Small Planet's uniqueness scores big names

While they might call themselves The Small Planet, the independently-owned food and spirits venue is expanding its orbit every day.

With a selection of bigger-name shows and an array of food and beverage services to offer the East Lansing community, The Small Planet, 16800 Chandler Road, is finding its gravitational pull becoming stronger.

“We’re definitely seeing a better September this year than we did this time last year,” bar manager and MSU alumnus Mike Krueger said. “A lot of (students) are starting to make the trip out, which is wonderful.”

A majority of the establishment’s ability to house the names it has been able to line up is lent to the sheer fact it is able to hold as many people as it can. The establishment has a 550-person capacity, Krueger said.

“The size of the place makes it so we can bring in big names like (Shwayze and Dinosaur Jr.) and people who are on their way to accomplishing a lot,” Promotions and booking director Jerome White said.

With acts such as D12, Skid Row and Silverstein on the calendar in the upcoming weeks, The Small Planet has been looking forward to the return of the students and the business it was beginning to bring last fall. However, even with the success of the venue before the majority of the students left East Lansing for the summer, some students still don’t know much about the space.

“I think they just need more advertisements because I don’t really know what shows are there,” Russian and English sophomore Garrett Sickles said. “They don’t really have much advertisement, so I’m not sure.”

Although The Small Planet might seem a light-year away at about 2.5 miles from campus, for the right show, Sickles said he wouldn’t mind the extra travel.

“I think D12 is playing there, which I would go see if they were,” Sickles said.

Despite seeming worlds away from campus, The Small Planet has made an effort to draw in students with a galaxy of menu options. The expansive restaurant features Jamaican, Mexican and vegetarian options. The random food options are based on owner Vaughn Schneider’s own travels.

“The menu is reflective of where Vaughn Schneider has been over his lifetime,” White said. “I like being able to try some of the things that have influenced (Schneider) to build The Small Planet to what it is today.”

Although many students and residents are rocketing toward the venue for the array of acts, Krueger said they should know that there is definitely more than just good shows being offered at The Small Planet.

“By day, it’s your casual hang out with drinks around a TV (place),” White said. “By night, it’s a kind of live music superhero — it’s the Clark Kent of the E.L. bar scene.”