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Nathan Harris
Old Town is famous for its recent renaissance, the revival that turned run-down, dangerous “North Lansing” into the arts and culture hub it is today. This change has been due to the persistent efforts of the Old Town community, but, in every discussion of the area, one name always comes up. It barely stretches the truth to call local businessman Terry Terry a legend in his community. Stories circulate among volunteers at Old Town’s BluesFest that he made his money doing work for Harley-Davidson, the motorcycle company, and that he is the man in Old Town who really runs things. False or not, or maybe just embellished, these stories pale in comparison to the colorful truth. Born in Detroit, raised in Dearborn, Terry spent the years following his graduation from Michigan State University’s James Madison College traveling, gaining experiences he said have been very helpful in later life. After a stint in street theater that ended with his being “kicked out” of New York City, teaching in a school in Nepal, and many places and experiences between, Terry eventually found his way back to Lansing. He founded Message Makers in 1977. The company is an event planning agency, media projects firm and training material developer. This variety makes it difficult to give Message Makers a single, descriptive label. Terry probably likes it this way, and has another way of describing his business. “We make people cry, and laugh, and provoke them to think; we motivate them to take action,” he said. “We have a little card that says that somewhere.” Terry moves through the offices, studios and work centers that comprise Message Makers with a tight and focused energy that shows he has a line in to every project his business handles. The details associated with planning a seven language Harley-Davidson leadership seminar in Europe or the finer points of audio recording; he discusses both with equal pride. The Message Makers current home, on Turner Street in Old Town, is a narrow and much-renovated storefront that looks too small to “make people cry, and laugh, and provoke them to think.” Up a flight of stairs that could connect a house and its attic is a surprising amount of space, an area much deeper than it is wide that houses a complex of conference rooms, recording studios and high-end computers. Terry was one of the first businessmen to relocate to Old Town in the 80s, when the area was little more than violent reputation and crumbling real estate. The demolition of his old offices, in Lansing’s Michigan Theater, prompted the move, which he said made sense because it allowed him to remain downtown and near his clients. It also gave him a convenient place to live. “I wanted to stop paying rent,” he said. The Old Town Business & Art Development Association (OTBADA), a non profit for which Terry has served on the board of directors for years, is responsible for fostering much of the growth in the area. It was during one of their community forums that the name “Old Town” was first coined. Terry said he first used the name to refer to what until then was “North Lansing” during an interview at the Otherwise Art Gallery, across the street from Message Makers. “Without asking permission, we renamed the area Old Town,” he said. “It struck us: this is where Lansing started as a modern city.” Arlie Skory, treasurer of the OTBADA, said she’s not exactly sure how long she’s known Terry, since he and her husband, Mike, have both been involved in Old Town for years. She said she has become more heavily involved since her daughter went off to college, and she has come to see Terry as a man driven by ideas. “Every idea brings another idea with it,” she said. “He thinks big; he speaks quietly and thinks big.” According to Skory, Terry’s role as something of a leader in the area has helped Old Town push its limits farther than it would have without him. “We’ll say, ‘We’re not so sure we can do this’; he thinks big, and he’s the one who’s always pretty sure we can,” she said. The naming of Old Town is a case in point, but, for years, Terry has been the area’s semi-official spokesman, quoted in almost every news story on Old Town. “I kind of got stuck,” he said. “Other people involved in the galleries were shy, and I’m a behind-the-camera person, too, but they were even more shy. They didn’t want to do any of the interviews, so I got stuck.” The success of the Old Town, now almost completely renovated and full of galleries, eateries and other unique small businesses, is not enough for those who care about the area, and, though Terry has been a major part of the success story, he still has a vision for the future. Nighttime entertainment, quality restaurants, possibly a theater group; Terry Terry has a clear idea of what it is Old Town needs, and it is very likely he will have a strong hand in bringing it about. Questions? Comments? Contact Nathan Harris at harri663@msu.edu |
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