Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa & Brad Veneklase.
Hi Alyssa & Brad, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We’ve been in real estate for a long time; Brad for almost 30 years, and Alyssa in and out of the industry for the past 20 years.
Brad started his own brokerage, Urban Soil Realty, right before we had our daughter, Finnley, in 2013. Working as a husband and wife team in real estate has proven to be a fun venture for us! We both have different strengths that build upon the other, and getting into development together has allowed each of us to shine in the areas we love the most. Together, we’ve built three boutique hotels downtown Grand Rapids – The Finnley, The BlueJay, and The Inn on Jefferson.
Our latest project is Crow’s Hold, a 20,000 sf retail vendor market. We’ve owned the building at 200 Division Ave. South for 7 years. “I remember shopping there 20+ years ago. It was the best Goodwill store in Grand Rapids!” – Alyssa Toward the end of 2025 we had the idea to start a business in the building ourselves, instead of waiting for that perfect renter. We don’t have anywhere downtown to shop for gifts or home accessories. Downtown Grand Rapids in general is lacking in retail shops. We also don’t have an easy place for local artists to sell their work. Crow’s Hold is a thoughtfully curated space for artists, retail vendors (vintage, antique, new, and handmade), and even bakers to showcase their talent. We are creating a space that is accessible and collaborative for artists, and fun and inviting for shoppers.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
This project was fast-tracked! We just had the idea the end of last year. I remember sitting on a bed in our hotel room over winter break talking with our graphic designer about store name ideas. So that was late December/early January, and our grand opening is May 16! We are the type of people who have an idea and go for it. We did our due diligence, came up with a business plan that worked, and got moving! Brad got to work on meeting with engineers and contractors. I got to work figuring out what kinds of vendors I wanted in the space and how to attract them.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are really proud of the strength we’ve shown working together to problem-solve and tackle new things together.
When we opened our first hotel, we had no idea how to run a hotel! But we went for it, did it right, and now we have three. The fact that we decided to open a giant retail market together seemed a bit crazy. Brad has never worked retail and it’s been 25 years since I have. It’s been a huge creative outlet for me. Real estate isn’t really a creative industry, but development allows us to be creative. Brad can be creative in his design of a space, and I can be creative in the use and esthetic of the space. We have 70 vendors signed up for the market and I have met with every single one of them in person. It has been a joy meeting all of them, hearing their stories, and finding the perfect space for them. Many of the vendors are seasoned professionals, but for many this is their first store front. Their first go at showcasing their art. And we’re happy that we could provide that for them.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Even at almost 50, we can still hustle! People are really good at making excuses why they can’t do something. Too old, too busy, too tired. Well, we’re old (haha), we’re extremely busy, and we’re tired as hell but this has been worth it! We’ve learned we work really well together. We make a great team. And our daughter, who is now 13, will hopefully want join us or take over some day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://crowshold.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crows_hold/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61589471640663
