Downtown retailer comes home

Downtown retailer comes home

Elliott's News will reopen at its original McKay Tower address eight months after it closed another downtown location. Courtesy McKay Tower

A longtime downtown retailer is set to make a return.

Elliott’s News announced it will reopen in McKay Tower, eight months after it closed at its former location in the 50 Monroe building. The newsstand was forced to close because of renovations of the building.

The new location is a return to the original building in which Elliott’s News was located when it was opened by Don Elliott in 1912. Elliott operated the newsstand outside of the building.

The new location will be a 700-square-foot space in McKay Tower’s lobby, behind the health-conscious casual dining restaurant Freshii. Elliott’s owner Bill Bennett expects the store to be open shortly, after renovations of the suite are completed by the McKay Tower owners in September.

Bennett said most of the items found in the old store will also be found in the McKay Tower store, including magazines and snacks.

“We are excited to be back in business,” Bennett said. “I was toying with the idea of retiring, but I greatly miss the people of downtown and still believe there is a need for our services. It just feels natural to be in downtown. The McKay Tower folks made a good deal for me to return, so I’m eager to get back to it.”

Bennett’s father, Don Bennett, purchased Elliott’s News in 1973 and Bill Bennett bought out his father in the mid-1980s.

Prior to its location in the 50 Monroe building, Elliott’s News was found in a building where Rosa Parks Circle is today and at the former Greyhound Bus Terminal, where Plaza Towers sits today.

The office space in McKay Tower’s upper floors is 90 percent leased, with NAI Wisinski of West Michigan handling the leasing.

“You can’t get any more central business district than McKay Tower,” said Lauri Miller, McKay Tower property manager. “Our luxury apartments are mostly full, the Ballroom at McKay is booked for months in advance, and NAI Wisinski has been very busy leasing our offices.”