsin’s opponents.
“When you look at statistics against bowl tier teams, it opens your eyes a little bit. We are 7-1 against bowl tier teams. Ohio State is 6-1 and Wisconsin is 4-1.
“When you look at winning percentages of all the teams that we played, it was 541, compared to .517 for Ohio State and .486 for Wisconsin.
“To me, those statistics right there put you at least in the conversation. But people have to acknowledge those things. I don’t know how the computer ratings figure it all out. I’m not sure about that. I watched that last night, that the computers had us 11th. But the coaches and the Harris Poll had 7th.
“I’m not saying we deserve it, absolutely, to be in that, because some of the other teams deserve it as well. But I’m just looking for consideration.
“I’m just here to raise awareness,” Dantonio said smiling, almost laughing. “I’m just raising awareness.
“We are the new guys on the block. We have come the farthest way. We have a great story to tell, where we were last year, at 6-6, trying to get into the Alamo Bowl. We have come a long way in one year.
“We turned on more TV sets in the Big Ten than any other team. We are the most-watched football team in this conference.”
That last statement might surprise some people, but Dantonio is right. Michigan State’s six games shown on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 averaged 4.37 million households. Ohio State’s six games on those networks averaged 4.12 million.
Iowa was third (3.96 million in seven games), followed by Michigan (3.49 in seven games) and Penn State (2.63 in six games).
With Wisconsin expected to go to the Rose Bowl, most observers anticipate 11-1 Ohio State to gain the second and final Big Ten bid to a BCS bowl game, likely the Sugar Bowl. Michigan State will likely fall to the Capital One Bowl, on Jan. 1 in Orlando.
“We’re very excited about whatever bowl we go to, and we will travel well and we will turn a lot of television sets on,” Dantonio said. “I’ve got all the stats right here, guys.”
Stadium District Condos Receive VA Loan Approval Benefiting Mi-Michigan’s Veterans, National Guard and Active Duty Military
November 15, 2010
The Staium District condos were recently approved to accept VA loans, giving veterans and active military personnel the opportunity to experience upscale urban living at affordable prices.
VA loans are available to eligable veterans, active duty military and national guardsmen, and feature no down payment and flexible interest rates. With the option for a 30 year mortgage, a selection of repayment plans, limitations on buyer’s closing costs and no monthly mortgage insurance required, VA loans are excellent resources for both retired military and active duty service personnel seeking beautiful housing in downtown Lansing.
No down payment, combined with historically low interest rates and property tax incentives, makes now the perfect time for veterans to own for less. The Gillespie Group owns and manages the Stadium District, and is willing to work with all lenders to give Michigan’s service men and women the opportunity to enjoy condominium living without breaking the bank.
The Stadium District is a four floor mixed-use development on the 500 block of East Michigan Ave, across from Cooley Law School Stadium. The building features first floor retail, mid-floor apartments and office space and spacious fourth floor condos featuring high ceilings, premium amenities and secure living environment. It is the ultimate in downtown urban living.
For more information about the Stadium District condos and how to take advantage of a VA loan, please call Tara Smith at 517.492.1383, or email her at info@thestadiumdistrict.com.
Competition helps feed hungry one can at a time
November 3, 2010
Going green a breeze at MSU recycling facility
September 28, 2010
Matthew Miller-LSJ
Becky Jo Farrington has turned plastic takeout containers that migrated into the Michigan Energy Options demonstration house into worm transport.
She has repurposed them for storage. She has stockpiled them rather than tossing them in the trash.
Farrington, like her coworkers at the East Lansing nonprofit, is serious about recycling. But when it came to recycling plastic, good intentions ran up against the realities of what local recycling operations would take.
“We didn’t really know what to do with three through sevens,” she said, referring to the types of plastic used in everything from DVDs to yogurt containers to cling film.
Then, in January, they did. Michigan State University, moving into the second phase of a multiyear recycling plan, began accepting not just the standard milk jugs and water bottles, but basically every other sort of plastic.
The Michigan Energy Options stockpile went to MSU’s public recycling dropoff area in two large trash bags.
The city of Lansing began accepting plastics four through seven through its curbside recycling program earlier this month (it still does not take No. 3 plastic, more commonly known as PVC).
But what’s happened at MSU over the past eight months is perhaps instructive – indicative of pent-up demand or, at least, of how a community will respond when it can recycle plastic without having to know a low-density polyethylene from a polyethylene terephthalate.
