State Grant to Help Andy’s Place in Holly Rebuild, Reopen

A state grant will assist in the rebuilding of Andy's Place in downtown Holly. The family-owned and operated bar and grill was one of many businesses destroyed by a 2022 fire that ravaged a portion of the community's business district.

According to an MLive report, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a $433,770 grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund, part of the state's Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) program, on Monday, May 5. A portion of these funds will support downtown Holly's business community.

MLive notes that the RAP program "provides access to gap financing for place-based infrastructure development and real estate rehabilitation and development." The program is funded with $100 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. 

So far, the RAP program has delivered grants of up to $5 million per initiative for real estate rehabilitation and development. It has also disbursed up to $1 million for improvements to public spaces and up to $20 million to local or regional partners for developing a subgrant program.

MLive and The Flint Journal attempted to reach Andrea Chapin, developer and owner of Andy's, for comment. She told the media service that she hopes her business can reopen in early 2026.

“As the owner and head of the family business, I am so excited about being able to now rebuild and restore Andy's Place with the help of the MEDC (Michigan Economic Development Corporation),” Chapin said in a media statement.

Chapin opened Andy's Place eight years before the 2022 fire. In September 2022, Chapin told The Flint Journal that she bought the business to give back to the community, and she is committed to its reopening. 

“It's evolved to a family-friendly place,” she said in 2022. “We have music on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, including open mic. So that drew in a lot of people, and it just grew into this extended family.”