August 29, 2019

Like many small cities and towns in the industrial Midwest, Albion has seen better days. A former manufacturing town, our population shrank and grew older and in our downtown, a once-thriving business and retail district, empty storefronts replaced shops and restaurants. But Albion is making a comeback and we believe its best days are ahead of it.

Now civic groups are working hard to bring Albion back and shuttered businesses and lost jobs with a mix of retail, dining and professional services. Caster Cares™ is working with civic organizations and Albion’s city government to bring the downtown business district back to its former glory and more.

So far, in just the last couple of years:

• A new Courtyard by Marriott hotel has opened in Albion’s downtown
• The Bohm Theater re-opened for first-run movies and community events
• Five formerly vacant storefronts were redeveloped into a college/community space by Albion College
• The Albion Malleable Brewing Company, The Peabody Lofts and The Foundry Bakehouse and Deli, opened in Albion’s downtown business district

We’re doing our part. We moved our marketing department into offices downtown, rebranded them as Brick Street Marketing and are offering their services to new and small businesses in Albion. We’re also supporting STEM education with the Innovation Hub in the City’s downtown, where high school robotics teams can design, build and test their robots. And Caster Concepts has always had a presence at local food and toy drives, and will continue to do so under the Caster Cares™ banner.

We do this because it’s the right thing by our community and because it just makes good business sense. A thriving Albion attracts new businesses and new residents who will spend their money here. A strong education system prepares our young people with the skills they will need to compete in the 21st century. As our City grows, our young people will opt to stay here, open businesses or work in existing ones, raise their families and support the ongoing rebirth of Albion.

To find out more about what we’re up to, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram and on this page to see what we are doing and how you can get involved.