Flint Downtown Development Authority

02/05/2023

We love these weather ball tees from Flint City T-Shirts! Stop in this week and check out their new designs. ❤️💙💛

02/04/2023

The FIA dedicates a new gallery to African American and African Diaspora artists

“Some of the most important artists from the mid-20th century to today will now be on display at the Flint Institute of Arts. The museum announced its new gallery space, dedicated to artworks by African American and African Diaspora artists. The figurative and abstract art collection features over 320 pieces, ranging from paintings, sculptures, and mixed media works from the museum's permanent collection.”

The FIA announces its new gallery space, dedicated to artworks by African American and African Diaspora artists.

02/03/2023

Congrats to Blueline Donuts on their ribbon cutting and grand opening!

02/03/2023

DDA shapes plan with focus on basic services, building inclusivity in downtown Flint - Flint Beat

Remember the surveys we asked you to fill out last fall? Hundreds of you did, and the results are reflected in this draft plan. Thank you!

Flint, MI—In the summer of 2022, Flint Downtown Development Authority (DDA) executive director Kiaira May invited three community development consultants

02/01/2023

Need a Valentine’s Day gift? Flint Handmade Craft Market has you covered.

Are you looking for a special and unique Valentine gift? Stop by the Flint Handmade Craft Market this Saturday at Flint Farmers' Market! ♥️💕

The Valentine's Day-themed craft market will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Flint Farmers’ Market in downtown Flint.

01/31/2023

This photo is likely from 1911, taken from Flint's first 'skyscraper,' the nine story Flint P. Smith Building (later known as the Sill Building). It shows the Grand Trunk Railroad depot, and across the river the Randall Lumber Company. To the right you can see the original Hamilton Dam partially obscured by trees. The depot area is now part of the UM-Flint campus.

01/30/2023

Huntington Bank continues support of free Saturdays at the FIA in 2023

Enjoy the Flint Institute of Arts for FREE on Saturdays, courtesy of Huntington National Bank!

Huntington Free Saturdays allows all visitors regardless of where they are from to enjoy temporary exhibitions and the permanent collection galleries free of charge every Saturday in 2023.

Huntington Bank has it will continue its sponsorship of Free Saturdays at the Flint Institute of Arts (FIA) through 2023.

01/29/2023

Attention all community groups!

Clean & Green applications are now available! Apply today! Applications are due by 3:30 PM on Friday, February 24th, 2023.

Paper copies of the application are located in the Land Bank lobby. To apply online or learn more about the Clean & Green program visit https://www.thelandbank.org/clean_green_prog.asp

01/28/2023

Anonymous donor pledges $1 million for new Flint YMCA

Some more good news for the YMCA of Greater Flint! 🙌

An anonymous donor is pleading $1 million toward the new YMCA at Third and Harrison streets. The YMCA portion of the Harrison Street Commons project is estimated to cost $21

01/27/2023

Our deep appreciation to the amazing DDA crew members who help keep the Flat Lot, sidewalks and crosswalks downtown clear of snow and ice! Depending on the amount of snowfall they start their days as early as 3am. Thanks guys!

01/26/2023

What’s for lunch today? Warm up with a delicious smothered potato from Spectacular Spudz before they move from the Flint Farmers' Market to their new location at 131 W. Second St, right across from Comma Bookstore & Social Hub!

01/25/2023

Live Laugh Love Valentine's Event | Blackstone's Smokehouse | Barbecue Restaurant in Flint, MI

Valentine’s Day is a great time to check out downtown Flint, but things fill up fast so make your reservations soon! Blackstones Smokehouse is going to be jumping, with the incomparable Feimstro. Black Rose Band providing the entertainment.

We have some of the best BBQ and eats in the state of Michigan. The ambiance is warm and comfortable. A great venue space for live music and other entertainment.

01/24/2023

Herlich Rexall Drugs occupied a beautiful building at the southwest corner of Harrison and 1st St., across the street from the Flint Journal and next to the Garden Theatre. Interestingly the Garden's marquee says "ENJOY THE BEST - ATTEND THE MOVIES FIRST RUN AT THE CAPITOL & PALACE." All three had the same management at the time, and the Palace was cheaper, showing movies that were a few months old. Both of these buildings were later demolished to make room for Genesee Towers, and the area is now the green space Brush Park.