In December 2009, the month before MSU began collecting plastics three through seven, it recycled 9,800 pounds of plastic. In January, it was 38,500.
“We know a woman who came from as far away as Ithaca,” said Ruth Daoust, who manages MSU’s Surplus Store and Recycling Center. “You’ve got your very serious recyclers out there, and when they find a venue to take materials that aren’t typically accepted anywhere, they come.”
Only one bin
For years, one of the key limitations on plastic recycling was the process of sorting it.
“Seven different bins make it tough,” said Keith Christman, managing director of plastics markets for the American Chemistry Council. “It makes it tough for the recyclers, as well. There is more cost in having a variety of bins. There are limitations on the trucks in terms of how many bins you can have.”
Recycling companies responded by focusing on the highest-volume plastics, water and soda bottles, milk jugs.
What’s changed in recent years is the technology.
“The machinery has become so sophisticated that they can take a bale of mixed plastics, put it on a sort line and sort out the plastics by the number,” Daoust said. “It can go in there and pull it out, either through eddy currents or it can read the type of chemistry that’s in the plastic.”
That means one bin is all that’s required and that recycling more plastics is a viable option for more communities.
Students recycle
MSU’s recyclables go to a Royal Oak company, while Lansing’s end up at a firm in Ann Arbor.
The result: recycling of non-bottle rigid plastic increased by nearly 11 percent over 2007 and 2008, according to the American Chemistry Council. Christman expects the trend to continue, particularly with expanded programs in major cities such as New York and Philadelphia.
MSU doesn’t make a profit on the plastic it recycles, Daoust said, though there’s an “avoided cost.”
“It’s not going into the landfill and you get so much out of the residence halls,” Daoust said.
MSU takes pains to make recycling simple, placing bins in the dorms and across campus, giving new students recycling bags on move-in day.
But it’s also dealing with a generation of students accustomed to recycling and generally convinced of its value.
As for recycling more plastic, “it’s a really good idea,” said Curtis Thomson, a sophomore.
“When you throw it away you don’t really realize it, but when you see it pile up in a recycling bag, you definitely realize how much you use it.”
Is your office ready to move?
September 7, 2010
2501 Coolidge Rd. East Lansing, Michigan 109,576 Square Feet
Building and Site Information
This highly visible Class A five-story office building is the epitome of the old adage LOCATION – LOCATION – LOCATION. Its central location (just two blocks east of the US-127 and Lake Lansing Road interchange), offers easy access to the entire State Highway system, the local and State Government office Complex (6 miles), Capital City Airport (3.5 miles), and Michigan State University (3 miles). It is ideally situated within walking distance of multiple supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, banks, and less than a mile from the new Eastwood Town Center, which includes over 45 national retail stores, a multiplex theatre, and six national restaurant chains.
Lease Space Available
We have 3,493 square feet of contiguous space available.
Building Highlights
Dynamic Entrances High End Finishes
Adjacent to a protected wetland
Club 2.5.0.1, a multi use exercise facility with Locker Rooms and Showers is located on the lower level and is available for our tenant’s use for a nominal fee
On-Site Management Company
Loading Dock
Free Convenient on-site Parking
Tenant Storage Area Available in Lower Level
TV lounge and vending machines in the Lower Level
Unique lobby finishes
Michigan State Football: Three questions with Joe Rexrode
August 31, 2010
Each Tuesday during football season, Lansing State Journal reporter Joe Rexrode asks and tries to answer three pressing questions on the Spartans.
• What was the biggest news to come out of preseason camp?
Will Gholston’s decision to move permanently to defensive end got the most attention – but let’s face it, that was a matter of when, not if, and it’s the smart move for Gholston if he wants to help right away.
The emergence of freshmen such as running back Le’Veon Bell and safety Isaiah Lewis is significant. So are the apparent struggles of kicking competitors Dan Conroy and Kevin Muma in pressure situations in MSU’s scrimmages. They bear close watching in Saturday’s opener against Western Michigan.
But I’ll go with the surprising lack of shuffling on the right side of the offensive line.
There was a lot of uncertainty entering camp about how that rebuild would go, but sophomore Chris McDonald and senior J’Michael Deane staked early claims to right guard and right tackle, respectively, and they held their positions.
Live competition will tell the story, but McDonald and Deane have looked good. Both can move, both play with power.
