I was in Old Town for Christmas shopping today and took a quick shot of an unfamiliar contractor’s stamp in front of Pleats Interior Design, on the north side of East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue (Historic Grand River) between Turner and Center. I can find some residual directory listings for Dan’s Concrete which suggest it was based on Harris Street in Lansing’s north side, but it doesn’t seem to be in business now and I can’t find out anything about it.

Everything in Old Town is now a gallery, a boutique, or a tattoo parlor, but in times past it was more down to earth. The nice-looking brick storefront occupied by Pleats seems to have been a grocery store called Affeldt’s (“Ask your neighbor – she knows!”) in the 1930s, then Rulison and Sons Supply Company (“We Do HEMSTITCHING”) in the 1940s and 50s. In the 1980s it was home to Minor Creations, a lingerie manufacturer. A January 10, 1993 classified ad sought an industrial cutter for a garment factory, able to lift heavy bolts of cloth; no company name was given, but I assume it was still Minor Creations. To my surprise, Minor Creations (warning: not entirely SFW) still exists and is now based in Okemos. They seem to now call themselves a dancewear rather than lingerie manufacturer. And, times being what they are, they also sell masks to match your tiger striped sexy garb.