In 2000, after 114 years of operation, a paper mill in Plainwell, MI went bankrupt and shut down. With paper production continuing to decline, it may be surprising to hear that someone purchased the Plainwell Paper Mill and that it will operate once more after 25 years. However, it won’t be making paper — the mill has become home to the Michigan Classic Auto Mill, which will restore, store, and sell classic vehicles. This feels like a fitting business for a historical building with a lot of connections to locals in town. It felt so right, in fact, that the city sold the 255,000-square-foot property to Darius and Rimante Grigaliunas for just $1.
Plainwell City Manager Justin Lakamper said that the new classic car company will be “a huge thing” for the city, which makes sense: Michigan is home to the number one car city in the country. Plainwell has been debating what to do with the old paper mill for decades. Now, former employees and the public are invited to the grand opening of the Michigan Classic Auto Mill on Saturday, October 3, complete with a polka band and beer garden.
Plans for the Michigan Classic Auto Mill
While the Grigaliunas only purchased the property for $1, they signed a contract that requires them to fix up the property within a certain time period. Plainwell residents themselves, Darius and Rimante are excited to revitalize the property as self-proclaimed “massive environmentalists.” They previously purchased the Wurlitzer Piano plant in Illinois, which was in a state of disrepair. The duo restored it and transformed it into the Classic Auto Factory, which now stores between 75 and 175 vehicles over 20 years old — and it takes a lot of special care to properly store a classic vehicle…