Trowbridge Plaza businesses in East Lansing are hosting a community event Wednesday, Sept. 23, to draw back customers lost during years of highway construction.

The Trowbridge Business Association will hold its Thrift & Thrive event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the plaza, East Lansing Info reported. The event features giveaways, samples, mending demonstrations and health screenings.

The push comes after the Michigan Department of Transportation's $204 million US-127/I-496 corridor project shut down ramps to Trowbridge Road for well over a year starting in the summer of 2024, before reopening in late 2025. MDOT lists the 2024–2025 phase as complete. But business owners say the damage lingers.

Brooke Cummings, founder of Resilient Physical Therapy at 1028 Trowbridge Rd., opened her clinic in the summer of 2024, right as the ramps closed. She told East Lansing Info the closures made the already tucked-away plaza invisible to commuters.

"Everybody kind of forgets about this place … People just never get off the exit and so they don't see what's here," Cummings said.

She added that the gas station, eateries and coffee shops all lost regular commuter traffic during the construction. Conditions have improved, though the exits still close without warning, Cummings said. The pandemic and other economic pressures also contributed to business turnover along Trowbridge in recent years.

David Zumberg, owner of New Style Salon, has operated in the plaza since 1991. He told East Lansing Info that foot traffic is picking up, partly because of MSU's new Student Recreation and Wellness Center across Harrison Road. The $200 million, 293,000-square-foot facility was expected to open to students in May, according to the Lansing State Journal.

Susan Chalgian, who represents the Trowbridge Business Association, said the group wants to establish the plaza as a destination. Several plaza businesses focus on health and wellness, including Fresh Thyme Market, East Lansing Hot Yoga and Elegant Nails Salon.

At the Sept. 23 event, Seams Sewing & Mercantile will demonstrate mending techniques and hand out free mending kits. Uptown Cheapskate and MSU's Spartan Upcycle will sell clothing and accessories. The MSU Bikes Service Center will offer DIY bike repair education.

McLaren Health Care will park its Mobile Health Clinic in the plaza parking lot, providing blood pressure checks, wellness exams, health screenings and sports physicals. The Thrift & Thrive event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, in Trowbridge Plaza off Trowbridge Road in East Lansing.