This weeks Small Business Saturday featured business is The Lansing Studio. The Lansing Studio is rentable studio space located in REO Town with multi-purpose potential. And since opening The Lansing Studio early 2021, The Lansing Patio was introduced as a rentable option during warmer months.
The Lansing Studio is managed by Cold Box Films and is located within a recently restored Lansing factory building, the Potter’s Mill. The 200-year old building was originally a sawmill located on the banks of the Red Cedar river. The restoration process included everything from windows, beautiful concrete floors, custom murals and so much more.
GLAMoms recently chatted with The Lansing Studio owner, Tracey Spaulding. Read the story behind The Lansing Studio, its community focused and devoted mission and plans as they move towards 2022.
Welcome to GLAMoms, Tracey 🙂
Tell GLAMoms all about The Lansing Studio!
The Lansing Studio is a rentable studio space located inside a beautifully renovated 200-year old factory in REO Town, Lansing.
Born out of the desire to offer Michigan’s creative community the space/tools to create their best work – photographers, artists, and creative folks love renting the space to host photoshoots, events, and more.
Sporting 1,000 sq ft of open space, our studio features a full kitchen, beautiful modern furniture, a private restroom, and plenty of soft natural light.
Recently, we added a secondary space called The Lansing Patio (which is available to rent during the warmer months). This 1,100 sq ft fully covered patio features the industrial charm our community loves and is the perfect backdrop for photoshoots or events like bridal showers, baby showers, and more.
What’s your background? What was the vision and drive behind this gorgeous space?
The Lansing Studio is managed by my team at Cold Box Films. We are a commercial video production company that serves Michigan businesses and our studio is located right next door to The Lansing Studio.
We’ve always loved and supported the mission of The Lansing Studio – to offer our creative community an inspiring space to produce their best work – so we didn’t hesitate at the chance to carry that mission on when the opportunity presented itself in January of 2021.
We’ve always wanted a more intentional way to connect with our creative community, and this space allows us to truly practice community over competition. Now, we get to bring people together and offer Lansing’s talented artists access to the dream studio they’ve always wanted, without having to invest in their own.
Likewise, we love being able to provide the public a space where they can celebrate and host events. Each space is often the backdrop for baby showers, bridal showers, art shows, corporate networking, and more.
What do you love about having a business in the Greater Lansing area?
It’s been 7-years since we started Cold Box Films, and in that time we have truly grown to love our hometown and the people we serve.
Our city has achieved so much in the last decade, and we want to be another piece of that progress. Whether it’s coming alongside an organization to tell their story, or offering people the space they can feel confident, safe, and inspired to create in.
The creative community here is humble, but eager. We want to be a source that listens to them, understands their needs, and can continually shape our space to offer them the MOST value possible.
What has been the most challenging part of running your business during COVID, and how did you overcome it?
Coming into a brand new business in the middle of the pandemic was very nerve wracking. My husband Cooper and I are very slow and calculated to make decisions like this, but we knew our community needed us to show up and invest in them!
Looking back, we are absolutely blown away by the way our customers embraced The Lansing Studio as their means to pivot.
At the time, photographers who had lost an entire wedding season of income could use our space to book other types of shoots (family portraits, professional headshots, product shoots, etc).
Our large and private room made it easy to socially distance, and photographers were able to keep their businesses afloat during a difficult time. We are thrilled to have been an ideal solution for them!
What are some exciting plans you have for the business in 2021 and as we move towards 2022?
Throughout the year, we’ve made several investments in new furniture, a library of rentable equipment, and other unique features to freshen up the space; and we plan to continue doing that.
Additionally, we’d love to introduce more opportunities to bring our community together through events. Some events will provide education so creatives can grow their skillset. Others will be more casual where people can sip coffee and enjoy conversation. We are looking forward to rolling out dates for these very soon.
Tracey Spaulding
A couple favorite area businesses you enjoy? We love sharing area favorites!
If you’re looking to host an event in the near future, there are two amazing businesses you should absolutely check out!
The first is Runabout Coffee. Doug’s mobile coffee cart features a full selection of espresso drinks that are delicious and always a massive hit at any gathering. His team truly goes above and beyond to make the experience special for every one of their customers!
The second is Vibrant Vintage Rentals. They have an impressive inventory of wicker and bohemian-style furniture that customers can rent for their photoshoots or events.
Anything else you would like to share with GLAMom’s?
Booking the space for your next photoshoot or event is incredibly easy! Just head to our website thelansingstudio.com and click “book now.” This will take you to our availability calendar where you can make your reservation in minutes!
Thank you so much for this opportunity to be featured! Our studio is often referred to as a “hidden gem” and we’d love for more people to be in on this great secret! 😉
Preferred contact: Tracey Spaulding, Owner
Instagram: @thelansingstudio
Facebook: @thelansingstudio
Website: https://www.thelansingstudio.com/