01/23/2023

Carriage Town Bakery offers Flint's homeless a fresh start

We love having Blueline Donuts at Carriage Town Ministries downtown!

It’s about so much more than doughnuts. “Carriage Town Ministries didn’t save my life, but it did give me life,” said Bruce Sowles, who was homeless before the Flint shelter took him in and helped

01/21/2023

This Sunday at Buckham Gallery!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/810-winter-fashion-show-tickets-512256702587

01/20/2023

Can you believe this year? Share your Halo Burger memory at https://haloburger.com/help-halo-burger-celebrate-100-years/. Downtown veterans, check out this photo of the old Harrison Street location, right across from the Palace Theatre.

01/20/2023

Your New Flint Public Library A Wonderful Place for the People - My City Magazine

Have you been by the expanded Flint Public Library yet? What do you think of it?

Kay Schwartz, Director of the Flint Public Library (FPL), remembers February 29, 2020 like it was yesterday. “That was the last day the old FPL was open to the public. It was two weeks before the start of the pandemic and we served nearly 2,000 people that day,” she shares. The next day, the FPL...

01/19/2023

Kyle Kuzma donates $1M for new YMCA of Greater Flint gym on ‘Good Morning America’

Thank you, Kyle Kuzma! ❤️

Funds from Kuzma’s donation -- through the Kyle Kuzma Foundation -- will be used to build the gymnasium at that location, according to a news release from the YMCA. It’ll be named after Kuzma and host the necessary equipment for basketball, volleyball and pickleball.

01/18/2023

Hubbard's Hardware outgrew their Saginaw St. space and the only place to expand was across Brush Alley to a warehouse on Harrison. To facilitate moving products in all weather, and without blocking traffic, they built a 2nd floor walkway between the two buildings. This photo was taken in the 1970s, looking north from the intersection of Brush Alley and Kearsley St. These buildings were later demolished to make way for the Waterstreet Pavilion project.

01/17/2023

The Mayors of Flint Part 1: Opening the Office - My City Magazine

My City Magazine’s epic 11-part series The Mayors of Flint has concluded. This is the link to the very first article, which kicks off with Flint’s first mayor, Grant Decker. These stories are a must read for anyone interested in Flint history!

After the establishment of the Michigan School for the Deaf, the building of St. Michael’s Catholic Church, and 44 years after Jacob Smith built his trading post at the Grand Traverse of the Flint River, the growing village of Flint became a city. After reaching a population of 2,000 in 1855, Flin...

01/16/2023

Popup at Flint Farmers’ Market to feature TikTok star The Golden Balance

Ahmad Alzahabi, Flint’s own TikTok star, will have a stall from 11 am-4pm on Saturday, January 28th at the Flint Farmers' Market!

https://facebook.com/events/s/the-golden-spot-popup/522665963209322/

Ahmad Alzahabi, otherwise known as The Golden Balance on TikTok, will be cooking in a special popup stall at the Flint Farmers’ Market later this month.

01/15/2023

DeAndra Larkin to keynote Big Brothers Big Sisters MLK breakfast in Flint

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flint and Genesee County will focus its discussion and theme around "Navigating New Norms," encouraging the community to attend on Monday, Jan. 16 at the Flint Farmers' Market. Registration for the event begins at 9 a.m.

Larkin, a lifelong Flint-area resident, has served in leadership roles across the community for years and currently is the Mott Community College chief of staff.

01/13/2023

Northbank Center high rise in downtown Flint marks 100 years

Happy 100th to The Northbank Center! 🎉

“The 12-story building on the north bank of the Flint River was constructed during the bustling 1920s as home to Industrial Savings Bank, which was experiencing rapid growth as Flint's economy boomed.”

The 12-story building on the north bank of the Flint River was constructed during the bustling 1920s as home to Industrial Savings Bank, which was experiencing rapid growth as Flint's

01/12/2023

Certification To Serve Yummy Drinks Now Possible In Downtown Flint

Congratulations to Sheena Harrison, and welcome to Downtown Flint!

Michigan has several bartending certification businesses. Now, Genesee County's lone operation has relocated to Downtown Flint.