The rest of the starting line (left tackle D.J. Young, left guard Joel Foreman, center John Stipek) should be solid, so if McDonald and Deane deliver as hoped, this should be Mark Dantonio’s best offensive line since his debut season of 2007.
And that could do wonders for MSU’s offense and defense. The Spartans were 5-0 with the edge in possession time last season, 1-7 without it.
• What will be the most interesting thing to watch during Saturday’s game?
The running backs. MSU should control both lines of scrimmage, which doesn’t tell you much about how the Spartans will do against better competition.
Everyone knows Kirk Cousins and his pass catchers will be good. Gholston and the revamped secondary are of keen interest, but I want to see who stands out in the competition for carries this season.
Sophomore Larry Caper and true freshmen Le’Veon Bell produced the most during MSU’s preseason scrimmages. Everyone is raving about Bell, who may be the power back this team hasn’t had since Jehuu Caulcrick was a senior in 2007.
But let’s not forget sophomore Edwin Baker and his late-season surge. He was the best runner on the team in the Alamo Bowl. Slashing freshman Nick Hill seems like a logical redshirt candidate, but he may get a look Saturday as well.
Even in a lopsided matchup, Saturday should give us an idea of who will be carrying the ball for MSU this season.
• Speaking of lopsided matchups, any chance Saturday’s isn’t one?
A slim chance. Western Michigan lost 49-14 last season in Spartan Stadium and said good-bye to all-time passing leader Tim Hiller in the offseason, so maybe we should change that to very slim.
However, the Broncos were extremely young on defense last season, coach Bill Cubit has been able to bring in good talent from Florida and elsewhere, and there’s a lot of quality at offensive line, receiver and running back.
If new quarterback Alex Carder – a better runner than Hiller – plays out of his mind and the Broncos get some breaks, you may have to wait until late afternoon to head to the lake.
An LSJ editorial by Joe Rexrode
Saturday’s game
Western Michigan at MSU
• When: Noon, Saturday
• Where: Spartan Stadium
• TV: ESPN2
• Radio: WJIM 1240-AM, WWMQ 94-9-FM
Anyone can be an entrepreneur.
It’s something people don’t realize can be done, are intimidated by or simply forget is possible.
We’ve been wallowing in this culture of feeling entitled to a fat paycheck for a low-skill position for some time now. We need to shift to a culture of innovation and taking risk through entrepreneurialism.
Entrepreneurship is a viable option nearly everyone.
Entrepreneur Magazine named East Lansing one of the top 10 college towns to start a business, CNN Money named Greater Lansing one of the 50 most business-friendly cities.
And most recently, well-known financial news organization Kiplinger’s named Lansing one of the top 10 cities in the country for young adults.
Yet, we as a community don’t realize everything we have available to us at our fingertips. So, why the disconnect?
Better promotion needed
We hosted a legislative breakfast last week on the topic of embracing an entrepreneurial culture. At that Wednesday event, we heard from a variety of people, from veteran business owners to new startup operators to college students to professionals who want to see the region grow.
I learned a couple of things from this event – that our perception of our own community is skewed and many of the resources business owners asked about already exist but aren’t currently utilized.
We need to better promote these resources and people need to be more proactive in seeking out assistance.
Elizabeth Battiste, a Michigan State University junior, concluded the breakfast with her realization that business ownership is an option for her and peers.
“Students go through college thinking about who can we work for or who will hire us,” Battiste said.
Even for this young and talented student, the idea of starting up her own business didn’t occur to her until two weeks ago.
Research is crucial
Incubator space such as the East Lansing Technology Innovation Center, NEO Center and the Hatch is making it easier for individuals with great ideas and solid business plans to put it in action without needing much capital to start.
These spaces have helped more college students and local residents create their own jobs. It’s also how Battiste first learned of the potential of business startups.
Yes, there are great challenges and risks in starting a business, and it’s hard work. Paychecks aren’t reliable at times, but every great entrepreneur started off by taking such a risk.
There are plenty of resources to take advantage of in the community such as the Lansing Economic Area Partnership Inc., the Business Resource Center at the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce or the Small Business and Technology Center at Lansing Community College.
There also are websites such as www.michiganadvantage.com that exist to assist entrepreneurs.
There are plenty more resources in the area. I encourage interested individuals to take initiative, be persistent and do their own research – that’s the first lesson of entrepreneurialism.
An LSJ editorial by Doug Stites
Capital Area Michigan Works
