Abandoned Paper Mill Gets A New Purpose Bringing Classic Cars Back To Life

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. 

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. 

For the Grigaliunas, buying the old paper mill and turning it into the Michigan Classic Auto Mill is not just about making some money — they view it as a "redemption project" for the town. On top of storing and selling classic cars, Girgaliunas envisions a possible restaurant and indoor athletic facility with batting cages. The plan is quite flexible based on what the Plainwell community wants, but the first step is to get the core business up and running so they can start creating some job opportunities. Noted Grigaliunas: "We only want local people working on the building. People from Kalamazoo, Plainwell, and Grand Rapids. I'm here to build relationships with the locals. We're going to rebuild this and reopen this mill together."