01/11/2023

* Quick bump - see you at 2pm!

Just a quick reminder that our strategic plan sessions start tomorrow. We hope you can join us!

01/11/2023

The Road Home A Brief History of Saginaw Street - My City Magazine

Plans are starting to be made for Saginaw Street’s historic bricks to be restored in the spring. This article does a nice job of sharing some history of one of the longest-used pathways in the country!

Before the cars, the bricks and the buildings, the roads and highways, and before the United States were established, a small footpath led the way from the lands of the Ottawa in the south (Detroit) to the lands of the Chippewa (Saginaw) in the north. Native Americans strode this path for centuries,...

01/10/2023

This is a Jenna Bankston Photography appreciation post! Jenna lives and works downtown, and she has a real gift for catching the stark beauty of the city before it wakes up or after it goes to bed. The downtown seen by janitors and bus drivers, security guards and bar staff. Give her page a follow to see more killer photos of Flint.

01/10/2023

UPDATE: Power has been restored downtown. Please be aware the traffic signal at 1st St. and S. Saginaw is still out - there are signs there making it a four-way stop. Other traffic lights are now blinking red four-way stops until the city can reset them.

Much of downtown south of the river has lost power, including along Saginaw St. from 2nd St. down to City Hall and over to I-475. Please use caution at all intersections. We will update you as soon as we learn more about the cause and estimated time for power to be restored.

01/10/2023

This mid-1920s shot is of Saginaw St. looking south from Kearsley St. The buildings on the left are where the Flat Lot is now - note the chop suey house in the middle of the block. In the 20s Flint had more chop suey places than coney island joints! On the right you can see the Edison store selling records and phonographs, and just past that the Economy Shoe Store. That building is now Cafe Rhema, and the restored shoe sign is at Sloan Museum.

01/09/2023

Here is a throwback to January, 2015, when Vehicle City Tacos started livening up the Flat Lot at night! While the truck is now a permanent feature at Tenacity Brewing, shout out to Danny, Tim, Jayson and the rest of the crew who braved cold and rain to feed us, and help kick off food truck culture in Flint.

01/07/2023

What’re your lunch plans today?

Blackstones Smokehouse

👉FREE Blackstone's Smokehouse!👈 Join our FREE Messenger Smokehouse Social Club today and we'll send you a great offer, like a FREE Appetizer*, and many more! Click the link below to enroll and start saving today! 👇
https://m.me/blackstones.smokehouse?ref=join

Please note: You can only join the program once.
*with entrée purchase, excluding wings.

01/05/2023

01/04/2023

There are many fine photographers documenting our amazing downtown, but this is a Masphoto appreciation post! Morgan is out at all hours in all weathers capturing the beauty of Flint. Give his page a like to see many more shots, and hit the link to his store - many of these are available to purchase and make great office or home decor.

01/04/2023

If your New Year’s resolution is to practice relaxation, be sure to check out these free online yoga classes from the Crim Fitness Foundation and Mindful Flint! 🧘‍♀️

Join us for free, adult yoga classes every week at the beginning of next year! All are welcome to come and practice relaxation and cultivate wellness for your mind and body. Visit https://loom.ly/pTYO8Sw to learn about all of the weekly yoga classes we have to offer in 2023!

01/03/2023

01/02/2023

July 8, 2023, save the date! One of downtown’s favorite events, FOTA Friends of The Alley, returns.

01/01/2023

12/31/2022

What’re your lunch plans today? 🍻

Soggy Bottom Bar

Might have a real winner of a special this NYE weekend! Cajun Fried Pork Loin Sandwich! This thing is delicious! Tenderized Fried Pork Loin with a Cajun Honey Butter, Remoulade, Dill Pickle, Muenster Cheese.

12/30/2022

86 years ago today, Flint autoworkers started the Flint Sit-Down Strike

Did you have relatives at the Flint Sit-Down Strike?

Flint autoworkers seized control of the General Motors body plant where they worked 86 years ago today, starting the Flint Sit-Down Strike that ended only after the company recognized the United Auto Workers as their bargaining representative.

12/27/2022

Joel Rash shared these classic Flint signs, photos taken twelve years ago. We see four from downtown, how many do you recognize?