Cassopolis’ first business appreciation event may be a step toward change for the village, attendees said.

The Main Street Committee and the Cassopolis-Vandalia Area Chamber of Commerce teamed up to host the area’s first business appreciation event June 1. Finger foods, drinks and live music were provided to those who attended the event. The Turtle Lodge donated space to event organizers free of charge, and many of the drinks were provided by Bud Distribution Center in Dowagiac.

Everyone from business owners and employees to representatives of local organizations like the Diamond Lake Association to chamber and village council members attended the gathering, which was meant to serve as a thank-you and a networking opportunity to local businesses for all they have done for the village of Cassopolis. However, many saw the event as a something bigger. They saw it as a sign that Cassopolis is turning things around.

“We are here to thank small business and organizations in town,” said Main Street Committee President Ben Anderson. “That’s what we hope to get out of this, to make Cassopolis a better place in live in and shop in.”

Cassopolis Village President David Johnson said the village is currently in the middle of a “renaissance.”

“[The business community] is starting to get fired up and excited,” Johnson said. “At first, people were kind of hesitant to want to have a business here, but now, word is spreading around that we treat our businesses really nice, and we are starting to see business in our industrial park grow.”

Geraldine Norwood-Sims, a trustee of the Village of Cassopolis, would agree.

“I think business has grown here, and the businesses that have been here have expanded,” Simms said.

Those who have been business owners in Cassopolis for several decades noted that there has been a decline in business activity in recent years, but that an event made to specifically meant to honor and encourage local business is a sign of an upswing in both business and community enthusiasm.

“Since 1970, I’ve never seen an event like this,” said owner of local Harding’s Supermarket Terry Hertsel. “Starting any business today is a risk, but we’ve have some really good changes and a lot of improvements.”

Those who have only been in Cassopolis for a short period of time also see the village as on the verge of change.

“[Cassopolis] is up-and-coming, I think,” said Ken Kemerer, who has been working for silicone manufacturing company ICM Products in Cassopolis for two years. “I think there are opportunities, and I think [the chamber and the Main Street Committee] are doing the right thing.”

While everyone had differing perspectives, most of those in attendance said they believed that Cassopolis, with help of organizations like the Main Street Committee and the chamber of commerce, is looking toward a brighter future.

“We are the best kept secret of southwest Michigan. We have so much to offer that is mostly untapped,” former Cass County Commissioner Bernie Williamson said. “I think the chamber now is really pushing to put all of our momentum into one place. I think we are going to see good things happen.”