A shuffleboard club hopes to shuffle up downtown life 

Later this year, Lansing will make shuffleboard trendy. Or at least that’s the plan for the former home of the Lansing City Market. 

The building, behind the Lansing Center and along the Grand River, is set to become the Lansing Shuffleboard & Social Club with seven restaurants, an art gallery, a podcast studio and, of course, six shuffleboard courts. Originally, developers had planned for completion by this spring. Now, that date has been pushed to August, approximately.  

Last July, City Pulse reported that the owners of Detroit Shipping Co. signed a 40-year lease agreement, which was approved by the City Council. A liquor license was also transferred to the location. Construction started on the space in February, but progress has been slow because of shortages in labor and supplies.  

Three of the seven restaurants were announced this month: Browndog, Yeti Kitchen and Osteria Vegana. Browndog is a Northville-based restaurant and “barlor” — a boozy milkshake and craft ice cream joint. Yeti Kitchen is from the same chef as Detroit Shipping Co.’s Momo Cha dumpling shop. It will offer Nepali-inspired street food. The third vendor, Osteria Vegana, is a vegan Italian restaurant that comes from the mind of chef Gianmarco Roselli. 

Michigan-born and Italy-raised, Roselli expressed excitement in bringing his cuisine to Lansing in a space with “limitless potential.” This will be his first endeavor in Michigan outside of the Metro Detroit area. 

“If you give an opportunity to people to get together, to share culture and community through these amazing things, it’s beneficial,” he said. “I’m happy to branch from the Metro Detroit area to Lansing. I’ve worked in many other places, but I’m happy to focalize and concentrate all my spirits on one thing.”  

Much of Roselli’s food is inspired by his upbringing just outside of Rome. He emphasized the importance of fresh, healthy and eco-friendly food. Roselli said he can pack flavor and color into vegan and vegetarian dishes, all while completely avoiding meat and rarely using dairy products.  

“My menu is a party of the right things,” Roselli said.  

Four more vendors have yet to be announced — and many are hoping to see some local Lansing vendors involved with the project. Co-owners Jonathan Hartzell and Jim Therkalsen also share that hope.  

Hartzell developed Detroit Shipping Co., later founding Detroit Rising Development. Therkalsen, who grew up with Hartzell, is a founding partner of Detroit Rising.  

Unlike the application process for filling vendor spaces for the Detroit Shipping Co., which Therkalsen said saw “a consistent flow of people applying,” it’s been more difficult to generate interest for Lansing Shuffle, even among local chefs.  

“We’ve offered to a few,” Hartzell said. “We have an agreement where we’ll give a bit of a discounted rent to Lansing locals.”  

Therkalsen, who works full time for Facebook as a creative director, also works on the branding and marketing for Lansing Shuffle. He runs the website and social media, and he said he’s seen comments regarding the tenants of Lansing Shuffle — and its current lack of Lansing-based restaurants. 

“My answer is ‘Send them our way,’” Therkalsen said. “We’ll meet with anybody. We’re open. We’re not looking to fill it exclusively with out-of-towners.” 

He said anybody who’s interested in having a location inside Lansing Shuffle can fill out the application on the Lansing Shuffle website, lansingshuffle.com.  

Inspiration for a shuffleboard space, Hartzell said, came after he took a work trip to Orlando and spent an entire evening playing shuffleboard and drinking at the resort where he stayed. 

“We were supposed to go out and do all this stuff, but we literally never left that shuffleboard court,” Hartzell said. “It was just pushing pucks, drinking drinks and having a great time with all ages. I loved the experience, it was very approachable and fun.”  

He said that the game is easy to learn and great for all ages. And it’s easy to stay connected with others while playing. He’s also straying away from the idea of going out, sitting down and eating a big meal at one place. The shuffle club will be a good stop for food, drinks and fun during a night out downtown — the website describes it as a “diverse, approachable, unique and versatile” experience.  

“People now, how they go out — they’re not going to one location,” Hartzell said. “We’re stopping in for the night, we’re parking and we’re bouncing around. That’s the hope.” 

Hartzell said he worked closely with the BOND consulting club, a student organization at the University of Michigan that helps businesses solve their toughest problems. Hartzell had trouble deciding on a second location for another food hall after seeing success with Detroit Shipping Co. After a semester-long study, the club narrowed down the top three choices, and Hartzell chose to move forward with development in Lansing.  

Therkalsen said that he and Hartzell “always try to be ahead of the curve” in terms of what development projects may be successful. Detroit Shipping Co. was a project that acted as a bridge between Wayne State University and the downtown area, Therkalsen explained. The location of Lansing Shuffle “felt like a real opportunity” to do the same in the Capital City. 

“Here, I think what intrigued me was the location on the riverfront,” he said. “It’s just an awesome location, right along the Riverwalk, Rotary Park, with the stadium and convention center. This feels like the space wasn’t being used, and development is something that could bridge all those different points of interest.”  

The 15,000-square-foot entertainment space can hold 500 people. Plans for the ground level feature an open-air courtyard with food stands, a bar and a covered patio. The second level will hold the art gallery, shuffleboard courts and a second bar. There are plans to redesign the exterior patio to give patrons more room. Both Hartzell and Therkalsen said the spot will be great for groups from all over. 

“You just have to build a mini melting pot where people from all over — whether it’s tourists and people in town for conventions, locals or Michigan State students. It’s the kind of place where everyone will feel welcome,” Therkalsen said.