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The Deckerville Community Development Corporation is sponsoring the Phillips, Shubels and Apseys' plan to hold an open meeting to discuss ways residents can have a positive impact on the future of Deckerville. The meeting will be held in the community center at 7 p.m. Oct. 17.

"We're trying to revitalize Deckerville. Like all the other small towns, it has having a hard time keeping things going," stated Elaine Phillips.

Over the past few years many small manufacturing and assembly plants have closed their doors in Deckerville, and the once thriving downtown has empty store fronts.

"We need to do something and it is going to take the involvement of the entire community pulling together to turn things around," stated Phillips.

"We need people with ideas about how to make Deckerville a better place to live, work and enjoy life. We want people with a vision for what they would like to see in Deckerville and passion to help us see things happen here in the future," she added.

Phillips and her husband Robert, Kurt and Julie Shubel and Brad and Debbie Apsey have formed a LLC and purchased two downtown buildings to help bring new businesses to town.

They bought Rita Decker's former building and the store that formerly housed Bardon's Clothing and later a carpet store.

"Some are already rented. We moved TLC Used Books in and we put Blower Antiques in the bookstore," stated Phillips.

Other businesses are moving into Deckerville as well.

Two other businesses have recently moved onto Black River Street - Albert Maier's Drivers Education and Ms Marie.

Phillips said when there were six empty buildings downtown before she and her husband bought three of them. That was when they established the former Blower CafŽ/Antique store, which burned a few years ago.

"When we (the village) had problems, we lost the grocery store and we almost lost the hospital...the town is real good about kicking in," Phillips stated.

"Deckerville is a special place...A lot of people think it is a wonderful place to live and work. Many people in the area are willing to come and volunteer their time and talent to help in this brainstorming session," she added.

For more information or if you can't make it to the meeting, call and discuss your ideas. Contact Elaine Phillips at 376-4430 or Robert or Elaine at 648-4751.