Today we’d like to introduce you to Rae Gosling & Lindsey Dotson
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
RAE:
Rae Gosling is cheerful and chatty, with vivid turquoise and magenta hair. Her love of literature is evidenced by the tattoo on her forearm of an open book surrounded by birds, flowers, and constellations. The interior of the Hidden Nook Booksellers, her bookstore in downtown Grayling, reflects Gosling’s whimsy and creativity. The tiny shop – the sales floor is only 800 square feet – is filled with “book art,” including a book folded into a four-leaf clover, a bespectacled owl made of books that are perched in the window, and Gosling’s pride and joy: a custom checkout counter made of 461 donated, used books stacked and glued together that she and her husband built themselves.
Her role as a small business owner is a departure from her previous job as Michigan Main Street (MMS) director for the city of Grayling, a position she held for seven years. During her tenure, Gosling planned special events and worked on programming and technical services for the community’s businesses. The community was part of the inaugural Project Rising Tide program, which provided communities with the tools and technical assistance to become better positioned for redevelopment opportunities. Her experience with Project Rising Tide paved the way for her to get involved with another community’s journey, where she took on a now several-year contract serving the Village of Kalkaska in much the same way she served Grayling. She now enjoys blending her small business passion with her calling to promote healthy community development and maintain a sense of place.
LINDSEY: Lindsey Dotson was born in Lansing and raised in Metro Detroit but now lives in Charlevoix, MI. Before accepting the Emmet County Housing Ready Program Coordinator position in July of 2024, Lindsey served as the DDA Director and Historic District Commission Coordinator for the City of Charlevoix for over 7.5 years. Lindsey is a certified Main Street America Revitalization Professional and a Destination Creation Course facilitator, a program created by Jon Schallert.
Lindsey has a master’s degree in Historic Preservation from Eastern Michigan University, a bachelor’s in Health Science from Grand Valley State University, and over 11 years of experience in community and economic development.
Lindsey is a member of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network Board of Directors and volunteers as a member of the Professional Development Committee for the Michigan Downtown Association. Lindsey is also an appointed Historic District Commissioner in Norwood Township. She volunteers as an advisory member of the Charlevoix Historical Society Board and is on the Buildings and Grounds committee.
US TOGETHER: Together, Rae Gosling and Lindsey Dotson bring decades of expertise in various fields, making us the perfect team to assist you. We met eight years ago while working as directors of Main Street programs. Since then, one of us stayed in the field of community-driven economic development and historic preservation, while the other now owns a small business, Hidden Nook Booksellers, in downtown Grayling, Michigan.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Working in the realm of community and economic development is the calling that brought Rae and I together, a calling that only a handful of unique souls feel drawn to. It is also a calling that unfortunately takes its toll on a person, especially if they put their all into their work. It is a thankless position, usually within the local government, and a person in that role has way too many people to answer to and rarely gets the respect or praise they deserve. When working to improve the core of a community, you are inevitably acting as a “change agent,” which can be met with a lot of resistance. Often, local politics and personalities get in the way of progress, and it is easy to lose steam if you don’t have a supportive board or administrator backing you up in what you do. We gradually drifted away from working in that environment but knew our work wasn’t over yet – and that we had much value left to give the world. We talked about starting a consulting business together for years and informally did in 2021. Still, all the pieces came together, and the stars aligned in 2024, enabling me to transition out of my day job and into running this company full-time. Being resilient and not losing sight of the value you bring to the table was challenging for us over the years because of our profession. Thankfully, the one thing that provided solace in all those storms was our relationship and the fact that we could laugh through all the weird things that would occur. We have brought that into our branding and philosophies associated with our business because it is who we are – cheerful, exuberant, and enthusiastic in everything we do, regardless of what the haters might think! We understand what it takes to bring about effective growth and change – and we also know that it doesn’t have to be dull or tedious work. It’s okay to have fun while making positive and impactful improvements to your community!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
GD Placemaking is a consulting firm offering various services to communities, property owners, developers, non-profit organizations, and small businesses. Our services range from assisting with grants, nominating historic properties for the National Register of Historic Places, Section 106 Review, Business mentoring, digital storefronts, websites, content creation, social media management, graphic design, voiceover work, promotional video, professional photography, and more.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Revitalization and Redevelopment Guidance for Communities, Small Businesses, and Property Owners.
We are GD Placemaking and are here to have a good time. Our mission is to elevate communities, property owners, and businesses by partnering to help dreams become reality while preserving the built environment and unique character that makes places memorable.
Since the scope of our work varies from client to client, our pricing also varies. We have incredibly affordable rates for the services we provide small businesses for developing and managing a business’s digital presence. We know the realities of what it’s like to be a small business owner and aren’t here to get rich – we honestly just want to help and care deeply about the well-being of small businesses throughout Michigan, especially those in traditional downtowns.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gdplacemaking.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gd_placemaking/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gdplacemaking
